The route
The desert stage. The first part (north-south direction) is about 45 km long, on wide, straight roads. After reaching Liwa, the race enters an area of very pronounced dunes, which make up most of the stage. A series of ups and downs leads to Moreeb Dune, where the race will take two laps of the Moreeb Dune cycle path (18.1 km each lap), marked by rather steep climbs and descents with double digit gradients. It then returns to Liwa for the finish. The stage is on wide, straight roads with good pavement.

Final kilometres
The stage finale features a wide bend on a roundabout. The home straight is all uphill, around 5%.