trimaran race around the world

ARKEA ULTIM CHALLENGE – Brest – First ever solo race round the world on giant Ultim trimarans

The ARKEA ULTIM CHALLENGE – Brest, which starts from Brest, France on Sunday 7 January will be the first ever solo race round the world on giant Ultim trimarans, the biggest and fastest ocean going sailboats in the world.

There are many different round the world challenges under sail – solo and crewed – but the ARKEA ULTIM CHALLENGE – Brest sees six solo skippers preparing to push the boundaries of singlehanded racing to a new extreme.

Sailing around the world by boat was initially just done on monohulls.
It was Sir Robin Knox Johnston who really threw down the gauntlet when he won the Golden Globe Race in 1967, 313 days.

But not long after that came the time of the multihulls, and the solo records have increasingly become the domain of the big multis.

Non stop record


2017 –   42d 16h 40m 35 François Gabart (FRA) Macif Trimaran 100 ft,  Finished 17/12 Still the second fastest outright circumnavigation time.

The Brest race village will be officially open 29 December from 10 a.m.

The afternoon will offer entertainment for all ages as all the competitors arrive and dock in the port

The strong wind and weather conditions have required the organizers, in conjunction with the teams, to slightly modify the program.

The Ultims will arrive one by one in Brest and will enter through the narrows where spectators will be able to witness their arrival.

Adagio (Éric Péron) is the first to be expected there (2:30 p.m.) followed by the Maxi Banque Populaire XI (Armel Le Cléach) and then Sodebo (Thomas Coville).

Forty-five minutes later, the skippers will arrive near the port in Brest harbour.

Boat Arrivals for start 29 Dec 2023

Adagio: 2:30 p.m. (entrance to the narrows), 3:15 p.m. (entrance to the port)

Maxi Banque Populaire XI: 3:30 p.m. (entrance to the gully), 4:15 p.m. (entrance to the port)

Maxi Edmond de Rothschild: 4:15 p.m. (entrance to the narrows), 5 p.m. (entrance to the port)

Actual Ultim 3: 5 p.m. (entrance to the narrows), 5:45 p.m. (entrance to the port)

Sodebo Ultim 3: 5:30 p.m. (entrance to the narrows), 6:15 p.m. (entrance to the port)

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Alone on the Ocean, With 400,000 Friends

As Cole Brauer speeds to the finish of a solo race around the world, she is using Instagram to blow up sailing’s elitist image.

Before she could begin the Global Solo Challenge, a nonstop solo race around the world, Cole Brauer had to sail First Light, a 40-foot yacht, from Rhode Island to Spain. Credit... Samuel Hodges

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By Chris Museler

• Published Feb. 29, 2024 Updated March 1, 2024

Video dinner parties, spa days, stuffed animals, favorite hoodies and cozy, colorful fleece blankets. Cole Brauer’s Instagram feed hardly feels like the work of someone racing a 40-foot sailboat around the world in the Global Solo Challenge. But Ms. Brauer, 29, is not an average ocean racer.

In 2022, Ms. Brauer had tried out for another competition, the Ocean Race, which is considered the pinnacle of professional ocean racing. Sailors in that race are highly trained, wear matching foul weather gear and have corporate sponsors. And most of them are men. Ms. Brauer, who had sailed thousands of miles on high performance ocean racing boats, felt she was ready to join their ranks.

But after competing in trials in France, Ms. Brauer was told she was “too short for the Southern Ocean” and was sent on her way.

In spite of her small stature — she stands 5 feet 1 inch — Ms. Brauer rounded Cape Horn, Chile, on Jan. 26, the last of the three great capes of her journey to finish the Global Solo Challenge. It is a feat most of the Ocean Race sailors picked instead of her have never even attempted. And despite being the youngest competitor in the race, she is ranked second overall, just days away from reaching the finish line in A Coruña, Spain.

Along the way, her tearful reports of breakages and failures, awe-struck moments during fiery sunrises, dance parties and “shakas” signs at the end of each video have garnered her a following that has eclipsed any sailor’s or sailing event’s online, even the Ocean Race and the America’s Cup, a prestigious race that is more well known by mainstream audiences.

“I’m so happy to have rounded the Horn,” Ms. Brauer said in a video call from her boat, First Light, after a morning spent sponging out endless condensation and mildew from its bilges. “It feels like Day 1. I feel reborn knowing I’ll be in warmer weather. The depression you feel that no one in the world can fix that. Your house is trying to sink and you can’t stop it.”

Shifting gears, she added, “It’s all getting better.”

Ms. Brauer’s rise in popularity — she has more than 400,000 followers on Instagram — has come as a surprise to her, but her achievements, combined with her bright personality, have struck a chord. And she has set a goal of using her platform to change the image of professional ocean sailing.

“Cole wants to prove you can go around the world and watch Netflix every once in a while and wear your pajamas,” said Lydia Mullan, Ms. Brauer’s media manager. “As for her mental health, she’s really creating a space in her routine for herself, to create that joy she hasn’t seen in other sailors.”

Four months after she began the Global Solo Challenge, a solo, nonstop race around the world featuring sailboats of different sizes, Ms. Brauer is holding strong. Sixteen sailors began the journey and only eight remain on the ocean, with the Frenchman Philippe Delamare having finished first on Feb. 24 after 147 days at sea.

Ms. Brauer, who was more than a week ahead of her next closest competitor as of Thursday morning, is on track to set a speed record for her boat class, and to be the first American woman to complete a solo, nonstop sailing race around the world.

Her Authentic Self

Ms. Brauer has been happy to turn the image of a professional sailor on its head. Competitors in the Ocean Race and the America’s Cup tend to pose for static social media posts with their arms crossed high on their chests, throwing stern glares. Ms. Brauer would rather be more comfortable.

She brought objects like fleece blankets on her journey, despite the additional weight, and said solo sailing has helped give her the freedom to be herself.

“Without those things I would be homesick and miserable,” she said of her supply list. “We need comfort to be human. Doing my nails. Flossing. It’s hard for the general public to reach pro sailors. People stop watching. If you treat people below you, people stop watching.”

Other female sailors have noticed the same disconnect. “The year I did the Vendée Globe, Michel Desjoyeaux didn’t mention that anything went wrong,” Dee Caffari, a mentor of Ms. Brauer’s who has sailed around the world six times, said of that race’s winner. “Then we saw his jobs list after the finish and we realized he was human.”

Ms. Brauer, as her social media followers can attest, is decidedly human.

They have gotten used to her “hangout” clothes and rock-out sessions. Her team produces “Tracker Tuesdays,” where a weather forecaster explains the routes Ms. Brauer chooses and why she uses different sails, and “Shore Team Sunday,” where team members are introduced.

“In the beginning I looked at what she was doing, posting about washing her knickers in bucket and I was like, ‘No! What are you doing?’” Ms. Caffari said. “I’ve been so professional and corporate in my career. She’s been so authentic and taken everyone around the world with her. Cole is that next generation of sailor. They tell their story in a different way and it’s working.”

Finding a Purpose

Ms. Brauer was introduced to sailing at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Those days of casual racing on the turquoise waters of Kaneohe Bay informed her vision of an inclusive sailing community. That image was shattered when she came to the mainland to try her hand at professional sailing.

“When I came to the East Coast it was so closed off,” she said of those early experiences. “I couldn’t get a job in the industry. Pro sailors were jaded. They didn’t want anyone to take their job. It’s a gig-based economy. Competition, we’re pinned against each other, especially women in high-performance sailing since there are fewer of us.”

“This whole process of being a pro sailor over the past five years, I feel mentally punched in the face and my legs kicked out from under me,” she added. “I screamed and I cried. Without those experiences I wouldn’t be as mentally tough. It made me callused.”

A big break happened when she landed a gig as boat captain for Michael Hennessy’s successful Class40 Dragon. The boat was a perfect platform to hone her ocean sailing skills as she ripped up and down the East Coast delivering it to races, often alone, pushing Dragon to its limits. Her Instagram posts of those adventures drew attention, and she was invited to tryout for the Ocean Race, a fully crewed race around the world in powerful 65-footers.

