Whereas the Alps stood out starkly on the route of this year's Tour de France, with four demanding back-to-back days in the mountains, it is rather more difficult to ascertain the decisive portion of the 2017 route.
Unveiling the parcours in Paris on Tuesday, race director Christian Prudhomme outlined his desire to break free from the ‘catenaccio' of recent editions and achieve "an unpredictable Tour de France, where the race can be at stake on any given day".
To that end he has offered relatively light smatterings of summit finishes (three) and time trial kilometres (36), while introducing steeper climbs and spreading them across the three weeks and all five of France's mountain ranges.
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Despite the emphasis on subtlety and balance, there are some key stages that stand out, and Cyclingnews picks out the ones that could see fireworks in Prudhomme's desired open' battle for the yellow jersey.
Stage 5: Vittel to La Planche des Belles Filles (160km)
The short opening-day time trial will have established an initial hierarchy, but the first true blows in the battle between the overall favourites will be traded on La Planche des Belles Filles, the race's first summit finish.
The climb holds good memories for 2016 champion Chris Froome, who took the first Tour stage of his career there in 2012, while Vincenzo Nibali was triumphant on the only other visit in 2014. There's not much to worry about ahead of the final climb but the double-digit gradients, which turn to 20 per cent near the top, are an example of the emphasis on steeper slopes in the 2017 Tour.
Stage 9: Nantua to Chambéry (181km)
Stage 13: Saint-Girons to Foix (100km)
Stage 19: Briançon to Izoard (178km)
Stage 20: Marseille ITT (23km)
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