1966 Tour de France

1966 Tour de France
Map of France with the route of the 1966 Tour de France
Route of the 1966 Tour de France
Race details
Dates 21 June – 14 July
Stages 22, including three split stages
Distance 4,329 km (2,690 mi)
Winning time 117h 34' 21"
Results
Winner  Lucien Aimar (FRA) (Ford France–Hutchinson)
Second  Jan Janssen (NED) (Pelforth–Sauvage–Lejeune–Wolber)
Third  Raymond Poulidor (FRA) (Mercier–BP–Hutchinson)
Points  Willy Planckaert (BEL) (Romeo–Smith's)
Mountains  Julio Jiménez (ESP) (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.[1]

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.

Teams

For a more comprehensive list, see List of teams and cyclists in the 1966 Tour de France.
Seven cyclists with the same clothes
The Televizier–Batavus team during stage three's team time trial in Tournai, Belgium, which they won

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.[2]

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.[3] 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.[4]

The organizers then invited the Italian team Sanson (headed by Italo Zilioli and Franco Balmamion) to replace Salvarani,[5] but at the last moment they refused.[6] Thirteen teams started, for a total of 130 cyclists.[1]

The teams entering the race were:

Route and stages

The 1966 Tour de France started on 21 June, and had two rest days, in Luchon and Turin.[7]

Stage characteristics and winners[1][7][8]
Stage Date Course Distance Type Winner
1 21 June Nancy to Charleville 209 km (130 mi) Plain stage  Rudi Altig (FRG)
2 22 June Charleville to Tournai (Belgium) 198 km (123 mi) Plain stage  Guido Reybrouck (BEL)
3a 23 June Tournai (Belgium) 21 km (13 mi) Team time trial  Televizier–Batavus
3b Tournai to Dunkirk 131 km (81 mi) Plain stage  Gerben Karstens (NED)
4 24 June Dunkirk to Dieppe 205 km (127 mi) Plain stage  Willy Planckaert (BEL)
5 25 June Dieppe to Caen 178 km (111 mi) Plain stage  Franco Bitossi (ITA)
6 26 June Caen to Angers 217 km (135 mi) Plain stage  Edward Sels (BEL)
7 27 June Angers to Royan 252 km (157 mi) Plain stage  Albert Van Vlierberghe (BEL)
8 28 June Royan to Bordeaux 138 km (86 mi) Plain stage  Willy Planckaert (BEL)
9 29 June Bordeaux to Bayonne 201 km (125 mi) Plain stage  Gerben Karstens (NED)
10 30 June Bayonne to Pau 234 km (145 mi) Stage with mountain(s)  Tommaso de Pra (ITA)
11 1 July Pau to Luchon 188 km (117 mi) Stage with mountain(s)  Guido Marcello Mugnaini (ITA)
12 3 July Luchon to Revel 219 km (136 mi) Stage with mountain(s)  Rudi Altig (FRG)
13 4 July Revel to Sète 191 km (119 mi) Plain stage  Georges Vandenberghe (BEL)
14a 5 July Montpellier to Vals-les-Bains 144 km (89 mi) Plain stage  Jo de Roo (NED)
14b Vals-les-Bains 20 km (12 mi) Individual time trial  Raymond Poulidor (FRA)
15 6 July Privas to Le Bourg-d'Oisans 203 km (126 mi) Stage with mountain(s)  Luís Otano (ESP)
16 7 July Le Bourg-d'Oisans to Briançon 148 km (92 mi) Stage with mountain(s)  Julio Jiménez (ESP)
17 8 July Briançon to Turin 160 km (99 mi) Stage with mountain(s)  Franco Bitossi (ITA)
18 10 July Ivrea to Chamonix 188 km (117 mi) Stage with mountain(s)  Edy Schutz (LUX)
19 11 July Chamonix to Saint-Étienne 265 km (165 mi) Stage with mountain(s)  Ferdinand Bracke (BEL)
20 12 July Saint-Étienne to Montluçon 223 km (139 mi) Plain stage  Henk Nijdam (NED)
21 13 July Montluçon to Orléans 232 km (144 mi) Plain stage  Pierre Beuffeuil (FRA)
22a 14 July Orléans to Rambouillet 111 km (69 mi) Plain stage  Edward Sels (BEL)
22b Rambouillet to Paris 51 km (32 mi) Individual time trial  Rudi Altig (FRG)
Total 4,329 km (2,690 mi)[9]

Race overview

The finish of the stage two in Tournai, Belgium, won by Guido Reybrouck

Rudi Altig won the first stage with a small advantae. In the next stages, no big time differences were made, so Altig was able to defend his lead until the mountains.[10]