“I was crushed,” Ms. Brauer said of being rejected after the trials.

Ms. Brauer, though, found a new purpose. After months of living in her van and working on Dragon, she found a benefactor in F.K. Day, the president of World Bicycle Relief and the executive vice president of SRAM Corporation, who, along with his brother Lincoln, agreed to buy a boat and fund a massive refit for the Global Solo Challenge, which was only three months away.

Conducting the hurricane of activity last summer in Newport, R.I., Ms. Brauer knew this was her moment to shine. But representatives for her new sponsors had reservations about her bold social media experiment.

“I got a massive pushback: ‘How can you be so vain. This isn’t important. We don’t want to pay for this,’” she said. “I said none of this is going to matter if the world can’t see it.”

Her boat was covered with cameras her shore team could monitor, with technology allowing for constant recording that could be used to capture unexpected twists. Ms. Brauer got some immediate traction, but nothing prepared her for the numbers she would hit once the race began.

“We were taking bets in Spain,” said Ms. Brauer, who had to sail First Light nearly 3,000 miles from Newport to Spain as a qualifier for the race. “There was a photo of me excited we hit 10,000 followers. Ten thousand for a little race? That’s massive.”

A few months later she has 40 times that count.

A Dangerous Journey

Only a handful of solo ocean racers have been American, all of whom being male. Now Ms. Brauer has a larger following than any of them, pushing far beyond the typical reach of her sport.

“This is a really good case study,” says Marcus Hutchinson, a project manager for ocean racing teams. For me she’s an influencer. She’s a Kardashian. People will be looking for her to promote a product. She doesn’t need to worry about what the American sailors think. That’s parochial. She has to split with the American environment.”

Unlike her peers, Ms. Brauer is happy to do some extracurricular work along the way toward goals like competing in the prestigious Vendée Globe. “I’m part of the social media generation,” she said. “It’s not a burden to me.”

The playful videos and colorful backdrop, though, can make it easy for her followers to forget that she is in the middle of a dangerous race. Half her competitors in the Global Solo Challenge have pulled out, and ocean races still claim lives, particularly in the violent, frigid storms of the Southern Ocean.

“She was apprehensive,” Ms. Caffari said of Ms. Brauer’s rounding Cape Horn. “I told her: ‘You were devastated that you didn’t get on the Ocean Race. Now look at you. Those sailors didn’t even get to go to the Southern Ocean.’”

The question now is how Ms. Brauer will retain her followers’ desire for content after the race is over.

“She will be unaware of the transition she went through,” Mr. Hutchinson said. “She’s become a celebrity and hasn’t really realized it.”

Ms. Brauer, however, said she received as much from her followers as she gave them.

“They are so loving,” she said. “I send a photo of a sunset, and they paint watercolors of the scene to sell and raise money for the campaign. When I start to feel down, they let me stand on their shoulders.”

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A record on the high seas: Cole Brauer to be first US woman to sail solo around the world

In a sea of male competitors, Cole Brauer is the only woman in an around-the-world solo sailing competition that's quickly coming to a close. Later this week, the 29-year-old from Long Island is expected to cross the finish line in waters off the coast of Spain.

At that point, she'll become the first American woman to sail solo, non-stop around the world.

Friends, peers and sailing enthusiasts have been cheering Brauer on since last October, when she embarked on her more than four-month-long journey. Her boat First Light, a special model of racing sailboat called a Class40, is expected to return to the race's starting point of A Coruña, Spain, on Thursday, according to organizers of the Global Solo Challenge.

Brauer said she anticipates arriving in Spain late the night of March 6 or early March 7.

"For the next two days or so it's a completely moving target," Brauer said in a video posted to her Instagram on March 4 in the evening, her time.

The latest official race update on Brauer said she was off the west coast of the Azores on March 2.

