Warsaw’s Palace of Culture and Science marks the start, surrounded by trams, tall buildings and broad junctions. The route crosses the Vistula into Praga, then heads through Marki and Radzymin. Houses gradually give way to fields and patches of woodland between the villages. At Wyszków, the Bug valley opens into broad meadows and tree-lined riverbanks. Beyond the river, the pine woods of Puszcza Biała occupy a larger part of the landscape. Przetycz and Goworowo punctuate the remaining kilometres with village streets and farm buildings before the approach to Ostrołęka. Around 118 kilometres make this a substantial opening stage, although the ground stays largely level. The day finishes beside the Narew on the western edge of Ostrołęka.
