Tour de France 2025 through the lens of James Startt - Stage 4

Stage 4 of the Tour de France brought the race to Rouen, famed for its cathedral with three towers in three different but equally striking architectural styles. Perhaps it was only fitting that Tadej Pogačar, Mathieu van der Poel and Jonas Vingegaard would fight out the win in its shadow.

But Rouen wasn’t the only cathedral city on the route on Tuesday. The race set out from Amiens, the capital of the Picardy region, and the skyline for miles around is dominated by the imposing Cathédrale Notre-Dame d'Amiens.

By the standards of the 13th century, the cathedral was built quickly, in just 50 years, giving it a more uniform, gothic style than its counterpart in Rouen, rebuilt and modified across the centuries. 

At 200,000 cubic metres, Notre-Dame d'Amiens is also the largest cathedral in France. The Tour peloton passed beneath it during the neutralised section along the banks of the Somme.

James Startt is covering his 36th Tour de France. He is a two-time winner of the World Sports Photography awards and he currently serves as the creative director to inGamba luxury cycling tours.