
The skipper of SVR Lazartigue is expected in Pointe-à-Pitre during the night from Saturday to Sunday.
AI-generated summary
The 13th edition of the Route du Rhum is underway. The current record for the crossing is held by Charles Caudrelier, established in 2022 at 6 days and 19 hours.
The outcome is near. Tom Laperche (SVR Lazartigue) maintains his comfortable lead at the head of the 13th Route du Rhum on Saturday and could move towards the Atlantic crossing record with an arrival scheduled for the night of Saturday to Sunday.
Laperche was at the last check-in at 08:00 (GMT+1) 259 nautical miles (480 kilometers) from the finish in Pointe-à-Pitre, where he is expected around 10:00 p.m. local Saturday, or 03:00 Sunday in Paris time.
He relegated his first pursuers Thomas Coville (Sodebo) and Louis Burton (Armand Thiery) more than 400 nautical miles away. Laperche must arrive before Sunday morning at 8:49 a.m. (Paris time) if he wants to beat the record, set in 2022 by Charles Caudrelier at 6 days and 19 hours.
“Stay lucid”
“We had a few very intense days and it leaves its mark. I try to take naps whenever I can, to stay lucid at all times,” explained the 29-year-old skipper at the session on Friday.
In the Ocean Fifty, Basile Bourgnon (Edenred) was still in the lead on Saturday at 8:00 a.m. and had regained some ground on his pursuers, Thibaut Vauchel-Camus (Solidaires en peloton) and Pierre Quiroga (Wewise). The duo is 113 and 123 miles from Bourgnon.
Among the IMOCAs, Corentin Horeau (MACSF) is still clearly ahead. He is ahead of Sam Goodchild (MACIF Santé Prévoyance) by more than 300 miles.
On the other hand, the fight at the front remains much closer in Class 40, where Guillaume Pirouelle (Sogestran Seafrigo) is only 3.4 miles ahead of Achille Nebout (Amarris).

Luca Van Assche, 22, reached the semi-finals of the Masters 1000 in Paris by beating Rinki Hijikata (6-4, 6-7 [4-7], 7-5). The Frenchman, native of Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, won four matches in four days, a career record.

Fabien Galthié selected Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang, 26-year-old winger from Section Paloise, for his first two caps in July against Australia and Japan. Born in Bromley, near London, to an English father of Nigerian origin and a French mother from Vendée, this player who went under the radar scored a double against the Wallabies.

The French XV is preparing for the 2027 World Cup with three matches in November against Fiji, South Africa and Argentina. Fabien Galthié must manage numerous absences, test new players and strengthen the defense with Geoffrey Doumayrou.

Mathis Blondeau, 23, player of the Quimper Rugby club and student at Inseec, died on October 27 from dengue fever contracted in Vietnam, during a trip to South-East Asia which also took him to Bali. A minute of contemplation will take place on Sunday before the Fédérale 3 derby against Concarneau.

Carlos Alcaraz toppled Taylor Fritz (6-7(10), 7-5, 6-3) after saving two match points, qualifying for the final four in Paris indoors for the first time. The Spanish player described his nervous match and his comeback thanks to the energy of the public.

Carlos Alcaraz, 3rd player in the world, qualified for his first semi-final at the Masters 1000 in Paris by overthrowing the American Taylor Fritz 6-7 (10/12), 7-5, 6-3 after saving two match points. He will face the winner of the match between Casper Ruud and Nuno Borges on Saturday.