This weekend's Saitama Criterium gave several riders the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone: a preview of the road race course for the 2020 Olympics.

In an unlikely group ride, the Team Ineos duo of Chris Froome and Michal Kwiatkowski, along with Jacob Fuglsang (Astana) and Romain Bardet (AG2R La Mondiale), checked out the last 40 km or so of the East-Yoko route on Friday

All four will take part in the Saitama Criterium, which Tour de France organizer ASO will hold on Sunday in Saitama, 25 km north of the Japanese capital.

Froome, who is still recovering from a serious injury sustained in a crash in June, was unable to keep up with the rest of the pack on one of the climbs, but completed the descent and the rest of the finish circuit.

The road race for the 2020 Olympics is suitable for climbers, with five categorized climbs over the 234-km course. After a flat opening 40 km, the Donussi Road and Kagosaka Pass climbs appear at the 100 km mark, and the race will run on a toll road at 1,451 m elevation to Mt.

A downhill descent down to the finish circuit and Fuji Speedway course, up Mikuni Pass, over Kagozaka again, and halfway around the finish circuit to the finale on the motor racing course.

Because of heavy rain throughout Friday in Tokyo due to Typhoon No. 12, the racers started from the Speedway course just before the start of the Mikuni Pass and only raced the last 40 km of the course. Froome immediately fell off the bike on the climb. Froome, a four-time Tour de France winner, is still in the midst of rehabilitation, having only started riding again last month after breaking his femur, elbow, sternum, and spine in June. Still, he has vowed to challenge for the 2020 Tour de France and the Olympic title.

Kwiatkowski dropped back to ride with his teammates to the top of the two climbs, and the four regrouped at the top. Fuglsang did not want to run the downhill in wet conditions and jumped in his car.