"Long anticipated Cole Brauer has been able to avoid the light winds of the Azores high and slingshot east," race organizer Marco Nannini wrote online, adding, "She’s now sailing on course at constant speeds above 10 knots average."

Nannini told USA TODAY he wanted to organize the Global Solo Challenge to "create a platform for sailors like Cole to showcase her skills and move on to a pro sailor career."

Over the past several months, Brauer has been keeping her more than 400,000 Instagram followers updated − and entertained − with videos from onboard First Light. The trip has been extremely challenging and physically exhausting, Brauer said in one video from December.

In the post, she describes how frustrated she felt when she had to fix and replace different parts of the boat.

"I don't want you guys to think I'm like Superwoman or something," Brauer said. "Right now I've been feeling just broken," she added, describing how she had to fix the boat's autopilot system after injuring her torso against the side of the boat's hull amid intense waves.

Who is Cole Brauer?

Brauer is from Long Island, New York, and competed for the University of Hawai'i sailing team. She went to high school in East Hampton, New York, her university team website says. She is the youngest of more than a dozen sailors, or skippers, in the Global Solo Challenge.

The professional sailor lives in Boothbay, Maine, and during the spring and summer, she can be also found in Newport, Rhode Island, gearing up for races, the Newport Daily News reported last year .

Brauer has sailed on First Light, a 40-foot yacht, for over five years, the outlet reported.

"I always said I wanted to race around the world in this boat," she told the newspaper.

From above and below First Light's deck, Brauer has been sharing aspects of her journey with followers and die-hard sailing fans.

On New Year's Eve, she donned a dress and danced at midnight , and in another post, she showed off how many pull-ups she can do.

As the only woman racing solo, non-stop around the world in the first-ever Global Solo Challenge, Brauer said she's determined to prove there's nothing women and girls cannot accomplish.

"I push so much harder when someone's like, 'No, you can't do that,'" Brauer told NBC Nightly News . "And I'm like, 'OK, watch me.'"

On her profile page on the Global Solo Challenge website, Brauer says she wants to send a message to the sailing community that it's time to leave its male-dominated culture in the past. In the profile, Brauer takes aim at a lack of equal pay and what she describes as harassment in the sailing industry.

"Just as well as this community has built me up it has broken me and my fellow female teammates down. I am doing this race for them," Brauer said.

Brauer and her spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

How long has Cole Brauer been at sea?

Brauer has been sailing for more than four months after departing on Oct. 29.

She is expected to finish in second place in the race, behind a sailor who departed about a month before she did.

The start times differed because that first place boat, Phillipe Delamare's Mowgli, is much slower, Nannini said, explaining the race's staggered start times.

"The format means that if you enter on a slow, small boat you can still win, which makes it much more inclusive that an event where a bigger budget is a definite advantage," he said.

France's Delamare will win first place prize money of 7,500 euros, and the second and third place finishers will win 5,000 and 2,500 respectively, Nannini said.

How dangerous is Cole Brauer's sailing race?

A medical team including a nurse and a physician trained Brauer and sent her on her journey with medicines and medical supplies, in case of any health issues, according to her Instagram account.

Early in the race, Brauer administered her own IV with a saline solution after she became dehydrated, according to one video posted to her social media.

Brauer's most serious health scare happened in early December, when she said gnarly ocean conditions caused the boat to jolt, throwing her across the inside of the boat and slamming her hard against a wall.

Her ribs were badly bruised as a result, and her medical team told her to alternate between taking Advil and Tylenol, Brauer said on Instagram.

"Rigging up a sleeping seatbelt has been added to my priority list," she said in the post's caption. "I know I'm very lucky that this wasn't a lot worse."

What is the Global Solo Challenge?

The inaugural Global Solo Challenge is a non-stop sailing race in which competitors departed last year from A Coruña, Spain.

The race encompasses nearly 30,000 miles and takes place mostly in the southern hemisphere.

After leaving waters off the coast of Spain, sailors travel south and round Africa's Cape of Good Hope. The race then includes the two other capes that together make up the famous three great capes: Australia's Cape Leeuwin and South America's Cape Horn.

