1966 Tour de France

1966 Tour de France

Route of the 1966 Tour de France
Race details
Dates	21 June – 14 July 1966
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)   Third  Raymond Poulidor (FRA) (Mercier–BP–Hutchinson) Points  Willy Planckaert (BEL) (Roméo–Smith's)   Mountains  Julio Jiménez (ESP) (Ford France–Hutchinson)   Sprints  Guido Neri (ITA) (Molteni)   Combativity  Rudi Altig (FRG) (Molteni)   Team Kas–Kaskol
← 1965 1967 →

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 many riders left their hotels to avoid the tests. As a protest against the tests, riders staged a strike during stage nine, dismounting and walking their bicycles. Eventually they started riding again, but only after arguing with officials.