When Alberto Contador announced his ambition to win the Giro-Tour double this year, eyebrows were raised.

But El Pistolero is halfway now and on the brink of holding all three Grand Tours at once having been crowned Vuelta a Espana champion last year too.

This Giro d’Italia is the seventh Grand Tour win on his palmares, with two others having been stripped from the record because of his positive test for the banned clenbuterol.

Some will always judge him on his doping suspension, but the Spaniard has been in stunning over the last 18 months and deserves all the praise heading his way.

His time trial performance, where he was the only one of the GC men to excel when the weather changed late in the stage, proved he was over his dislocated shoulder.

And his incredible climb on the Mortirolo – where he clawed back Fabio Aru and Mikel Landa at the front despite starting the climb more than a minute behind – was Contador at his very best.

He lost time in the final few days, which could be a sign he was cracking but if we’ve learned anything it is not to write him off.

He recovered from a broken leg to win the Vuelta and recovered from a dislocated shoulder, sustained in-race, to win the Giro.

It would take a brave man to suggest the time he lost in the mountains in the final few days was a sign he will not be able to win the Tour.

With such a commanding overall lead, it would be little surprise to find he in fact held himself back.

We will find out when Nairo Quintana, Chris Froome, Vincenzo Nibali and Joaquim Rodriguez put digs in at the Tour, but El Pistolero stands on the brink of history and this generation’s finest Grand Tour rider would fully deserve it.