EVEN BIGGER AND EVEN BETTER

How do you follow the race dubbed the most exciting edition of the Tour de France in decades? Tour organisers AS0 may have been delighted with the reception this year's race got from fans, riders and the media alike; a close GC battle that went down to the final days, a route that created excitement and intrigue on every stage, and - the holy grail - French success that gave the home nation truly something to get excited about. But the problem with good things is that people invariably want more of them, and anything other than more of the same in 2020 might now be viewed as a disappointment.

For the second year in a row, Christian Prudhomme unveiled a route that is high on climbing metres and low on TT kilometres. It's unsurprising, because why change a formula that this year worked? Having said that, I think the Tour's biggest win next year won't be in the route design but in the perfect storm of riders who look to be on course to the start line, regardless of the route thrown at them. Froome, Bernal, Thomas, Roglič, Dumoulin, Landa, Pinot, Bardet and Alaphilippe are among those who have already (tentatively or brazenly) thrown their hats into the ring.

This year's race was noticeable for its absence of Froome and Dumoulin. Some argue that helped foster the less controlled race dynamic in 2019, but there's no getting away from the fact the duo are the two biggest grand tour riders in the peloton up to now. Missing another Tour isn't an option for Froome, while Dumoulin, remarkably, hasn't thrown everything behind a Tour challenge yet. Add into that the fact that both riders' injury-stricken seasons have come at a time when their now team-mates, Roglič and Bernal, shone. Simply, both need the 2020 Tour to go well. The dynamics inside the sport's biggest superpower teams will be the defining story that rumbles on all year.

Perhaps we could be on track for the most blockbuster Tour de France showdown in years.