About half of the other competitors dropped out of the race, according to racing data posted online by the Global Solo Challenge.

Delamare finished the race late last month after embarking on his journey in late September 2023, according to race data.

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Arkea Ultim Challenge Skippers Ready to Go

• By OC Sport Pen Duick
• January 2, 2024

Compared with previous generations of round the world racers and adventurers, the six skippers ready to take on the Arkéa Ultim Challenge – Brest on January 7 are a new, different breed. Physically most are fitter and stronger than those who preceded them. Bear in mind each manoeuver is usually nearly 45 minutes of hard, physical work, not least requiring long periods at max effort on the pedestal winch.  


The “coffee grinder” is what Armel Le Cléac’h (Maxi Banque Populaire XI) calls “the hand bike.” The heart rate climbs, the arms, shoulders, chest and lower back are fully engaged and the beads of sweat very quickly become rivers of perspiration.

“I keep up a level of exercise so that we prepare all throughout the year, to just be able to maintain that level of sustained power output endurance and a good recovery,” says Le Cléac’h, skipper of Banque Populaire.

“It’s not really about all out power, max work rate like on an inshore grand prix boat, but it requires really excellent cardio, and core strength too.” He says

“In fact, it’s more like a trail run rather than a sprint,” adds Charles Caudrelier (Edmond de Rothschild). He ensures he does at least three physical preparation sessions per week and among them enjoys boxing, climbing, board sports, running and cycling. And in his build up Armel Le Cléac’h says he has worked out almost every day with swimming sessions, time in the weights gym or out on the bike.

Anthony Marchand (Actual Ultim 3) is mainly happy to just ensure he does a lot of water sports, regularly going kiting, winging, and surfing. “These allow you to work your cardio,” he says. “All your muscles and I like that it’s always in the same watery environment!”

At the same time everyone has also really focused on working on mental strength.

“If we have to deal well with the many different types of physical challenge that this race will bring, the mental dimension is almost more important,” says Tom Laperche (SVR-Lazartigue). “We just can’t overlook the mental demands of these boats and the impact that this stress can have over time.”

“The mental aspect is undoubtedly actually more valuable than the physical tests on this race,” agrees Charles Caudrelier.

“It’s not a race, it’s an expedition,” says Thomas Coville, skipper of Sodebo Ultim 3. Coville is the skipper who has completed the most round-the-world passages on a multihull—competing in five, completed the loop three times and was once the record holder around the world (49 days and 3 hours in 2016).

“We need to find the right approach to sustain the right level on this unique and singular challenge,” he says. “There is a very big psychological dimension. We are constantly seeking to work at or near our limits, to go beyond normal effort levels despite the accumulated lack of sleep, the risk, the frustrations, the anxiety, the ice.”

For Coville, the Arkea Ultim Challenge goes far beyond the scope of a sporting competition. “I like to tell myself that we are not racing but that we are on a tough expedition. There are days when you burst into tears, days when you scream, days when you go crazy. You end up being a mix between euphoria, exhaustion and elation.”

“What I’m looking for is a good level of balance” says Le Cléac’h. Yet all the skippers have their methods. Charles Caudrelier and Tom Laperche work with mental coaches. Caudrelier, the Edmond de Rothschild skipper, says, “with my physical trainer, I am very Cartesian, very numbers driven. We talk about fatigue, recovery, nutrition. And, of course, there are the times when you are exhausted without realizing that you are in the red zone.”

Laperche adds: “We know that there will be moments of euphoria, moments that are really challenging on the morale, so we work out how to manage this and to smooth out these emotions as much as possible to create the best possible performance.”

There are also those who do not have a mental trainer. This is the case with Anthony Marchand and Armel Le Cléac’h. Marchand says, “If you’re doing your second round the world you’ve seen the problems, you know what to focus on. Me, I’m a rookie: I go in ready to fight and obviously I ask myself fewer questions.” And blessed with so much experience, Armel Le Cléac’h prefers to focus on preparation. He wants to enjoy a level of confidence because he has mastered everything that makes up the pre-race preparations. “I try to tick all the boxes before the start,” he admits. “Above all what I am looking for is a balance in physical and technical preparations, in terms of recovery as well.”

