Following the announcement of the 2018 Tour de France route, we look at five potentially decisive stages.

Stage 3 Cholet - Cholet, 35km 

The team time trial just three days into the 2018 Tour will set the tone for the entire race. Chris Froome's team Sky wilted at last month's Bergen world team time trial as the 2017 Giro d'Italia winner Dutchman Tom Dumoulin led Sunweb to victory over the 45km route. 

This one is shorter, but Sky will have to think long and hard about the makeup of the team they select in a tactical balance between the power and lightweight climbers they'll need for the slog though the mountains.

Stage 9 Arras - Roubaix, 154 km

Many pure climbers will be fretting about their eventual place on the podium when they look at this stage, with 15 cobbled sections. However, not all climbers suffer on the cobbles. In 2014, Vincenzo Nibali raced to third place on a rainy day over the stones, further cementing his grip on the yellow jersey that year. The stage starts and ends early to avoid clashing with the World Cup final.

Stage 12 Bourg Saint-Maurice - Alpe d'Huez, 175 km

There are not one, not two, but three feared climbs as this Alpine stage tackles the Col de La Madeleine, the Col de la Croix de Fer, and the Alpe d'Huez's 21 mythical turns to an eagerly awaited summit finish. With almost 71km in total of climbing, defending champion Chris Froome thinks the Tour can be won or lost here.

Stage 17 Bagneres-de-Luchon - Col de Portet, 65 km

This stage is a short, sharp shock which Tour organizers believe is thoroughly attackable terrain; there's a stunningly beautiful backdrop and a summit finish at 2,215m on the Col de Portet, where the oxygen is rarefied and the pure climbers will thrive.

Stage 20 Saint-Pee-sur-Nivelle - Espelette, 31km 

Froome and Dumoulin, both good climbers and good time trial riders if they can get this far, are already on many people's minds when they look at this penultimate stage where a 31km uphill slog faces all pretenders to the title, the podium, and the top 10.