After heading out from the Wadi Ad-Dawasir bivouac, riders embarked on a 266-kilometre road link to the start of the 337-kilometre special, heading north towards the newly situated bivouac in Riyadh, before another 253-kilometre liaison took the day’s total to 856 kilometres. The special was, for the most part, over sandy track and hard terrain, while the few dunes on the route did not present any significant dangers. Navigation, once again, played a key role in the stage.