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Winning a major cobbled classic and a GT in one year?

I only checked the podiums of Raris Roubaix and Tour of Flanders the last 25 years or so and I couldn't spot any halfway decent GT contender on there. Who was the last one to do it or came very close? What you think, could it be done today or in the future? I would put such achievement up there in one category with winning 2 GT in one year.

There might be better examples but Valverde was 8th this year in the Tour of Flanders and then 2nd in the Vuelta. Considering he is very light nowadays there should be GT condenters better suited to cobbled races than him.
 
I only checked the podiums of Raris Roubaix and Tour of Flanders the last 25 years or so and I couldn't spot any halfway decent GT contender on there. Who was the last one to do it or came very close? What you think, could it be done today or in the future? I would put such achievement up there in one category with winning 2 GT in one year.

There might be better examples but Valverde was 8th this year in the Tour of Flanders and then 2nd in the Vuelta. Considering he is very light nowadays there should be GT condenters better suited to cobbled races than him.

I would put it even higher.

About contenders, Valverde is probably as close as we get. Alaphilippe could maybe do well, but we have to see it first. Nibali in top shape could snitch a top 10 in Flanders maybe. Geraint Thomas in "previous life" was a serious contender in cobbled classics, but I guess those times are gone, let's say he can't be a contender at both in the same season. Maybe we will have to wait for a couple of years for Remco to develop a bit.
 
Winning in the same year:

Lapize 1910 (Roubaix and Tour).
Magni 1951 (Ronde and Giro).
Bobet 1955 (Ronde and Tour).
Merckx 1968 (Roubaix and Giro).
Merckx 1969 (Ronde and Tour).
Merckx 1970 (Roubaix, Giro and Tour).
Merckx 1973 (Roubaix, Vuelta and Giro).
Hinault 1981 (Roubaix and Tour).


If we extend to podiums i think could be a lot bigger the list, having riders in top 10 like Valverde this year was even frequent between 50s and 80s but then have sharply declined alredy by the late 80s and disappeared during the 90s, i'm pretty sure we never had a top ten in both Roubaix and a GT in the same year in this millennium with only a couple top 10 in Roubaix backed by top 20 in GTs (Chavanel, Hincapie) and Valverde is probably the first in Ronde since Chiappucci and Bartoli in 1995.
 
I would put it even higher.

About contenders, Valverde is probably as close as we get. Alaphilippe could maybe do well, but we have to see it first. Nibali in top shape could snitch a top 10 in Flanders maybe. Geraint Thomas in "previous life" was a serious contender in cobbled classics, but I guess those times are gone, let's say he can't be a contender at both in the same season. Maybe we will have to wait for a couple of years for Remco to develop a bit.
IMHO explosive/punchy climbers could do well in the Ronde and diesel/rouleur/TT climbers in Roubaix and really great all rounders in both, the history tells that, nowadays the problem is that with the specialization almost no one tries and classics specialists that give a shot at GC in the GTs are are disappeared as well so even top 20 in both have become a rarity.
 
In 84, Kelly finished 2nd in MSR and Ronde, won Roubaix and Liege, and then finished 5th in the Tour. He lost the Green Jersey on the Champs Elysees.

In 85 he finished 3rd in Roubaix, 4th in the Tour, and then won Lombardia.

He was top 5 in MSR, Ronde and Liege in 88 before going on to win the Vuelta.

It should be noted that the Lombardia route especially in those days wasnt as much of a climbers’ classic as recent editions. 85 was a bunch sprint, with Adri vdPoel in 2nd.
 
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No, there is just the obvious two, but I think in the coming years more riders will do it. It wouldn't surprise me if Bernal, Yates or Roglic snatches Lombardia or Liège.

Those three are the most likely to be able to do it. Bernal has specifically said he wants to following Valverde's footsteps of being able to win all types of races. Of the 3 Simon, I think, is the least likely. Simon is a very good stage races, however, Adam is a better single day racer.
 
We’re just dismissing the possibility of Thibaut ever putting together that disaster-free 3-weeks?

5 of the top 10 at Lombardia this year were riders who were named as possible winners/podium finishers of Grand Tours this year, and 2 of them won a GT this year. All the recent Lombardia winners have at least some GT top 10/mountain stage winning pedigree (back to Zaugg).
 
No, there is just the obvious two, but I think in the coming years more riders will do it. It wouldn't surprise me if Bernal, Yates or Roglic snatches Lombardia or Liège.
This is colored by the fact that the current rider with the most GT successes to his name is probably, by results, the worst one day racer to ever actually win a Grand Tour. And also another recently retired, multi GT champ, only ever picked off a single Italian semi-classic.
 
This is colored by the fact that the current rider with the most GT successes to his name is probably, by results, the worst one day racer to ever actually win a Grand Tour. And also another recently retired, multi GT champ, only ever picked off a single Italian semi-classic.

There's another current multi GT winner who hasn't really ever shown much when it comes to one day racing.


I think many of us would be happy if Pinot can ever put together a 3 week race, but so far he hasn't been able to do that.
 
Valverde has come close to winning a GT and a monument in the same year a bunch of times:

2006: 2nd Vuelta, 1st Liege
2008: 5th Vuelta, 9th TDF, 1st Liege
2013: 3rd Vuelta, 8th TDF, 2nd GdL, 3rd Liege
2014: 3rd Vuelta, 4th TDF, 2nd Liege, 2nd GdL
2015: 3rd TdF, 7th Vuelta, 1st Liege, 4th GdL
2016: 3rd Giro, 6th TDF, 6th GdL
2019: 2nd Vuelta, 9th TDF, 2nd GdL, 7th MSR, 8th RVV

Nibali has a similarly impressive record
 

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