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Published on January 2nd, 2024 | by Editor

Countdown to the Ultimate race

Published on January 2nd, 2024 by Editor -->

The ARKEA ULTIM CHALLENGE – Brest starts from Brest, France on January 7 and will be the first ever solo race round the world on giant Ultim trimarans, the biggest and fastest ocean-going sailboats in the world.

Unlike speed records which depart in ideal weather windows for a race against the clock, six solo skippers will push the boundaries of singlehanded racing with class boats that are a maximum length of 32 meters and a maximum width of 23 meters.

Entrants: • Charles Caudrelier (FRA), Maxi Edmond de Rothschild (2017 Verdier 32/23) • Thomas Coville (FRA), Sodebo Ultim 3 (2019 VPLP/others 32/23) • Tom Laperche (FRA), Trimaran SVR-Lazartigue (2021 VPLP 32/23) • Armel Le Cléac’h (FRA), Maxi Banque Populaire XI (2021 VPLP 32/23) • Anthony Marchand (FRA), Actual Ultim 3 (2015 VPLP 30/22) • Éric Péron (FRA), Trimaran Adagio (2014 VPLP 31/21)

As a reference, the solo speed record was set in 2017 by François Gabart (FRA) on the 30m Macif trimaran in a time of 42d 14h 40m 15s for an average speed of 21.08 knots. This yacht has been rebranded and will be raced by Marchand.

Coville is the skipper who has completed the most round-the-world passages on a multihull. He competed in five, completed the loop three times and was once the record holder around the world (49 days and 3 hours in 2016).

“We need to find the right approach to sustain the right level on this unique and singular challenge,” noted Coville. “There is a very big psychological dimension. We are constantly seeking to work at or near our limits, to go beyond normal effort levels despite the accumulated lack of sleep, the risk, the frustrations, the anxiety, the ice.

“I like to tell myself that we are not racing but that we are on a tough expedition. There are days when you burst into tears, days when you scream, days when you go crazy. You end up being a mix between euphoria, exhaustion, and elation.”

Details: https://arkeaultimchallengebrest.com/en

Five rules from the Sailing Instructions: • The start line is kept open for 168 hours and the finish line is closed after an elapsed time of 100 days after the start time, that is to say 16th April 2024.

• The skippers can communicate and exchange with their teams on shore, so they have the freedom to get weather information and be routed by their team on shore and get technical help and advice to help with technical problems.

• The solo skippers can stop but there are two distinct operations. A technical stop is unassisted and requires the sailor to drop anchor, take a mooring, or tie up alongside an anchored or moored boat with no external help. There is no time penalty for a technical stop. But for a technical stopover (escale technique) where one or more crew or technical team come on board to help, there is a mandatory 24 hours minimum. This does not apply to the start port of Brest where all means are authorized to reach or leave the port within a radius of 50 miles.

• For the first time in ocean racing, zones where there are known to be a high concentration of whales and sea mammals are determined. Establishing these zones should both protect the marine wildlife and reduce the chance of a collision. These zones are around the Azores, the Canaries, south of South Africa, the Kerguelens, and parts of the Antarctic.

• There are ice exclusion zones to protect the skippers and their boats.

Tags: ARKEA ULTIM CHALLENGE – Brest

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Nightly news.

Cole Brauer has spent four months at sea and is now closing in on becoming the first American woman to race non-stop around the world alone, competing in the Global Solo Challenge. Brauer spoke with NBC News’ Emilie Ikeda about the journey and how she hopes to inspire young women. March 4, 2024

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Ultim Challenge : Around the world solo in 40 days with monster trimarans

Andreas Fritsch

 ·  05.01.2024

40 million euros for a boat

Records should tumble with the new ultims, rapid technical development of ultims, cockpits like on the huston mission.

