Olympic: Tough road courses set for Tokyo 2020 cycling

Kyodo -- Aug 10

Local organizers announced the road cycling courses for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics on Thursday and declared them "extremely difficult."

The 244-kilometer route for the men's race starts in suburban western Tokyo and winds its way through Kanagawa and Yamanashi prefectures before finishing at Fuji Speedway in Shizuoka Prefecture.

From Sagamihara in Kanagawa Prefecture, the course will follow National Route 413 to the shores of Lake Yamanaka on the Yamanashi side of Mount Fuji. The route then turns south around the base of Mount Fuji, reaching a maximum altitude of 1,451 meters, and after that riders will endure a steep 20 percent gradient as they approach Mikuni Pass.