Allagrande Mapei Racing Triumphs in Genova
Beccaria and his all-French crew — Thomas Ruyant, Morgan Lagravière, and Manon Peyre — swept across the line after two days, eight hours, 41 minutes, and 14 seconds at sea. Exhausted, exhilarated, and still buzzing with adrenaline, Beccaria admitted the obvious: this one meant more than most.
“I always want to win every leg,” he grinned after stepping ashore, salt-streaked and beaming. “But this was different. This was Italy. We knew we could do better after our last leg, where we finished third. So why not dream big? Why not win at home?”
A Leg of Twists, Turns, and Sheer Resilience
The fleet left Nice under benign skies and light Code Zero sails, rolling down the Côte d’Azur towards Monaco’s scoring gate. Biotherm bagged the early points there, followed closely by Holcim-PRB, with Allagrande Mapei staying patient in the pack. The course then funnelled the fleet south of Corsica, through the narrow, gust-ridden Strait of Bonifacio.
Holcim-PRB, skippered for this leg by Nico Lunven, looked sharpest through the bottleneck, hitting 30 knots in the funneling breeze. But Allagrande Mapei were never far behind. By the time they passed the Italian island of Elba, Beccaria’s team were moving fastest of all — despite a nerve-shredding onboard crisis.
For nearly an hour the boat had no instruments. A power failure wiped their screens black, leaving the crew steering blind at night, navigating only by instinct and raw seamanship. “We had to shut the whole boat down, nothing was working,” Beccaria revealed later. “At one point we thought, ‘this could be the end of us.’ But Morgan managed to repair the alternator, and we carried on. That was a turning point.”
It was more than a technical hiccup — it was the kind of moment that forges a crew. By dawn, Allagrande Mapei were charging, foils humming, eyes set firmly on home.
A Tactical Chess Match in the Gulf of Genova
The final 24 hours were a case study in high-stakes chess. With Holcim-PRB, Biotherm, and Paprec Arkéa all within striking distance, the Italians had to fight for every metre. They rounded the western waypoint off Alassio just two miles ahead of Paprec and Biotherm, barely breathing space at all.
Then came the dreaded Gulf of Genova transition. The breeze collapsed, leaving the fleet drifting and sweating under Mediterranean moonlight. Beccaria’s crew were the first to hook into a new offshore breeze, edging clear while their rivals wallowed. By the last waypoint, they’d built a 20-mile cushion — only to see it slashed to eight as Paprec Arkéa found fresh air behind them.
“It was so tense,” Beccaria admitted. “We could feel them coming. At midnight we thought the dream was slipping. But then we caught a little drainage breeze from the land, and we knew we had them beat.”
At 25 knots of downwind foiling, Allagrande Mapei powered for the finish line, sealing a victory that was part skill, part grit, and part sheer Italian determination.
Rivals Acknowledge a Worthy Win
Paprec Arkéa crossed just 50 minutes later, a gallant second after pushing the Italians all the way. Skipper Yoann Richomme was magnanimous in defeat:
“We had an amazing race. At one point, every boat in the top four led. But Ambrogio and his team pulled clear in that gust and never looked back. Nobody deserves to win at home more than him. We’re proud of our second, but even prouder for him.”
Third went to Paul Meilhat’s Biotherm, the overall race leaders, who once again showed why they are the benchmark of this fleet: always in the fight, always banking points. Holcim-PRB, after such a strong showing through Bonifacio, were left ruing missed chances as they slipped to fourth.
A Long Road Back, A Moment of Redemption
For Beccaria, the victory also carried a note of redemption. Allagrande Mapei had started their Ocean Race Europe battered by misfortune: a collision with Holcim-PRB off Kiel forced them out of Leg 1 entirely. To climb back from that low point and win at home in Genova is nothing short of extraordinary.
“I am so proud of this project and the people behind it,” Beccaria said, voice thick with emotion. “After Kiel, everyone thought we were finished. But the team worked, rebuilt, believed — and now we win a leg in Genova. For me, for Italy, for Mapei, it’s huge.”
Provisional Leaderboard after Leg 4
Biotherm – 41 points
Paprec Arkéa – 29 points
Team Holcim-PRB – 24 points*
Allagrande Mapei – 19 points
Team Malizia – 16 points*
Canada Ocean Racing – Be Water Positive – 10 points*
Team AMAALA – 6 points* (*awaiting final Leg 4 scoring updates)
A Home Victory to Remember
When Ambrogio Beccaria dreamed of sailing into Genova as a winner, he probably didn’t imagine it quite like this: a dead battery, drifting wind holes, and rivals snapping at his heels. But that’s the essence of offshore racing — unpredictable, brutal, beautiful.
In the end, he and his crew gave Italy its moment. A hometown victory on home waters, with the Ligurian coast lit up in celebration. For Beccaria, it was more than a leg win — it was proof that Italian sailing can dream big, fight hard, and deliver when it matters most.
The Ocean Race Europe 2025 barrels toward its finale, one thing is certain: the roar from Genova will echo long after the boats have sailed on.