Nantes starts with the Loire, bridges and city traffic before the route heads out through Les Sorinières and Le Bignon into the vineyards south of town. Around Vieillevigne, the Atlantic feels further away for a while: hedges, fields, small roads and the first Vendée villages take over. Via La Ferrière and La Chaize-le-Vicomte, the stage stays gently rolling but easy to ride. Later, the land flattens. Near Mareuil-sur-Lay, the river joins the day, before Luçon finishes the stage with its cathedral and the Marais Poitevin close by.
