Prudhomme denies Tour de France 2027 was designed to punish Pogačar: 'We never design a course for a rider'

The route will feature the most mileage of individual time trials since Bradley Wiggins won in 2012. In comparison, last year's edition had just one individual time trial, totalling fewer than 30 kilometres.

The route seems perfect for Belgian powerhouse Remco Evenepoel, who is the world champion against the clock four times over. Critics have said that the route seems designed with Evenepoel in mind.

They have also said that the route penalises Tadej Pogačar, who is hunting a sixth Tour de France win next summer, however race director Prudhomme denied these claims.

"We never design a course for or against a rider," Prudhomme insisted. "We never design a route for or against a particular rider. We can design courses for a certain type of rider, but not for a specific rider."

He went on to add that designing any race where Pogačar would be competing posed various difficulties.

"The difficulty is that, whatever the terrain, Tadej Pogačar is very strong. On the climbs, obviously, but not only. His descent of the Col du Tourmalet last year was absolutely phenomenal. You include cobblestones and he's at the front, you make it harder and he's there, you make it a little easier and he attacks from further out."

"This will be a Tour de France in which we will, of course, ride through the Alps and the Pyrenees, but which will also feature other mountain ranges such as the Jura and the Massif Central. There will also be two individual time trials, longer than in recent years. With a total of 71 kilometres, the longest in 15 years,” said the director.

"It's a clash of styles between time trial specialists who gain time in the time trial and climbers who gain time in the mountains but lose it in the time trial. The goal is to have the opportunity to gain time almost anywhere on the course—if you dare," Prudhomme summarises the underlying concept.