Winning Grand Tour without a single stage victory - Ever?

[Libertine Seguros]

Re:

Angel Casero, winner of the 2001 Vuelta never won a stage, even thought he finished second to Heras the previous year in addition to his win.

Marino Lejarreta, winner of the 1982 Vuelta didn't win a stage in the GT he won or any GT previous to that, although he won stages in each ofthe three GTs after that.

Lejarreta also never once wore a GT leader's jersey until after he was already a GT winner, because he never led the '82 Vuelta and Ángel Arroyo stood atop the podium after the final stage, but got demoted for failing a drugs test.

 

[ice&fire]

Re: Winning Grand Tour without a single stage victory - Ever

Pereiro won a stage in 2005, and sold another one to Hincapie.

Wait -- is the bit about Hincapie true? I'd never heard that, though it's common knowledge that such things go on.

Pereiro told the story very recently. If we believe him, it's even funnier than you might think:
http://deportes.elpais.com/deportes/2016/05/12/actualidad/1463056895_966181.html

Summary for non-Spanish speakers:
During the climb to Pla d'Adet Pereiro hears Hincapie telling him something and the figure of 50k, and he understood that Hincapie wanted money for not sprinting. Pereiro agreed, but then got so shocked when he saw Hincapie sprinting for the win that he couldn't react. He got paid a non-disclosed amount, but much less than 50k euros or dollars, so he surely also misunderstood the figure. The next morning Armstrong was laughing at Pereiro, so he decided to go again on a break.

 

[yetanothergreenworld]

Re: Winning Grand Tour without a single stage victory - Ever

Pereiro won a stage in 2005, and sold another one to Hincapie.

Wait -- is the bit about Hincapie true? I'd never heard that, though it's common knowledge that such things go on.

Pereiro told the story very recently. If we believe him, it's even funnier than you might think:
http://deportes.elpais.com/deportes/2016/05/12/actualidad/1463056895_966181.html

Summary for non-Spanish speakers:
During the climb to Pla d'Adet Pereiro hears Hincapie telling him something and the figure of 50k, and he understood that Hincapie wanted money for not sprinting. Pereiro agreed, but then got so shocked when he saw Hincapie sprinting for the win that he couldn't react. He got paid a non-disclosed amount, but much less than 50k euros or dollars, so he surely also misunderstood the figure. The next morning Armstrong was laughing at Pereiro, so he decided to go again on a break.

Yeah, I actually googled this yesterday and it turns out that even Gawker had a piece about it. Apparently Armstrong's exact words to Pereiro were, “F---ing Pereiro, you’re the dumbest guy in the world.” Maybe so, but Pereiro has something that Armstrong doesn't: a single, measly TDF victory.