Race organizers unveiled the 2019 Tour de France route in Paris on Thursday, and it already has us dreaming of summer. On paper, it sounds like another Tour for Team Sky, with a team time trial, an individual time trial, and five summit finishes that should offer plenty of opportunities for the talent-rich squad to take its seventh title in the last eight years.

But a lot can happen between now and July. For the moment, let’s take a look at the course itself and the five things that have us most excited about next year’s race.

An Opening Ode to The Cannibal

The 2019 Tour starts in Brussels, Belgium, to honor the 50th anniversary of Eddy Merckx’s first Tour de France victory. Stage 1 takes the riders into Flanders and over the Muur de Geraardsbergen, one of the most famous “bergs” in the region, before a sprint finish in Woluwe-Saint Pierre, Merckx’s hometown and the place where he pulled on his first yellow jersey in 1969. Sunday’s Stage 2 should open the GC battle with a 27K team time trial that finishes at the famous Brussels Atomium. During last year’s Tour, several contenders lost time during the critical opening weekend; the 2019 edition could offer similar drama.

More From Bicycling
 
preview for HDM All Sections Playlist - Bicycling
This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

La Planche des Belles Filles Gets Even Harder

Climbing begins in earnest near the end of the first week, with a summit finish on La Planche des Belles Filles, a climb that played a major role in each of the three years it appeared in the Tour. For 2019, organizers made the climb and the stage itself even harder by adding an extra kilometer to the end of the ascent (a steep, gravel utility road with a 20-percent grade) and a more challenging profile preceding it. Riders will face four tough climbs before La Planche, including the Markstein, the Ballon d’Alsace, and the Col des Chevrères. The first summit finish always catches a few overall contenders off guard, and next year’s will be one of the more treacherous in recent history.

Le Tour de France 2017 - Stage Fivepinterest icon
Stage 5 of the 2017 Tour de France ended with a climb on La Planche des Belles Filles.
Chris Graythen//Getty Images

Uphill Bonus Seconds

Last year’s Tour included new sprints near the end of the first eight road stages where riders could earn bonus seconds. Organizers will keep the same concept for 2019, but with one key difference: The “sprints” will be located atop key climbs near the end of eight hilly or mountain stages. Slim margins have decided recent Tours, and the 2018 winner, Geraint Thomas, used them to his advantage during the first week. We’re eager to see how these new mountain sprints affect the race. Will riders take them seriously and animate the stage, or will the already-challenging course make them a moot point?

Best Bike Roundup Gallery
Specialized Tarmac Womens

A Summit Finish on the Tourmalet

The Tourmalet is one of the most famous (and difficult) climbs in Tour de France history, but it’s only been used as a summit twice, in 1974 and 2010. Next year will mark its third appearance, with a short (117K) Pyrenean stage finish atop the mountain. Coming a day after the Tour’s only individual time trial, this will likely be one of the most important days of the second week, and an immediate opportunity for climbers to gain back some time they may lose in the ITT.

TOPSHOT-CYCLING-FRA-TDF2018pinterest icon
Geraint Thomas took advantage of slim margins during the first week of the 2018 Tour.
PHILIPPE LOPEZ//Getty Images

A High Alpine Finale

The 2019 Tour ends in the Alps, with three stages that include some of the hardest climbs in the region. The fun begins on Stage 18, with a long, 207K route that sends riders over the Col de Vars, the Col d’Izoard, and the Col du Galibier before plunging down to the finish in Valloire. Stage 19 is much shorter (only 123K) but no easier as the highest climb of the race, the 277K Col de l’Iseran, precedes a climb to the finish in Tignes. Another short mountain stage effectively brings an end to the race one day before Paris, but the finish is atop one of the longest climbs in recent memory: the 33K ascent to Val Thoren. It’s also the third summit finish above 2000 meters in the race, a first for the Tour de France. If organizers get their wish, riders leading the General Classification will be tightly packed heading into these stages, making this Alpine triptych a must-watch spectacle.

[Want to fly up hills? Climb! gives you the workouts and mental strategies to conquer your nearest peak.]