Favorites stage 4 Tour de France 2025 | Rouen with its steep hills

The riders will start in Amiens, where Dylan Groenewegen won the final stage in 2018. They will then head south to Les Andelys, where they will turn northwest after 100 kilometers. In this first phase, the riders will not encounter any real obstacles; however, the terrain is constantly rolling.

With about fifty kilometers to go, the final will begin, as the peloton will rapidly descend to the first categorized hill of the day. This is the Cote Jacques Anquetil (3.5 kilometers at 3.6 percent), named after the five-time winner of the French race.

Just 30 kilometers from the finish, the intermediate sprint in Saint-Adrien, right next to the Seine, is on the program. From that sprint, the pace can easily be maintained towards what is perhaps the most crucial point of the stage: the foot of the Cote de Belbeuf, a 1.3-kilometer climb at 9.1 percent on narrow roads.

A kind of Mur de Huy is next, just over 25 kilometers from the finish. After this climb, the rest of the stage continues to go up and down, making the term ‘Ardennes classic’ more than appropriate. Next up are the Cote de Bonsecours (0.9 km at 7.2%), Cote de la Grand'Mare (1.8 km at 5.0%), and finally, the narrow Rampe Saint-Hilaire (0.8 km at 10.6%), with the summit just five kilometers from the finish.

After the top of the Saint-Hilaire, there are still five kilometers to go to the finish, which A.S.O. has filled with a kind of criterium lap through Rouen. The vast majority of this route is downhill, although it does have a slight uphill section in the final kilometer.

There are no fewer than twelve bends in those last five thousand meters, the last of which is about 200 meters from the finish. Should it come down to a sprint by a small group, positioning will be crucial, like in stage two.

Climbs
128.2 km: Cote Jacques Anquetil (3.5 km a 3.6%)
146.6 km: Cote de Belbeuf (1.3 km a 9.1%)
154.4 km: Cote de Bonsecours (0.9 km a 7.2%)
162.1 km: Cote de la Grand'Mare (1.8 km a 5.0%)
169.0 km: Rampe Saint-Hilaire (0.8 km a 10.6%)

Times
Start: 1:35 PM local time (07:35 AM EDT)
Finish: 5:32 PM local time (11:32 AM EDT)

After the riders have endured rain over the past few days, the weather appears to be improving on Tuesday. With temperatures around 20 degrees Celsius, it is expected to remain dry while the wind will blow from the northwest. This means that it will mainly be a headwind in the final but a tailwind for the first hundred kilometers or so.

The fourth stage, which concludes in Rouen, is very similar to the second stage, which finished in Boulogne-sur-Mer: it features several climbs in a technical final, followed by the last kilometer uphill. The names we saw competing for the stage win there are almost certain to be on our list for Tuesday.

From a Dutch perspective – and far beyond – the name Mathieu van der Poel immediately springs to mind. The Alpecin-Deceuninck all-rounder will have marked this stage in his calendar, knowing that the finale is tailor-made for him. The steep climbs, the technical descents, and then another kilometer of uphill with a final bend at 200 meters: it has Mathieu van der Poel written all over it.

Behind Van der Poel, Tadej Pogacar finished second on day two. The Slovenian rider from UAE Emirates-XRG has already been involved in a battle with Jonas Vingegaard from Visma | Lease a Bike in the first days of the Tour de France, who was also surprisingly active on Sunday towards Boulogne-sur-Mer. The Dane also has a very strong Matteo Jorgenson at his side, who is never afraid to take the initiative.

Remco Evenepoel has already fallen behind in the GC on behalf of Soudal Quick-Step and will be keen to make up for that, although Wednesday's time trial is a better opportunity for the Belgian. At Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, we saw a focused Florian Lipowitz, while Primoz Roglic is currently playing hide and seek.

The French were also on point at the first punchy finish of this Tour. Kévin Vauquelin (Arkéa - B&B Hotels) will be even more motivated as we approach his home region. Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ) was among the select group that made the difference on the climb, while Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor) went all out into the final kilometer.

If, in contrast to the predictions, things calm down in the final, Axel Laurance (INEOS Grenadiers), Jenno Berckmoes (Lotto), Simone Velasco (XDS-Astana), Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty), a recovered Wout van Aert or Thibau Nys could have a chance. On the other hand, riders such as Neilson Powless, Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost), Oscar Onley (Picnic PostNL), and Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek) could try to take advantage if the big names are watching each other.  

Top favorites:Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates-XRG)
Outsiders:Jonas Vingegaard, Matteo Jorgenson (Visma | Lease a Bike), Kévin Vauquelin (Arkéa - B&B Hotels) and Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step)
Long shots: Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor), Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ), Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike), Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost), Oscar Onley (Picnic PostNL), Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek), Axel Laurance (INEOS Grenadiers) and Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe)