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Britain’s Chris Froome has predicted the route for the 107th edition of the Tour de France”brutal” as he plans to get a record-equalling fifth name.
Riders will confront 29 hills on the 3,470kilometers (2,156-mile) 21-stage path, which begins in Nice on 27 June.
The hopes of froome will rest ahead of the standard final sprint stage in Paris on 19.
“It will be won and lost in the mountains but that satisfies me,” he explained.
Eddy Merckx, jacques Anquetil, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain are five-time winners of this race, with Froome one behind after victories in 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017.
“That is actually the hardest route I’ve seen anywhere in the previous five decades,” additional Froome who missed that the 2019 Tour following a high-speed crash earlier phase four of the Criterium du Dauphine in June.
“There are plenty of chances for the overall classification to play out along with the key rivals to go head to head. That is what everybody would like to see.”
The Tour, which begins a week early to accommodate the Tokyo Olympics starting on 24 features five summit finishes – one of these being the time trial in La Planche des Belles Filles – plus is very likely to favour the cyclists.
“It’ll be physically challenging during,” said race director Christian Prudhomme.
“Even the so-called flat stages will be quite tough for its pure sprinters. There are traps everywhere along the route.”
The 2020 Tour boasts one of the most challenging opening weeks in editions of the race.
Two phases start and end at Nice, the second of which involves almost 3,700 metres of rising within the Col de la Colmiane, Col de Turini and Col d’Eze.
The race then heads south west throughout the Massif Central on Mont Aigoual and stage five.
Winner Egan Bernal and his Ineos Froome will expect to challenge, as will France’s Thibaut Pinot.
A thigh injury saw Pinot, 29, draw on a dramatic stage 19 to Tignes on the 2019 Tour while in fifth location.
The team leader had expected to become the first French winner of the yellow jersey for 34 years.
After suffering a catalogue of accidents which included a fractured right femur, a fractured elbow and fractured 31, froome, 34, is just about to return.
Before finishing fifth total julian Alaphilippe, who headed the 2019 edition of the Tour for 14 stages will also be buoyed by the omission of Alpe d’Huez and Mont Ventoux next summer and by a route.
The race against the clock around the 36km (22-mile) stage 20 into La Planche des Belles Filles, together with the final 8km (five kilometers ) all uphill, could prove critical though.
Stage six of the 2019 Tour finished using Dylan Teuns while 2018 Tour winner Geraint Thomas put in an impressive assault as Alaphilippe missing the yellow jersey to Italy’s Giulio Ciccone taking the stage victory in the mountain.
As Bradley Wiggins became the first Briton to win the Tour, while enjoying a super-domestique’s part froome won point seven on the hill 2012.
Tour de France organisers ASO declared that women race La Course will go back to Paris next year in its first three editions’ arrangement.
The women’s peloton will race 13 laps of a circuit around the Champs-Elysees, finishing 90km in total, together with the race while the last stage of the Tour at Paris of this men is on 19, scheduled for 10 July.
Following three decades in Paris following the very first version in 2014 of La Course the race moved into a event in 2017 before becoming a mountain point at 2018 and then a hilly race in Pau this season.
Dutch driver Marianne Vos is the reigning winner, with won the inaugural version of La Course.
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