Chris Froome anticipates 'massive challenge' as 2018 Tour de France route is revealed

The Briton is aiming to win his fifth Tour

Froome said the Tour will test every aspect of cycling (Getty)

Briton Chris Froome anticipates an all-round test in his bid for a fifth Tour de France title next summer.

Organisers unveiled the 3,329-kilometres route - one of the shortest of the 21st century - in Paris on Tuesday. The race starts on July 7 and concludes on July 29, 2018.

The 105th edition will return to Alpe-d'Huez, feature the cobbles of northern France and a hilly time-trial in the Basque Country could be decisive on the penultimate day.

Tom Dumoulin of Holland is anticipated to be one of Froome's biggest rivals.

Dumoulin won last May's Giro d'Italia before Froome won both the Tour and then the Vuelta a Espana to show his status as the pre-eminent rider of his generation.

The 32-year-old told reporters at the route announcement in Paris, in quotes reported by cyclingnews.com: "We've got a massive challenge for next year, it's a Tour de France that really tests every aspect of cycling.

"We've got gravel roads, cobbles, a lot of windy dangerous stages in the first half, then obviously we go into the Alps and the Pyrenees for some brutal mountain stages as well.

"It's still very early to say exactly what we're up against, but I wouldn't expect anything different from the organisers."

Alpe-d'Huez is not likely to be as decisive as it was in 2015 when Froome won overall by one minute 21 seconds.

Froome (Team Sky) clung on to claim a second Tour victory, after his 2013 triumph and crashing out of the 2014 edition, when struggling with a chest infection on Alpe-d'Huez, where Colombia's Nairo Quintana's attack up the 21-hairpins almost brought him victory.