The idea for this image came in 2023. Back then it was said that the Champs-Élysées would be turned into a park for the 2024 Olympics, and nobody knew if the Tour de France would ever finish there again the way it always had. So I wanted to capture that exact moment, with one single image.

Getting there wasn't easy. A month before, I ordered my large format camera from England, and until a week before the stage I didn't know if it would even clear customs. After that I had to find a lens. Large format cameras need old lenses that aren't made anymore, and you can only find them used, if you find them at all. I searched for a long time. It wasn't until the evening before the stage that I managed to buy two lenses in my own city. On location, in over 30 degree heat, I loaded film holders by myself for the first time. It worked. When I got to the Arc de Triomphe, I realized the shot I had planned wasn't possible. The barriers were set too far back, and you could only see the riders from about 30 meters away. For a moment I almost gave up on making an image at all. Then I decided to shoot anyway, from further back, with the Arc in the background and the fans in front.

This is probably the image that means the most to me. It showed me that I want to keep shooting large format, even though it's not the easiest or fastest way to make a picture. One image per place, putting as much as possible into that single frame, that's been my approach ever since. The Tour has ended on the Champs several times since then, but never quite like that day again. For me, this stays the first image of its kind, and I'm proud I made it despite everything.