>>> Tour de France 2020 route revealed
The build-up to next year's Tour de France gets underway today with announcement of the full route for the 107th edition of the race.
Riders will be able to begin to formulate their plans for 2020 with the 21 stages revealed, knowing whether the course will suit their strengths or if they should turn their focus elsewhere.
Organiser ASO already announced the opening two stages for the Grand Départ in Nice, which will give the race a difficult start with a climb heavy stage two.
Other rumours for the 2020 Tour include a return to La Planche des Belles Filles for a second consecutive year, this time for an individual time trial on its steep slopes. The race could also return to those mountains in the Alps affected by the adverse weather conditions this year, including the Cormet de Roseland.
What's for sure is there will be a star studded hall of riders in Paris to watch the route presentation, with 2019 winner Egan Bernal (Ineos) in attendance alongside one of the Tour's other major stars this year, Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-Quick-Step).
Four-time winner Chris Froome should also be there as he plans his comeback following devastating injuries suffered in a crash while training for the time trial at this year's Critérium du Dauphiné.
The 2020 Tour runs from June 27 to July 19, with the Olympic Games road race in Tokyo taking place the following weekend. That means riders will need to consider whether it's possible to combine a Tour ride with the Olympics or if the Giro d'Italia will work better in combination. The 2014 Tour winner Vincenzo Nibali has already hinted he will ride the Giro instead of the Tour as he looks to the Olympics in Japan.
Watch the Tour de France 2020 route presentation live here and stay tuned for full details an analysis of the route.
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