1966 Tour de France
Route of the 1966 Tour de France
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| Race details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Dates | 21 June – 14 July | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stages | 22, including three split stages | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Distance | 4,329 km (2,690 mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Winning time | 117h 34' 21" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Winner |
 Lucien Aimar (FRA)
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(Ford France–Hutchinson) |
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| Second |
 Jan Janssen (NED)
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(Pelforth–Sauvage–Lejeune) | |
| Third |
Raymond Poulidor (FRA)
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(Mercier–BP–Hutchinson) | |
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Points |
 Willy Planckaert (BEL)
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(Roméo–Smith's) |
| Mountains |
 Julio Jiménez (ESP)
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(Ford France–Hutchinson) | |
| Team | Kas–Kaskol | ||
The 1966 Tour de France was the 53rd edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It took place between 21 June and 14 July, with 22 stages covering a distance of 4,329 km (2,690 mi).
Lucien Aimar was a domestique of 5-time Tour winner Jacques Anquetil. Aimar joined a breakaway in the middle of the tour and ended up on the leader board. Anquetil then began helping Aimar win the Tour, to make sure and deny it to his then-enemy Raymond Poulidor. After stage 18 Aimar's victory was certain barring disaster. Anquetil rode hard that day to ensure it and then quit the race.
The points classification was won by Willy Planckaert, and the mountains classification by Julio Jiménez. The team classification was won by Kas–Kaskol.
During the Tour, word spread that there was going to be a dope test, and all the riders but Raymond Poulidor, the darling of French cycling fans, left their hotels. The other riders staged a strike in protest during stage nine dismounting and walking their bicycles. Eventually they started riding again, but only after arguing with officials.
As in the years before, the 1966 Tour de France was run with trade teams; each trade team consisted of 10 cyclists, and at least six of them needed to have the same nationality.
Initially, there would be only two Belgian teams, but one month before the Tour it was decided that three Belgian teams would be fielded, with the Smiths team being the late addition. Shortly after this, a medical test showed Felice Gimondi, winner of the 1965 Tour de France, could not defend his title because he was physically not fit; his Salvarani team then decided not to start at all, so the number of teams was back to thirteen.
The organizers then invited the Italian team Sanson (headed by Italo Zilioli and Franco Balmamion) to replace Salvarani, but at the last moment they refused. Thirteen teams started, for a total of 130 cyclists.
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