Taddei Pogachar has rebuffed calls for a Giro d'Italia and Tour de France double next year, but suggested it could happen in 2023.

Last week, Giro d'Italia director Mauro Veni challenged Pogachar to go for the double title in cycling's most difficult Grand Tour, suggesting that no matter how many times he wins the Tour de France, it will make no difference.

The 23-year-old Pogachar won the Tour de France in 2020 and 2021 and has said he will one day target the Corsa Rosa. However, he intends to try for a third Tour win in 2022, and a Giro-Tour double is only a possibility after 2023.

"It's a bit risky to try next year because I'm still quite young and I've never ridden two Grand Tours in one year," Pogachar told ESPN Brazil (open in new tab) cautiously.

"Maybe next year I can run the Tour and the Vuelta. And in two or three years I will try the Giro and the Tour."

Pogachar, when pushed to see if those are his goals, said: "Possibly.

Pogachar and UAE Team Emirates have yet to confirm their goals for 2022. However, the Slovenian is expected to return to the Tour, and newcomer Joao Almeida has set his sights on the Giro d'Italia, despite the limited time trial.

"I'm almost certain to go back to the Tour and try to win, but I don't feel much pressure to win again," Pogachar told Cycling News in a recent exclusive interview.

Pogachar has competed in three Grand Tours in his short career, finishing third and winning three stages in his Grand Tour debut at the 2019 Vuelta a España and winning the yellow jersey again at the 2020 and 2021 Tour de France. He dominated this year's race, taking victory from fellow Slovenian Primoš Roglic in 2020.

UAE Team Emirates was initially keen for Pogachar to compete in this year's Vuelta, but he chose to rest after winning a bronze medal in the Tokyo Olympics road race. 2021 He competed in one-day races at the end of the season, and in spring Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and ended with a convincing victory at Ile Lombardia.

Marco Pantani won both races in 1998, the year before he was disqualified from the Giro d'Italia for high blood hematocrit levels, making him the last rider to win the Giro and Tour double.

Meanwhile, Chris Froome was the last rider to seriously challenge for the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France in the same season. He won the 2018 Giro, but finished third in the Tour de France as teammate Geraint Thomas took the overall win.

The month-long gap between the two races makes the Giro-Tour double one of the most difficult accomplishments in the sport. Only seven people have ever achieved the double.

Fausto Coppi first achieved it in 1949 and again in 1952. Bernard Inaud and Miguel Indurain achieved it twice, in 1982 and 1985, respectively, and in 1992-93, while Jacques Anquetil (1964), Stephan Roche (1987), and Pantani achieved it once. Eddy Merckx achieved it in 1970, 1972, and 1974, making him the only player to achieve the double three times.