After the first stage in Utrecht, the second stage left the city to finish in the region of Zeeland in the south of the Netherlands. The third began in Antwerp, Belgium, and concluded at the Mur de Huy, a steep climb known for its inclusion in the one-day classic race La Flèche Wallonne. Stage four started in Seraing, before ending in Cambrai, France; it featured seven cobbled sectors with a combined distance of . Stages five to nine crossed northern France westwards, beginning in the region of Nord-Pas-de-Calais and ending in Brittany. A long transfer took the race to the south of the country for next three stages through the Pyrenees, which include the Tour's most climbed mountain, the Col du Tourmalet, on stage eleven. Stages 13 to 16 formed a continuous four-stage journey that navigated eastwards to the Alps; four stages took place in and around the mountain range. A second long transfer took the Tour back to the north-east to finish with the Champs-Élysées stage in Paris.