The first mountains were in the tenth stage. A group including Lucien Aimar and Jan Janssen gained time on pre-race favourites Jacques Anquetil and Raymond Poulidor, and Tommaso de Pra won the race and became the new leader. The next stage, Lebaube became the leader, and Kunde took over in the twelfth stage.[10]

In the time trial in the fourteenth stage, Anquetil was defeated by Poulidor. Kunde remained the leader, with Janssen in second place. In the sixteenth stage, Julio Jiménez escaped in the Pyrenées, and he was followed by a group including Janssen, Anquetil and Poulidor, but without Kunde. Jiménez stayed away, but Janssen became the new leader.[10]

Even though the seventeenth stage included two mountain climbs, it was not considered too difficult, because these climbs were located in the first half of the stage. The cyclists made the climbs in one large group, but in the descent, a large group escaped. They were chased by teammates Anquetil and Aimar, and when most of the escapees were caught, Aimar continued on his own, and surprised Janssen by this. Janssen lost time on Aimar, and Aimar became the new leader.[10]

In the eighteenth stage, Janssen wanted to attack, but Aimar and Anquetil stayed close to him. Poulidor, sixth in the general classification, managed to escape, but Anquetil led the chase on him. The next day, Anquetil left the race, sick and no longer able to win himself.[10]

Janssen managed to win back some time on Aimar in the final time trial, but it was not enough, and Aimar became the winner of the Tour.[10] Janssen became the first Dutch cyclist to reach the podium in the general classification in the Tour de France.[1]

Classification leadership

There were several classifications in the 1966 Tour de France, two of them awarding jerseys to their leaders. The most important was the general classification, calculated by adding each cyclist's finishing times on each stage. The cyclist with the least accumulated time was the race leader, identified by the yellow jersey; the winner of this classification is considered the winner of the Tour.[11]

Additionally, there was a points classification. In the points classification, cyclists got points for finishing among the best in a stage finish, or in intermediate sprints. The cyclist with the most points led the classification and was identified with a green jersey.[11]

There was also a mountains classification. The organisation had categorized some climbs as either first, second, third, or fourth category; points for this classification were won by the first cyclists that reached the top of these climbs first, with more points available for the higher-categorized climbs. The cyclist with the most points led the classification, but was not identified with a jersey.[11]

For the team classification, the times of the best three cyclists per team on each stage were added; the leading team was the team with the lowest total time. The riders in the team that led this classification wore yellow caps.[12]

The combativity award was won by Rudi Altig.[7]

Classification leadership by stage
Stage Winner General classification
 Points classification
 Mountains classification Team classification
1 Rudi Altig Rudi Altig Rudi Altig Giacomo Fornoni Molteni
2 Guido Reybrouck Guido Reybrouck Tommaso de Pra
3a Televizier–Batavus Romeo–Smith's
3b Gerben Karstens Willy Planckaert Domingo Perurena
4 Willy Planckaert
5 Franco Bitossi
6 Edward Sels
7 Albert Van Vlierberghe
8 Willy Planckaert
9 Gerben Karstens
10 Tommaso de Pra Tommaso de Pra Tommaso de Pra Molteni
11 Guido Marcello Mugnaini Jean-Claude Lebaube Marcello Mugnaini Kas–Kaskol
12 Rudi Altig Karl-Heinz Kunde Julio Jiménez
13 Georges Vandenberghe
14a Jo de Roo
14b Raymond Poulidor
15 Luís Otano Joaquim Galera
16 Julio Jiménez Jan Janssen Julio Jiménez
17 Franco Bitossi Lucien Aimar
18 Edy Schutz
19 Ferdinand Bracke
20 Henk Nijdam
21 Pierre Beuffeuil
22a Edward Sels
22b Rudi Altig
Final Lucien Aimar Willy Planckaert Julio Jiménez Kas–Kaskol

Final standings

General classification

Final general classification (1–10)[1]
Rank Rider Team Time
1  Lucien Aimar (FRA) Ford France–Hutchinson 117h 34' 21"
2  Jan Janssen (NED) Pelforth–Sauvage–Lejeune–Wolber + 1' 07"
3  Raymond Poulidor (FRA) Mercier–BP–Hutchinson + 2' 02"
4  José-Antonio Momene (ESP) Kas–Kaskol + 5' 19"
5  Marcello Mugnaini (ITA) Filotex + 5' 27"
6  Herman Van Springel (BEL) Mann–Grundig + 5' 44"
7  Francisco Gabica (ESP) Kas–Kaskol + 6' 25"
8  Roger Pingeon (FRA) Peugeot–BP–Michelin + 8' 22"
9  Karl-Heinz Kunde (FRG) Peugeot–BP–Michelin + 9' 06"
10  Martin Vandenbossche (BEL) Romeo–Smith's + 9' 57"

