Norway's Arctic Race will move to Finland in 2020 for the first time outside of the host country. Organizers have announced the route for the four-stage event, which will start next August 6.

This professional race, the northernmost in the world, will start in Tromsø, home of the Aurora Borealis Observatory, and return to Tromsø with a 166-km route southeast to Nordkjosvotn, with 2.5 km remaining in one category of climbs (1.2 km, 8%), around city streets of 8.5 km each The stage will be a 8.5km urban circuit with one categoryable climb (1.2km, 8%). Past winners of this stage include Alexander Kristoff and Dylan Tuns.

Stage 2 starts in the inaugural Nordkjosbotn, entering Finland for the first time in race history, crossing Storfjord and climbing 500 m to Kilpisjärvi. 172 km stage includes four mountain sections, but the finish is flat.

The third stage, from Finsnes to Morzelv, follows the same 184.5 km route as in 2015, when Ben Hellmans won the stage. Dubbed the "queen stage," the stage features five categorized climbs, including a summit finish at the ski resort of Morzelve at the end of a 3.7 km-long climb.

The overall battle continues in the final stage. Starting in Gratangen, the 161km stage to Halstad features three categorized climbs. The final 8.5 km includes two climbs: the 1.4 km Novkollen and a 700 m climb to the finish that rises to 8.5%.

Tor Hushovd, a former world champion who won the first edition of the race and is now an ambassador for the event, describes the 8th edition as "an epic race to beat."

"The 2020 edition will also feature new challenges, such as a stage finish in Kilpisjärvi, Finland. This stage and the Tromsø stage before it are both for sprinters, but after that, climbers with punch will take the lead. One thing is for sure, our landscape will once again leave riders and TV viewers in awe."

Alexey Lutsenko won the 2019 event by one second over Warren Barguil thanks to a time bonus on the final stage. Astana also won in 2018, with Sergey Chernetsky in the breakaway on the second stage that decided the overall. Other winners include Dylan Theuns, Gianni Moscon, Line Taaramae, and Steven Kruijswijk.