Paris: Riders will face a 29-mountain slog on an epic 2020 Tour de France, organisers said yesterday. "There are 29 mountains, it will be physically challenging throughout," said Tour chief Christian Prudhomme, unveiling a route that also includes five summit finishes, one of them a time trial. The 3,470km (2,156-mile) Tour starts on June 27 from Nice and ends on the Champs Elysees in Paris on July 19, a week earlier than usual to accommodate the Tokyo Olympics which starts on July 24.

The mountainous route is seen as favouring renowned climbers including Colombian champion Egan Bernal, his Ineos teammate Chris Froome as well as French duo of Thibaut Pinot and Romain Bardet. The punishing route rarely strays from the mountains even though there are nine flat stages. "Even the so called flat stages will be very tough for the pure sprinters. There are traps everywhere along the route," added Proudhomme.