Stage 2 is mostly a flat loop but high winds along the coast are expected to split the peloton similar to what happened during Stage 3 of the Giro d'Italia when the race started in the Netherlands. Leaving Herning, the route points west towards the North Sea in the direction of the first Intermediate Sprint in Søndervig (km 48.7). It then runs north along the coast and dunes for almost 60 km before turning inland and back towards Herning. Just after Lemvig is the first and only GPM (km 117.9), a measly cat 4 (cat 4 streetview). Once back in Herning the riders will perform a 12.4 km circuit before reaching the finish.

The finishing cicuit takes in part of the previous day's time trial. There are only 6 real bends interrupting the long straight roads on the Herning outskirts. The kast kilometer is the same as the time trial with the final 500 meters straight and wide on a well paved road. You'd expect a mass field sprint for such a course profile so early in a stage race, but as mentioned, the winds of the North Sea could disrupt everything resulting in only a small bunch sprint of survivors. If it does come down to a mass sprint, we should see Mark Cavendish taking his first win. — Steve