Utrecht-Zeeland Tour Route - 2nd stage Le Tour De France 2015

Have you always wanted to ride a real Tour stage? You can do it in your own country. This stage from Utrecht to Zeeland is the second stage of the Tour de France 2015. Of course, you won't find any hills or mountains on this stage, but especially in Zeeland you run the risk of encountering a typical Dutch 'slope': the wind.

You start this long ride at the Dom in Utrecht. Via De Meern you ride into the water-rich peat area of the Groene Hart. You cycle through Montfoort and Oudewater to the pleasant cheese town of Gouda. From Nieuwerkerk aan den IJssel you ride downstream along the Hollandse IJssel which flows into the Nieuwe Maas at the Kralingseveer, the river that guides you into Rotterdam. During your ride along the Maasboulevard you have a beautiful view of the Noordereiland and the Kop van Zuid. Through a bicycle tube in the Maastunnel you reach the other side of the Nieuwe Maas and ride through the Charlois district to the banks of the Oude Maas.

At Hoogvliet you cross the Oude Maas and start a small island tour, of which Putten is the first destination. The next island is Goeree-Overflakkee, where you cycle through Ouddorp, among other places. Via the Brouwersdam you reach Schouwen-Duiveland. Soon you cycle along the banks of the Oosterschelde National Park, a nature reserve that was officially granted the status of National Park on 8 May 2002. With an area of approximately 370 km² (of which 350 km² outside the dike), the Oosterschelde National Park is the largest national park in the Netherlands. You pass a lookout tower, where many birds, a fresh wind and a breathtaking view of the Oosterschelde await you above. Of course you can also see the impressive Oosterscheldekering in the distance, the largest of the 13 Delta Works.

The finish is unique, because it is on Neeltje Jans, the artificial island in the mouth of the Oosterschelde. Neeltje Jans used to be a sandbank. For the construction of the storm surge barrier, the bank was raised and transformed into a working island. Over the years, the weather and wind have turned Neeltje Jans into a beautiful dune landscape that is held together by beach grass and sea buckthorn. In 2010, the Tour caravan once rode over Neeltje Jans during the stage from Rotterdam to Brussels. There was an intermediate sprint here that was won by Lars Boom. Do you still have the strength at the end of this stage to sprint across the finish line?