Vitoria-Gasteiz starts on the plateau, but the first climb comes early. The route leaves the city and rises across the western edge of the Montes de Vitoria before dropping towards La Puebla de Arganzón and Miranda de Ebro. At the Ebro, the day changes: wider, drier, more Castilian. Past Pancorbo, rock walls tighten the road; after that come grain fields, villages and the long run through La Bureba. Near Burgos, the road climbs again before the stage finishes by the Arlanzón, the old town and the cathedral.
