Hrabrino sends the route back out of the Rhodope foothills and down towards the plain. The first kilometres lose height, and Plovdiv comes early. It is the obvious place to stop properly: Old Town, Roman theatre, stadium, forum and the hill streets are close enough to turn a refill into a real break. After Plovdiv, the ride becomes flatter and more functional. The route runs east across the Upper Thracian Plain, through villages, fields and long stretches shaped by the Maritsa basin. Sadovo and the Parvomay area give the stage its rhythm, but not much spectacle. Towards Haskovo, the land starts to lift again: drier slopes, fewer urban edges, more open road. Klokotnitsa is a small finish with a heavy date attached to it: in 1230, Tsar Ivan Asen II defeated Theodore Komnenos here.