Points classification

Final points classification (1–10)[1][13]
Rank Rider Team Points
1 Willy Planckaert (BEL) Romeo–Smith's 211
2 Gerben Karstens (NED) Televizier–Batavus 189
3 Edward Sels (BEL) Solo–Superia 178
4 Jan Janssen (NED) Pelforth–Sauvage–Lejeune–Wolber 144
5 Guido Reybrouck (BEL) Romeo–Smith's 119
6 Georges Vandenberghe (BEL) Romeo–Smith's 112
7 Rudi Altig (FRG) Molteni 101
8 Joseph Huysmans (BEL) Mann–Grundig 100
9 Walter Boucquet (BEL) Mann–Grundig 82
10 Henk Nijdam (NED) Televizier–Batavus 71

Mountains classification

Final mountains classification (1–10)[1][14]
Rank Rider Team Points
1 Julio Jiménez (ESP) Ford France–Hutchinson 123
2 Joaquim Galera (ESP) Kas–Kaskol 98
3 Aurelio Gonzalez (ESP) Kas–Kaskol 51
4 Raymond Poulidor (FRA) Mercier–BP–Hutchinson 49
5 Franco Bitossi (ITA) Filotex 48
6 Edy Schutz (LUX) Romeo–Smith's 47
7 Martin Vandenbossche (BEL) Romeo–Smith's 34
8 Gregorio San Miguel (ESP) Kas–Kaskol 34
9 Roger Pingeon (FRA) Peugeot–BP–Michelin 26
10 Mariano Diaz (ESP) Fagor 25

Team classification

Final team classification[13]
Rank Team Time
1Kas–Kaskol 355h 02' 45"
2Ford France–Hutchinson + 17' 32"
3Peugeot–BP–Michelin + 19' 04"
4Fagor + 26' 30"
5Pelforth–Sauvage–Lejeune–Wolber + 37' 21"
6Romeo–Smith's + 55' 03"
7Filotex + 58' 35"
8Mann–Grundig + 58' 54"
9Molteni + 1h 01' 37"
10Mercier–BP–Hutchinson + 1h 12' 09"
11Televizier–Batavus + 1h 38' 37"
12Solo–Superia + 1h 56' 54"
13Kamomé–Dilecta–Dunlop + 2h 13' 04"

Combativity classification

Final combativity classification (1–3)[15]
Rank Rider Team Points
1  Rudi Altig (FRG) Molteni 124
2  Raymond Poulidor (FRA) Mercier–BP–Hutchinson 68
3  Jan Janssen (NED) Pelforth–Sauvage–Lejeune–Wolber 55
3  Julio Jiménez (ESP) Ford France–Hutchinson-France 55

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "53ème Tour de France 1966" (in French). Mémoire du cyclisme. Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
  2. ↑ "Dertien ploegen in Tour de France" [Thirteen teams in the Tour de France]. Het vrije volk (in Dutch). Delpher. 7 June 1966. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  3. ↑ "Drie Belgische ploegen in de Tour de France" [Three Belgian teams in the Tour de France]. De waarheid. Delpher. 13 June 1966. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  4. ↑ "Gimondi en Adorni niet in de Tour de France" [Gimondi and Adorni not in the Tour de France]. Friese koerier (in Dutch). Delpher. 14 June 1966. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  5. ↑ "Nieuwe Italiaanse ploeg voor de Tour de France" [New Italian team for the Tour de France]. Het vrije volk (in Dutch). Delpher. 21 June 1966. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  6. ↑ "Nederlands vuurwerk kan Tour opfleuren" [Dutch firework can animate the Tour]. Het vrije volk (in Dutch). Delpher. 21 June 1966. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  7. 1 2 3 Historical guide 2016, p. 57.
  8. ↑ Zwegers, Arian. "Tour de France GC Top Ten". CVCC. Archived from the original on 10 June 2009. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
  9. ↑ Historical guide 2016, p. 109.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Amels, Wim (1984). De geschiedenis van de Tour de France 1903–1984 (in Dutch). Sport-Express. pp. 100–101. ISBN 90-70763-05-2.
  11. 1 2 3 Christian, Sarah (2 July 2009). "Tour de France demystified - Evaluating success". RoadCycling.co.nz Ltd. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  12. ↑ Chauner, David; Halstead, Michael (1990). The Tour de France Complete Book of Cycling. Villard. ISBN 0679729364. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  13. 1 2 "Clasificaciones" (in Spanish). El Mundo Deportivo. 15 July 1966. p. 7. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  14. ↑ "Clasificaciones" (in Spanish). El Mundo Deportivo. 13 July 1966. p. 10. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  15. ↑ "In en om de Tour". Leidse courant (in Dutch). Leids regionaal archief. 15 July 1966. p. 9. Retrieved 10 February 2012.

Sources

External links

Media related to 1966 Tour de France at Wikimedia Commons

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