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Distance: 160.4km (99.7 miles); Elevation: 1358m (4455 feet) [map]

Straight into the first challenge of the Tour, with a very hilly morning, cracking through rolling Normandy hills and village communes, before a much gentler afternoon and a long gradual descent into Caen, then a flat coastal ride into the seaside resort of Houlgate. If time is on our side, we can take it easy for the last hill before hugging the coast again on the way into the marina town of Deauville.