New Young Riders Come to Flanders
New young riders came to contest the Ronde van Vlaanderen in 1966. The most notable of the young pros was Eddy Merckx. Midway though the race a huge crash involving Walter Godefroot, Merckx and several other contenders took the pre-race favorites out of contention.
The winning breakaway of 14 riders formed on the climb of the Kloosterstraat in Geraardsbergen. Powerful Belgian Ward Sels, second in 1965, led the breakaway into the finish in Merelbeke.
Edward Sels avoided his closing mistakes of last year and powered the sprint to the Flanders victory.
| Flanders April 9, 1966 |
| 243 Km, Gent to Merelbeke |
1.
Edward "Ward" SELS (Bel) 5h53'00" |
2.
Adriano Durante (Ita) |
3.
Georges Vandenberghe (Bel) |
Starters: 151 |
| Finishers: 60 |
Average Speed: 41.303 km/h |
RVV 1965
RVV 1967
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50th Ronde van Vlaanderen 1966 / Tour of Flanders (Belgium) 
