"If anyone can do it, it’s Pogacar" - Jens Voigt believes Giro-Tour double is almost impossible, but points towards his favourite

Jens Voigt has never been a major Grand Tour contender but, with almost inequal experience, shares his opinion on the rider who is most likely to be able to succeed at winning Giro d'Italia and Tour de France in a single season.

“It hasn’t been done because no one is using super petrol (widespread doping use, ed.) anymore. That’s one of the reasons why winning the double hasn’t been done since Pantani," Voigt said in an analysis with GCN. "I raced both races and was competitive in stage hunting in the Giro and was good in the Tour as a stage hunter or as a helper to someone like Carlos Sastre but GC is different.”

The German is a frequent voice in the peloton's key subjects and perhaps none is more important than Tadej Pogacar's schedule in the 2024 season. Voigt is unsure if it is possible in the current day and age to win both Giro d'Italia and Tour de France, but if anyone can it is the Slovenian. “Tadej is a lot younger but he has an incredibly strong team and he’s a racer and a winner. He’s not going to go to the Giro to finish seventh. That’s just how he is. If anyone can do it, it’s Pogačar."

"I’m a little biased because I like him. He’s a cool young man and he’s not afraid to attack long. I’m a fan, I have to admit. Who would have thought that a rider like him could win Flanders?" he continues. "So I think he can do the double but he’s also thinking that he’s been second twice to Vingegaard at the Tour de France so he’s probably thinking he needs to change something."

At the Giro Pogacar will have a sole leadership, however at the Tour de France he will be one of four leaders alongside Adam Yates, Juan Ayuso and João Almeida. “I think that the Giro and Vuelta double is probably more manageable. Like with Roglič. He would have done it last year but he wasn’t allowed to win the Vuelta. There’s enough time between Giro and the Vuelta. With the Giro and the Tour, there’s a complicated distance between both races," he argues.

"It’s far too long to push it for both races because you’re in shape for four weeks at the Giro, and then it’s impossible to hold top shape for 12 weeks until the end of the Tour. The time between both races is also short, so you can’t take a week of holiday and then try and build back up. It’s tricky in the past but with the coaches and data the riders have now, it’s manageable," Voigt believes, arguing that the evolution in nutrition and preparation may assist riders in this difficult goal.