Day 1 does not leave El Paso with a clean city exit. It works its way through the Lower Valley first. The route runs southeast past the Ysleta area, Clint, Fabens and Tornillo, with irrigation channels, fields, low buildings and the broad edge of the Rio Grande valley beside the road. Until Fort Hancock, the day stays flat and long, with plenty of pavement, little shade and large gaps between services. After McNary, the valley pattern ends. The route turns away from the river corridor and climbs across open, dry country toward Sierra Blanca. The final 40 kilometres are the real test: fewer landmarks, more exposed road and a steady gain in height. Sierra Blanca sits small at the end of the stage, marked by the railway, I-10 and the Hudspeth County Courthouse.
