Team Sky’s ruling Tour de France champion, Chris Froome, was among the riders and guests present as Amaury Sports Organisation (ASO) unveiled a climber-friendly 3,656-kilometre route at a lavish presentation ceremony in Paris on Wednesday.

As expected, the 2014 Tour de France presents the riders with three tough weeks but Froome remained unimpressed and admitted that he liked what he witnessed from his place in his front row seat. Speaking to the press in Paris at the ASO’s route presentation, the defending champion said he was pleased with the route as it appeared well-balanced, something which Froome has previously said that he would want to see in a Tour de France race itinerary: “I like it. It’s challenging and it’s got a bit of everything, which is good for the Tour. It’s exactly what we need.”

The 2014 edition of the Tour de France kicks off in Leeds, Great Britain, on July 5, and once the peloton has crossed the Channel, it will face the first challenge that looks bound to impact the general classification on stage 5.

Homage to World War I victims

Taking its start in Ypres, the stage will pay homage to the victims of World War I which, of course, was ignited on 28 June 1914 by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, by Yugoslav nationalist Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo. Located in the Flemish province of West Flanders, Ypres became the battleground for sustained and extensive battles between German and Allied forces during World War I due to its strategic position. During the fighting, the Germans resorted to the use of both tear gas and poison gas. In all, an estimated 800, 000 soldiers lost their lives during the continued fighting in the area. In cycling, the territory is known and feared as the Spring Classics heartland of Arenberg, which features prominently in the Paris-Roubaix. Nine sections of cobblestones will greet the Tour de France riders there.

The last time the Tour visited these parts, in 2010, the cobblestones caused carnage in the peloton as several riders crashed and were compelled to leave the race. Froome is under no illusions about the possible effects that 16km of rough terrain could cause on the GC fight.

“The cobblestones will make for interesting riding, no doubt, and they are going to make a good addition to the race. For us as riders, it’s a bit of a risk – there are accidents and mechanical problems that could happen - but it will make the race exciting for the spectators and the global television audience and inevitably they will cause an initial sorting out among the pre-race favourites at an early stage in the Tour,” Froome said.

Froome had already expressed concern at the inclusion of the cobbles prior to today’s presentation. Similar stages in 2004 and 2010 ended the chances of climbers such as Iban Mayo and Frank Schleck. "It's the unknown factor that worries me about cobbles, not necessarily being dropped," Froome said. "What worries me about cobbles are the crashes, the mechanical problems. A mechanical problem in the wrong moment of the race when things are kicking off could lead to you losing the Tour. I'm not a big fan of that. If you know a rider who likes the cobbles, you tell me."

La Planches des Belles Filles revisited

The first of five major summit finishes in next year’s Tour sees Froome returning to La Planches des Belles Filles on stage 10. This particular ascent brings back fond memories for the 28-year-old British rider who won the stage here in 2012 on the same day team-mate and subsequent overall winner Sir Bradley Wiggins pulled the yellow jersey over his head. Being the first summit finish in the 2014 edition, the La Planches des Belles Filles will provide a lot of answers about the current form and future prospects of the main GC contenders. Froome was quite adamant that this stage could play a key role in next year’s Tour.

“It was a very special day for me winning at La Planches des Belles Filles,” Froome admitted. “I’ll get a special feeling going back there again next year. It’s going to be the first summit finish again – which it was last time – and I think that always marks quite an important day for the GC riders. Before we reach that climb it’s a harder stage than it was in the last edition and maybe we can expect some bigger time gaps next time around.

The Pyrenees will play a crucial role as Froome tries to become the first rider since Miguel Indurain in 1995 to successfully defend his Tour de France title. Stage 18 including the demanding climb to Hautacam at the end of a short yet brutal stage also featuring the ascent of the Tourmalet could prove decisive as could stage 17 with a summit finish on the infamous Pla d’Adet. 40 of the final 100 kilometres on stage 17 have an average gradient of 7 per cent.

“Surely, the Pyrenees will be more decisive than the Alps,” said Froome. “Those two consecutive stages are bound to play crucial roles.”

Having put time into his rivals in both time trial stages this year, Froome will only have 54km and a single stage against the clock to attempt to distance himself from some of his worst rivals.

Next year’s Tour contains fewer TT kilometres than any other Tour in recent memory, but Froome maintained: “I think there is enough time trialling, especially with the one time trial being over 50km. That’s definitely going to sort the race out. It’s predominantly flat, it’s long, and there could be big time gaps there as well.”

Proud of Mont Ventoux win
When asked about his favourite memory of his successful 2013 Tour campaign Froome didn’t hesitate to single out his win on a certain infamous mountain climb in the Provence. On stage 15 on July 14 Froome calmly and confidently allowed Nairo Quintana (Movistar) to launch a premature attack on the steep slopes leading to the summit before gradually reducing the diminutive Colombian’s lead and reeling him back in. Once he had bridged the gap Froome exploded in a series of accelerations to drop Quintana without further ado and soloed to an impressive win which give the Briton an unassailable lead even before the Tour hit the Alps.

“My win atop the Mont Ventoux is the moment in my career that I’m most proud of,” Froome acknowledged when looking back at last year’s Grande Boucle. “That win will stay with me forever.”

In a recent interview with the Evening Standard Sky Performance Manager Rod Ellingworth indicated that Froome’s predecessor as a Tour winner, Sky team mate Bradley Wiggins, might have it within him to conquer another Tour and throughout the 2013 season speculation has been rife that Froome and Wiggins are incompatible on the same team in a Grand Tour due to a clash of ambitions. After the presentation of next year’s Tour itinerary, Froome declined to comment on the possible inclusion of Wiggins in next year’s Sky roster for the Tour.

On previous occasions Froome has stated and subsequently reiterated his intention of winning a series of consecutive Tour de France races. His first crack at a successful title defence comes in Leeds on July 5 2014.