The stage begins in the middle of the Côte d’Azur: Promenade des Anglais, Baie des Anges, cycle paths by the water. Beyond Cagnes-sur-Mer and Antibes, the sea stays close, with views towards Cap d’Antibes and the Lérins Islands off Cannes. After Mandelieu, the character changes. The route climbs into the red rock and pine forests of the Estérel, becoming quieter, twistier and greener. Across the wooded hills of the Var, it finally reaches Draguignan — away from the coastal glamour, into Provence’s inland country.
