Day 1 starts on the edge of the city and quickly turns into proper Black Forest riding. Out of Freiburg, the road eases you in before the gradient begins to build through the Wagensteig valley. The first 20-odd kilometres are not brutal. They are a slow sorting-out: find a rhythm, loosen the legs, trade tramlines for dark forest and high meadows. Farmhouses sit on the slopes. Spruce closes in. Then comes the day’s real statement: the climb to the Thurner. At roughly 10.7 km and nearly 580 m of ascent, it is steady for long stretches, but it still bites often enough to keep you honest. The reward is immediate. The landscape opens. The air feels cooler. You are properly up in the Hochschwarzwald now. It still is not over. Around Schwärzenbach and Eisenbach, a shorter kicker adds one last sting before the route rolls out over open uplands and down towards the Baar. Donaueschingen arrives gently, with the Danube source giving the stage a quietly perfect finish.
