Froome emulates Anquetil and Hinault with Tour-Vuelta double

Chris Froome has become just the third man to win the Tour de France and La Vuelta in the same year, and the first since the Vuelta moved from the early part of the season to the latter in 1995.

In almost a carbon copy of his fourth Tour de France win earlier this year, Froome built an early lead in Spain and Team Sky were able to fend off the attacks of his rivals to see it home, with Froome able to extend his advantage on the penultimate stage.

Despite only a 27-day gap between the end of the Tour and start of the Vuelta, Froome proved too strong for his rivals and joined the company of Frenchmen Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault as Vuelta-Tour winners in the same year.

Here, Press Association Sport looks at the men Froome has joined in this piece of cycling history.

Jacques Antequil (1963)

Anquetil’s chances of the first Vuelta-Tour double ended in 1962 when he pulled out of the Spanish race two days before its finish after losing to team-mate Rudi Altig in the final time trial.

But his wait would only last 12 months as, in 1963, he completed the feat no man before him could accomplish.

Anquetil, or ‘Monsieur Chrono’ as he became known, was the first man to win the double in the same year as just a couple of months later he would go on to win his fourth Tour crown.

The 1963 Vuelta course played right into the Frenchman’s hands, with only four first-category mountains and an opening time trial, his speciality.

It was the mountainous Tour later that summer which would provide a stiffer test of Anquetil’s ability as a climber, though he was able to hold off competition from Spanish rider Federico Bahamontes to take the yellow jersey.

Anquetil would not conquer the Spanish terrain again but he won the Tour again in 1964 and jointly holds the record of five Tour wins alongside Hinault, Eddy Merckx, and Miguel Indurain.

In addition to his five Tour wins and one Vuelta crown, Anquetil also won the Giro d’Italia twice, making him one of six men to have won all three grand tours to date, with Merckx, Hinault, Felice Gimondi, Alberto Contador and Vincenzo Nibali the others.

Bernard Hinault (1978)

‘The Badger’ needed little time to follow his compatriot in doing the double, completing the feat at the first attempt aged just 23 in 1978.

However, his Vuelta win was tinged with a little controversy, as the final stage was cancelled after riders had been pelted with debris and rocks and nails were spread over the roads as part of the fight for Basque independence.

Hinault held the Vuelta lead for three days after the opening prologue, then took it back with victory on stage 11b and carried it home.

He would leave his Tour victory late. He entered the stage 20 time trial 14 seconds behind Dutch rider Joop Zoetemelk, but soon wiped that out and would end the race with a winning margin of almost four minutes.

Hinault would also win the Vuelta in 1983 and finished his career with five Tour crowns, those two Vueltas and three Giro d’Italia victories.