In Saint Nazaire,
LE FIGARO. - Is this arrival in Saint-Nazaire magical?
Tom Laperche.
- It was a great stage and I'm happy to end like this with this figaro
Région Bretagne - CMB Performance
.
It's been four amazing years.
It didn't smile on me on the first stages by being in front until the finish line and it paid off on that one and for the general.
I had that in the back of my mind before I left here 3 weeks ago.
I came for that and I'm really happy.
It's quite incredible to think that I won this race, a legendary race that few people have won at the age of 25.
Read alsoSolitaire du Figaro: Tom Laperche, a great winner finally in the firmament
Was the race extreme?
It was tough and there aren't many times I can think of in life when you're on edge playing Solitaire du Figaro.
I went all the way, I've rarely forced myself so much on the same stage and I gave it my all.
I'm quite tired.
I remember a lot of things, I had an ease and an ease on the body of water and each time I was in a pack, each time I wanted to do something on the first stages, I overtook the others .
It was a real ease, a super speed, a super ease on the boat to be a step above the others.
Read alsoFrançois Gabart: “This victory for Tom Laperche illustrates his talent and his mental strength”
Is Solitaire also a team race?
The emotion is there and I think back to those four extraordinary years when I discovered offshore racing by joining the Pôle Finistère Course au large.
It went wonderfully well and the results are incredible.
I had a lot of good times with the team on the water in the Figaro.
After two stages, I began to doubt, I wondered if I was going to be able to win.
Tom Laperche
Did you do the ideal race?
I had in a corner of my head to come to win the race, I left with a lead, I arrived with a lead, I had won all the pre-season races.
And after two stages, I began to doubt, I wondered if I was going to be able to win.
Do something and then I said to myself, does not change much and if it has to be done, it will be done.
I just had to continue to give everything, to invest myself fully to put everything in phase.
When was the victory decided?
I learned late yesterday afternoon (Tuesday) while passing Spain that I was in the lead and that I had a lead of more than 15 miles over Guillaume Pirouelle.
Afterwards, it was really in the rankings this morning (Wednesday) where I learned from the Irridium, because I hadn't had a VHF for a long time and I couldn't pick up anything anymore, that I was ahead of Guillaume.
I still had 250 miles to do at the helm, to adjust the boat, while managing the race and the manoeuvres.
