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

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

You start this long ride at the Dom in Utrecht. Via De Meern you drive into the wetland 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 drive downstream along the Hollandse IJssel, which flows into the Nieuwe Maas at the Kralingseveer, the river that guides you into Rotterdam. During your ride on 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 you cycle 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 things. You reach Schouwen-Duiveland via the Brouwersdam. Soon you will be driving along the banks of Oosterschelde National Park, a nature reserve that was officially granted National Park status on 8 May 2002. With an area of approximately 370 km² (of which 350 km² outside the dikes), National Park Oosterschelde is the largest national park in the Netherlands. You pass a watchtower, 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 was once a sandbank. For the construction of the storm surge barrier, the slab was raised and transformed into a work island. Over the years, wind and weather have turned Neeltje Jans into a beautiful dune landscape that is held together by marram grass and sea buckthorn. In 2010, the Tour caravan drove over Neeltje Jans during the stage from Rotterdam to Brussels. Here was an intermediate sprint that was won by Lars Boom. Do you still have the strength left at the end of this ride to cross the line sprinting?