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Paris-Roubaix podium history | 1967 edition | 1965 edition

Les Woodland's book Cycling's 50 Craziest Stories is available as an audiobook here. For the print and Kindle eBook versions, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

The race:

The 1966 Paris-Roubaix was 262.5 km long and raced at an average speed of 37.546 km/hr.

There were 134 starters and 58 classified finishers.

The riders were hammered by very cold rain.

Despite a stellar field of Belgians (Merckx, van Looy, Godefroot, Sels, Planckaert, Foré, etc.) Felice Gimondi was able to escape with about 35 kilometers to go.

Knowing he would be crushed in a sprint finish, he quickly built a substantial lead that turned out to be impervious to the Belgian chase.

A kind BikeRaceInfo.com reader who was at the finish said that Gimondi was able to take a shower before the awards ceremony while Jan Jansen & Gustave Desmet had "mud blankets".

Felice Gimondi finishes alone in Roubaix

Complete results:

Raymond Poulidor came in 17th, but was disqualified for an illegal bike change

1. Felice Gimondi (Salvarani) 6hr 59min 26sec

2. Jan Janssen (Pelforth-Sauvage-Lejeune) @ 4min 8sec
3. Gustave Desmet (Wiel's-Greone Leeuw-Gancia) s.t.
4. Willy Planckaert (Romeo-Smiths) s.t.
5. Josef Huysmans (Mann-Grundig) s.t.
6. Rudi Altig (Molteni) s.t.
7. Willy Bocklant (Mann-Grundig) s.t.
8. Arthur de Cabooter (Wiel's-Greone Leeuw-Gancia) s.t.
9. Rik van Looy (Solo-Superia) s.t.
10. Gerben Karstens (Televizier-Batavus) s.t.
11. Bernard Vanderkerckhove (Ford France) s.t.
12. Jo De Roo (Televizier-Batavus) @ 4min 22sec
13. Adriano Durante (Salvarani) s.t.
14. Guido De Rosso (Molteni) s.t.
15. Eddy Merckx (Peugeot-BP-Michelin) s.t.
16. Michel Grain (Ford France-Hutchinson) s.t.
17. Frans Brands (Romeo-Smiths) @ 4min 56sec
18. Jaak de Boever (Wiel's-Greone Leeuw-Gancia) s.t.
19. Jean Graczyk (Ford France-Hutchinson) s.t.
20. Walter Godefroot (Wiel's-Greone Leeuw-Gancia) s.t.
21. Edouard Delberghe (Pelforth-Sauvage-Lejeune) @ 5min 16sec
22. Jozef Spruyt (Mercier-BP-Hutchinson) @ 5min 31sec
23. Yvo Molenaers (Romeo-Smiths) @ 6min 13sec
24. Michele Dancelli (Molteni) @ 6min 28sec
25. Gilbert Desmet (Romeo-Smiths) s.t.
26. Gianni Motta (Molteni) s.t.
27. Lucien Aimar (Ford France-Hutchinson) @ 7min 7sec
28. Georges Vandenberghe (Romeo-Smiths) @ 10min 2sec
29. Huub Zilverberg (Televizier-Batavus) @ 10min 16sec
30. Peter Post (Solo-Superia) s.t.
31. André Foucher (Pelforth-Sauvage-Lejeune) s.t.
32. Georges Vanconingsloo (Peugeot-BP-Michelin) s.t.
33. Edward Sels (Solo-Superia) s.t.
34. Jean-Claude Annaert (Ford France-Hutchinson) @ 10min 57sec
35. Alain Le Grevès (Kamome-Dilecta-Dunlop) s.t.
36. Julien Stevens (Solo-Superia) s.t.
37. Jean-Pierre Genêt (Mercier-BP-Hutchinson) @ 13min 48sec
38. Francis Bazire (Peugeot-BP-Michelin) @ 14min 15sec
39. Johnny Schleck (Pelforth-Sauvage-Lejeune) @ 14min 55sec
40. Anatole Novak (Ford France-Hutchinson) s.t.
41. Arie Den Hartog (Ford France-Hutchinson) s.t.
42. Roger Milliot (Pelforth-Sauvage-Lejeune) s.t.
43. Jos Van der Vleuten (Televizier-Batavus) @ 15min 44sec
44. Rudi Zollinger (Tigra-Meltina-De Gribaldy) s.t.
45. Vincent Denson (Ford France-Hutchinson) @ 16min 5sec
46. Bruno Fantinato (Salvarani) @ 16min 7sec
47. Piet Braspennincx (Pelforth-Sauvage-Lejeune) @ 16min 50sec
48. Albertus Geldermans (Molteni) s.t.
49. Roger Baguet (Solo-Superia) @ 17min 35sec
50. Willi Altig (Molteni) @ 21min 15sec
51. Vittorio Pesenti (Salvarani) @ 21min 46sec
52. Bastiaan Maliepaard (Televizier-Batavus) s.t.
53. Daniel Labrouille (Pelforth-Sauvage-Lejeune) s.t.
54. Daniel Salmon (Kamome-Dilecta-Dunlop) @ 29min 17sec
55. Jozef Timmerman (Wiel's-Greone Leeuw-Gancia) s.t.
56. Albert Herger (Tigra-Meltina-De Gribaldy) s.t.
57. André Messelis (Mann-Grundig) s.t.
58. Henk Nijdam (Televizier-Batavus) s.t.