Defending champion predicts Mont Ventoux as crucial stage as 2016 Tour de France route revealed

2015 Tour de France winner Chris Froome has hailed the 2016 route as "great" ©Getty Images

Defending Tour de France champion Chris Froome of Britain feels the stage to Mont Ventoux next year will once again be crucial in deciding the destination of the yellow jersey after the route for the 2016 race was revealed today.

Froome claimed his second title during the 2015 race following his victory in 2013 and believes the journey from Montpellier to Mont Ventoux, which incorporates a 22.7 kilometres climb on Bastille Day on July 14, is the most appealing section of the 2016 course.

It will feature a more serene start than this year’s event, which included a series of tough ascents and cobbled sections, though one of the course designers Thierry Gouvenou insists the opening seven days will be “a week for the strong”.

The climbers look likely to enjoy the 2016 race with only seven stages involving flat sprint finishes and those competing at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro will get the chance to test their time trial credentials in two sections of the event.

The first comprises a 37km journey from Bourg-Saint-Andéol and La Caverne du Pont-d’Arc, with the second featuring a 17km route from Sallanches to Megève, only 3km longer than the shortest stage of the 2015 edition.

“I think that the beautiful thing about the Tour de France is that it’s not specifically about one stage, I think it’s going to take a complete cyclist, but the stage that certainly stands out for me is the stage to Mont Ventoux,” Froome said.

The route for the 2016 Tour de France was revealed today ©Getty Images

“I know how difficult this climb is and how much time can be won or lost on that climb.

“I think it’s a great course.

“It really does challenge in every aspect of cycling - time trials, the mountains, a tricky technical descent also.

“It’s such an amazing, special race, I’m still 30 years old and feel I have a lot left in my legs.

“[Next year’s course] suits me better.”

The 2016 race will include 28 climbs, three more than the 2015 edition, and features four mountain finishes, which is likely to suit climbers such as Sir Bradley Wiggins, who won the event in 2012 before going on to win time trial gold at London 2012.

The 21 stages during the race, which begins at Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy on July 2 and concludes on the Champs-Elysees in Paris on July 24, will visit Andorra and Switzerland as well as various parts of France.

Froome will be seeking a third title at cycling's most famous event, with competition due to take place shortly before the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

His major rivals are likely to include this year's runner-up, Colombia's Nairo Quintana, as well as Italy's 2014 winner Vincenzo Nibali and Spain's 2007 and 2009 champion, Alberto Contador.