By early Tuesday afternoon, just a handful of miles separated the top four boats. At 1400 CEST, Ambrogio Beccaria’s Allagrande Mapei was neck-and-neck with the two French powerhouses – Yoann Richomme’s Paprec Arkéa and Paul Meilhat’s overall race leader Biotherm – as well as the Swiss-flagged Holcim-PRB, skippered for this leg by Nico Lunven. For the Italian fans lining the Ligurian coast, the sight of Beccaria’s blue and white IMOCA charging towards Genova has stirred a sense of pride and anticipation rarely seen since the Ocean Race Europe first set foot in the city back in 2021.