Stage 3 was the first loop stage for this years Dakar, giving the assistance teams a break from moving the bivouac setup. Racers started right at the bivouac with the top bike riders retrieving their bikes from Parc Ferme for the second half of the super marathon. This stage reached the highest elevation of the rally at 1400km roughly 5000 feet. Being that they started and finished at sea level, there was a lot of elevation change during the stage.