Chris Froome stands on the verge of cycling immortality ahead of the Giro d'Italia despite his preparations being hampered by the ongoing UCI investigation into an adverse analytical finding at the Vuelta a Espana.
Froome heads into the opening Grand Tour of 2018 knowing victory in Rome on May 27 will see him become only the seventh rider to win the triple crown.
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The Team Sky leader added the Vuelta to his four Tour de France wins last September, so victory at the Giro would complete the set.
Here, we look at the men who have already won all three Grand Tours in their careers – including another rider taking part at the 2018 Giro.
JACQUES ANQUETIL
Anquetil was the first man to achieve the feat after victory in the 1963 Vuelta, the Frenchman finishing over three minutes clear of second-placed Jose Martin Perez.
His success in Spain came after winning the Giro in 1960, and four Tour yellow jerseys – including three in a row from 1961.
FELICE GIMONDI
Five years later Gimondi equalled Anquetil's record, the Vuelta again the final piece of the jigsaw for "The Phoenix".
Gimondi only started racing professionally in 1965 but after just three years in the peloton he had all three Grand Tours in his palmares.
He won the Tour at the first attempt, before adding the Giro in 1967 and the Vuelta a year later. He would win two more times on Italian soil to complete a stunning career.
EDDY MERCKX
Hot on the heels of Gimondi came one of cycling's most famous icons in Merckx, the Belgian seen by many as the greatest to have competed in the sport.
Merckx's 11 Grand Tour successes is still unrivalled, while he also enjoyed five Monument titles, three World Championships and the hour record.
"The Cannibal" won five Tour crowns and the same amount at the Giro, but only one title came in Spain as he finally completed the triple crown in 1973.
BERNARD HINAULT
Hinault finished his career one Grand Tour short of Merckx's record, but the Frenchman was the first man to win each race more than once.
Unlike Anquetil, Gimondi and Merckx, Hinault's triple crown was completed at the Giro in 1980, having won the Tour and Vuelta in the previous two years.
He finished with three Giro wins, two at the Vuelta and five in France – a race that saw him win 28 stages, a feat only surpassed by Merckx and more recently Mark Cavendish.
ALBERTO CONTADOR
It was not until 2008 that a fifth member joined this illustrious club, Spain's Alberto Contador enjoying success on home soil.
"El Pistolero" burst onto the scene at the 2007 Tour, beating Cadel Evans by 23 seconds to claim the yellow jersey.
Contador added the Giro in 2008 before winning the Vuelta later the same year. Like Hinault he would go on to win all three races more than once – the only two riders to do so.
VINCENZO NIBALI
The final man on this list is Bahrain-Merida rider and one of Froome's rivals Vincenzo Nibali.
Nibali has four Grand Tour titles to his name and completed his triple crown at the 2014 Tour de France, taking advantage of Froome's early abandonment to win in Paris.
The "Messina Shark" is not racing the Giro this year – an event he has won twice – and will instead focus his attentions on ending Froome's recent Tour dominance.
