The route for the 2018 Tour de France has been revealed in Paris on Tuesday, with Chris Froome targeting a record-equalling fifth title.
Next year's Tour will feature a 35km team time trial in Cholet and could be decided in a hilly 31km individual effort against the clock on the penultimate day in the Basque country.
"A contest between Chris Froome and Tom Dumoulin, two riders with similar qualities, wouldn't displease me," said Tour director Christian Prudhomme.
"It would force one of the two to try something different in order to surprise the other ... that's something very exciting."
There will be many challenges on the course, however, with 21.7 kilometres on cobbles on the ninth stage to Roubaix, where the Queen of the Classics, also known as the "Hell of the North" finishes each year.
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That will be followed by a rest day before the riders tackle three punishing stages in the Alps with a summit finish at top of the iconic Alpe d'Huez.
"That's a special challenge for the riders as they will need to switch from flat-stage mode to mountain-stage mode," Tour competitions director Thierry Gouvenou said.
The course is full of surprises, with a 1.9-km gravel path at the top of the Plateau des Glieres in the first Alpine stage, which will take the peloton from Annecy to Le Grand Bornand.
One of the trickiest stages might be the 17th from Bagneres de Luchon to Saint-Lary Soulan as it is only 65 kilometres long, making it very hard to control for the favourites.
It will be the Tour's shortest stage since 1971.
The race is likely to be decided in the 20th stage, a 31-km hilly individual time trial.
