Dijon is left through its eastern edge, and the route opens quickly after that: fields, small roads, villages and long stretches across the plain between Burgundy and Franche-Comté. After the wine villages of the previous days, this stage feels more stripped back, but it rides well. Around Pesmes, the day gains more texture: stone bridge, old lanes and the Ognon close by. Via Marnay, the route stays with the river corridor before the terrain lifts near Besançon. The final kilometres climb into the Doubs bend below the citadel.
