For the second year in a row, the course for the Tour de France is tailor-made for climbers. Today organizers ASO unveiled the route for the 2016 edition of the world’s biggest race and with nine mountain stages, four mountaintop finishes, a mountain time trial and an undulating, twisty time trial in the second week, the riders who excel in the toughest terrain will have plenty of room to shine.

The 2015 Tour de France was characterized by the fact that the only individual time trialling of the race came in a very short test on the opening day. The rest of the race was characterized by lots of mountains, a team time trial and opening week of classics racing.

After today’s presentations of the 2016 edition of the race, it is apparent that the climbers again have most reason to be pleased with the route that will determine the winner of the 103rd edition of the race. Even though there is more individual time trialling than in 2015, the two time trials both come late in the race and offer very hard terrain that will make things difficult for the specialists. Furthermore, there will be climbing throughout the entire race, with the first difficult test coming already in stage 5 and the final decision being made in a difficult Alpine stage on the penultimate day.

As it was already known, the race will start in the spectacular surroundings of Mont-Saint-Michel in Normandy where Tony Martin beat Chris Froome in a flat time trial two years ago. After Rohan Dennis and the time triallists had the chance to grab yellow in this year’s edition, the sprinters are expecting to sprint for the coveted jersey just like they did in 2013 and 2014 when Marcel Kittel became the first leader of the race.

This year’s race was dominated by a number of small classics in the first week but this year’s opening part seems to be more straightforward, with several opportunities for the sprinters. However, the puncheurs will come to the fore in stage two which ends with the 3.5km climb of Cote de La Glacerie. It includes sections of 14% and even though it has a flat section near the top, the final ramp to the finish should make it a day for the Ardennes specialists.

Stage 3 and 4 should be opportunities for the sprinters as the race visits Limoges and Angers before the peloton heads into the Massif Central for the first serious test of the race. The final 36km contain the climbs of Pas de Peyrol, Col du Perthus and Col de Font Cere. None of the climbs are very long but the former two have some very steep sections. However, the final ascent is an easy one and with a flat run-in to the finish, the stage is more likely to show who’s not going to win the race than to create major differences.

Stage 6 has a lumpy profile and could be an opportunity for the strong sprinters before the peloton reaches the Pyrenees. The race will break the tradition of alternating directions as they will follow an anti-clockwise route for the second year in a row, meaning that the Pyrenees will again be the first mountain range. The first mountain stage will honour the famous Cold d’Aspin which features in the final before the peloton descends the final 7km to the finish in Lac de Payolle.

Stage 8 is a real Pyrenean classis as it sees the riders tackle well-known climbs like Col du Tourmalet, Hourquette d’Ancizan, Col de Val Louron-Azet and Col de Peyresourde leading to a downhill finish in Bagneres-de-Luchon. The Pyrenean adventures ends with the first mountaintop finish on the race when the race returns to the Arcalis climb in Andorra where Jan Ullrich laid the foundations for his 1997 win and Brice Feillu got a breakthrough win in 2009. The entire stage takes place in Spain and Andorra  and includes four climbs before the riders get to the final climb of 10.2km that average 7.2%.

The first rest day will be spent in Andorra before racing resumes with a transitional stage that includes the mighty Port d’Envalira in the first part and then enters flatter terrain. However, the finale in Revel is a lumpy one that can produce surprises as it did in 2010 when Alexandre Vinokourov escaped to take a stage win. The sprinters will get another opportunity in stage 11 to Montpellier where the Mistral wind can potentially wreak havoc.

As it had already been rumoured, the race will return to Mont Ventoux on Bastille Day when the riders will travel from Montpellier to the top of the Giant of Provence. The race last visited the famous climb in 2013 when Chris Froome rode to victory in the yellow jersey. The Brit will hope to repeat that performance and then deal his rivals a lethal blow in the 37km time trial in stage 13. The stage takes place in lumpy terrain and on twisty roads that will make it a challenging affair for the specialists.

Stage 14 should offer the sprinters one of their final chances before the riders will get a taste of the Jura mountains in stage 15. It’s a day full of ups and downs before the riders tackle the difficult Grad Colombier and Lacets du Grand Colombier in the finale. The summit of the final climb comes just 14km from the finish of the short 159km stage. One day later, the race will visit the Swiss capital of Bern on a lumpy stage that looks like a good opportunity for a breakaway or the stronger sprinters who hope to take their chance before the race will be decided with four consecutive stages in the Alps.

After the second rest day, the decisive part of the race kicks off with the second mountaintop finish of the race. Stage 17 is mostly flat but includes the difficult climbs of Col de la Forclaz and Finhaut Emosson in the finale. The final ascent averages 8.4% over 10.4km and includes a very steep final part. Many riders will know the climb from the 2014 Criterium du Dauphiné where Chris Froome suffered on its slopes after crashing one day earlier. Yury Trofimov won the stage from a breakaway.

The Tour de France has not had a mountain time trial since 2004 when the massive crowds on Alpe d’Huez made ASO realize that such stages could potentially be risky for the riders. However, they have again decided to offer an individual teat in stage 18 which brings the riders over 18km from Sallanches to Megeve. The first four kilometres are flat but from there it is almost constantly uphill. The climb is not very difficult though and leaves plenty of room for recovery before the riders get to the final 3km that are all descending.

Stage 19 is a short and intense stage that will offer the final mountaintop finish of the race. There will be three climbs in the early part of the stage but it will probably all come down to the 9.8km climb to Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc Le Bettex. It averages 8% and was used in this year’s edition of the Dauphiné where Froome rode to victory by distancing Tejay van Garderen.

For the second year in a row, the climbers will have the final say as the race will be decided in the short 14km penultimate stage. The well-known climbs of Col des Aravis, Col de la Colombiere and Col de la Ramaz will be appetizers before the riders get to the famous Col de Joux Plane which hasn’t been visited since 2006 when Floyd Landis made a remarkable comeback by riding to the win in the stage that also included the climb and the very difficult descent to the finish in Morzine. Nairo Quintana will have fond memories of both the climb and the descent as he rode to victory in this stage in the 2012 Dauphiné.

After a long travel to the northern part of the country, the race will end with its traditional flat stage to the Champs-Elysees in Paris where the winner of a mountainous 2016 edition of the biggest bike race will be crowned.