Chris Froome on Tuesday (17th October) said the opening nine stages of the Tour de France could be dangerous for riders as the route for the 2018 edition was released.

SCRIPTING INFORMATION:

Defending champion Chris Froome can expect a stern challenge from Dutch rider Tom Dumoulin in next year's Tour de France.

Froome is chasing a record-equalling fifth victory to move level with Belgian great Eddy Merckx, French riders Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault, and Spanish great Miguel Indurain.

Froome and Dumoulin won the three Grand Tours this year, with Froome adding the Spanish Vuelta and Dumoulin winning the Giro d'Italia.

The 105th edition of the Tour features a hilly 31-kilometre (19-mile) time trial through the Basque country on the penultimate day.

Froome is a specialist, but Dumoulin is the reigning world time trial champion.

The 32-year-old Froome is still in his prime, while the 26-year-old Dumoulin is approaching his.

The race starts on July 7 — a week later than usual because of the football World Cup in Russia — and opens with a flat 189-kilometre (117-mile) route for sprinters from Noirmoutier-en-l'ile to Fontenay-le-Comte in the Vendee region, on the Atlantic coast.

With the time trial returning after being omitted the last two years, Froome's Team Sky will be confident of creating early time gaps on Stage 3 — a 35-kilometre (21.7-mile) route starting and ending in Cholet in Western France.

But Sky faces tough competition, because Dumoulin's Sunweb team is the reigning TTT world champion.

The Tour route, which goes clockwise, features 25 mountain climbs — ranging from the relatively difficult Category 2 to Category 1 and the daunting Hors Categorie (beyond classification).

Eleven are in the Alps, four in the Massif central region and 10 in the Pyrenees.

The Tour also has more time bonuses on offer in flat stages over the 3,329-kilometre (2,064-mile) course.

The difficult climbs start on Stage 10, the first of three straight days of gruelling Alpine ascents.

But organisers have preceded that with a tricky ninth stage that could shake up the peloton.

It takes riders over 15 treacherous cobblestone sections: the highest number since the 1980 Tour, with nearly 22 kilometres (13.6 miles) altogether.

The Roubaix cobbles may perhaps trouble Froome.

The cobbles are followed by a rest day on July 16, and Froome had better make the most of it because the Alps start brutally the day after.

Stage 10 on July 17 has four difficult climbs on a 159-kilometre (98.6-mile) route from Annecy to Le Grand Bornand.

They include a punchy ascent of Montee du plateau de Glieres, featuring for the first time.

The third day of Alpine climbing begins with Col de la Madeleine, then Croix de Fer and ends with an ascent of l'Alpe d'Huez: three of the Tour's most well-known.

Dumoulin is not in Froome's class as a climber, but is not so easy to drop.

Whether he can stay with Froome through the Pyrenees, however, will prove crucial to his chances.

Three tough days of climbing in the Pyrenees starts with Stage 16 on July 24: a daunting 218-kilometre (135-mile) route from Carcassone to Bagneres-de-Luchon that follows the second rest day.

Stage 17 is short at 65 kilometres (40 miles) but cruel, with three consecutive nasty climbs, ending with an attack up Col de Portet.

Stage 19 has four ascents and then ends with a potentially treacherous 20-kilometre (12.4-mile) descent to test the concentration of tired riders.

Whoever is freshest after that will have a better chance of challenging Froome in the time trial.

The 21-stage race ends with its customary processional Sunday finish on the Champs-Elysees.

Paris, France. 17th October 2017

1. 00:00 2017 Tour de France winner Christ Froome walking towards his seat in front row and sitting between French cyclist Romain Bardet and double Tour de France winner Alberto Contador

2. 00:07 Froome talking to Contador

3. 00:13 Wide of road racing cyclists in front row with (from right to left) Mark Cavendish, Simon Yates, Nairo Quintana, Alberto Contador, Chris Froome

4. 00:18 Bardet

5. 00:23 Wide of conference hall with map on screen

6. 00:28 Wide of crowd

7. 00:33 Wide of map of 2018 Tour de France

8. 00:39 Attendees filming presentation with smart phones and clapping

9. 00:55 Wide of Froome recording video message

10. 01:01 Froome

11. 01:06 Tour de France logo

12. 01:11 SOUNDBITE: (English) Chris Froome, four-time Tour de France winner and reigning champion:

"The first 8 or 9 days up in the north of France without any really big mountains, could lead to a very nervous and very dangerous first part of the race especially when it's still very close together in the General classification and got the cobbles and a section of dirt road as well. It's definitely going to take a lot of preparation, a lot of homework to get ready for this year's Tour."

13. 01:41 Bardet on phone

14. 01:46 SOUNDBITE: (French) Romain Bardet, third place finisher in 2017 Tour de France:

"Clearly it's going to be (close) – I guess it depends on the weather, but even in dry weather, there's going to be a skimming of the pack and there will be some serious losses. It could lead to one or two racers taking advantage of it and build a strong lead, but in any case, there is going to be some damage. To me, a Tour de France winner must have some luck the year he wins, but also be capable of facing all these different terrains. It's going to be a key stage."

15. 02:25 Cutaway

16. 02:30 SOUNDBITE: (French) Warren Barguil, Polka dot jersey winner in 2017 Tour de France:

"It's great – a nice stage. 65 kilometres. People say 65 kilometres, but with three mountain passes. 65 kilometres on a flat course, we could do that in about 1 hour 15 minutes, but I think there, it'll be a two and a half hour race. Or I guess it will be two hours or two hours and a quarter. It's not going to be easy."

17. 02:50 Christian Prudhomme talking to reporters

18. 02:55 SOUNDBITE: (French) Christian Prudhomme, Tour de France General Director:

"There will be a determining factor for the teams since there'll only be 8 cyclists – the choice of the 7th and 8th racer will be crucial because it's divided in two halves with 10 days in the plain and 10 days in the mountains. A cyclist like Belgian Champion Oliver Naesen was a totally decisive element for Romain Bardet in the Romans stage. Who will be the Oliver Naesen in each team? The guy who will – or Wout Poels for Chris Froome at the Alpe d'Huez in 2015. The cyclist who will be decisive at a certain moment for his leader."

19. 03:27 Prudhomme on stage

20. 03:34 Conference hall

SOURCE: SNTV

DURATION: 03.38