A deceptive stage in the Castellón hinterland. It begins and ends on the Mediterranean but spends the middle of the day inland, accumulating close to 2,600 metres of climbing through long, moderate ascents rather than steep ones. The most dangerous is a 17 km rise that crests with about 20 km remaining, averaging under 4% but arriving late enough to hurt tired legs. From there the race descends to the coast and finishes in Castelló de la Plana. A well-judged breakaway has a genuine chance if the sprinters' teams misread the descent.