"Later I will be proud to say that I was part of this development when flying boats started to sail across the Atlantic in five to six days and around the world in under 40!" This is how Thomas Coville, "Sodebo" skipper and one of the race participants, summed it up when he described what the Ultim Challenge means to him. And it will indeed be a race of superlatives, a turning point:

Never before in the history of sailing have such large boats competed in a single-handed non-stop race around the world.

So far, only four sailors have managed to circumnavigate the globe in such a large multihull monster, and only in record attempts: Francis Joyon, Ellen MacArthur, Thomas Coville and François Gabart. The Vendée Globe, on the other hand, is almost a popular sporting event.

And from 2017, the year in which Gabart broke his existing record of 42 days, 14 hours and 40 minutes, a new era began: that of the fully foiling monster tris. Then "Edmond de Rothschild" was completed, a design by Guillaume Verdier and the Gitana team. It was the first to fly stably horizontally over the sea at an altitude of several metres. This was followed over the next four years by further new constructions by the Banque Populaire, Sodebo and SVR Lazartigue teams.

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As it is not only a Herculean task to build such a boat, but also to finance it, the number of teams remained manageable. François Gabart's SVR Lazartigue team recently estimated the budget for the construction and four-year operation of such an Ultim at over 40 million euros.

In the newly founded Ultim class, which comprises boats up to 32 metres long and 23 metres wide, this was the starting signal for the new generation of boats that had previously only ever been lonely record chasers. Now, after the Atlantic races, there will be a race around the world. The start and finish is off Brest, more precisely the island of Ouessant, because if one of the skippers manages to beat Gabart's 2017 record during the race, the result will be ratified as a record. In contrast to the Vendée, however, there are some rules that are different.

The skippers are allowed to be routed ashore by the team, as they considered the risk of getting caught in storms with the huge boats too dangerous, and technical repair stops are permitted, but must last at least 24 hours.

However, nobody seriously believes that there is still a chance of victory after that. In this time, the competition would easily gain 600 to 700 miles in good conditions. Charles Caudrelier sailed 880 nautical miles in 24 hours on the return passage of his Tris "Edmond de Rothschild" from the Caribbean after the 2021 Transat. It is likely that the existing record of 908.2 nautical miles set by "Banque Populaire" (2009) will fall in the race. This is because the record holder was not a foiler. The enormous technical development of the boats is demonstrated by the figures that the design office VPLP compared for the race. The engineers compared the polar data of Francis Joyon's "Idec Sport", the record holder for the fastest crewed circumnavigation of the world (40 days, 23 hours), with that of "Edmond de Rothschild". The result: in foil mode, the new ship is 35 per cent faster.

And the technical arms race between the teams continued right up to the start of the race. Three boats already have their second set of foils, while the Gitana team's have even been reworked four times in between. François Gabart, skipper of "SVR Lazartigue", vividly explained just how big the technical challenge is: "There are six foils on the boats whose angle of attack can be adjusted. It takes years to find the best combinations for all conditions!"

At the same time, an aspect that was unusual for offshore sailing began to attract a lot of attention: aerodynamics. A boat that sails at top speeds of around 45 and average speeds of around 35 knots often has gale force on deck due to the sum of real and apparent wind. And so the backs of the beams are clad aerodynamically with foils, furlers and rudders are concealed under covers, and main booms are connected to the deck with flexible panelling.

The tris now often sail at three times the wind speed. From 15 to 16 knots of true wind, the 15-tonne, 105-foot-long colossi lift themselves out of the water.

An Ultim is like a fighter jet for the crew

But what is life like on board? During the last Route du Rhum, YACHT had the opportunity to visit two of the flying projectiles, Thomas Coville's "Sodebo Ultim" and "SVR Lazartigue", skippered at the time by François Gabart. The tour initially leaves visitors in awe. Brute size meets elegant beauty, and the "SVR Lazartigue" in particular appears almost fragile. Boarding the monster, you feel like a dwarf in the land of giants. Foils that rise four metres above deck level. Hydraulic cylinders as thick as your thigh. Masts that two people can't grasp. Winches that look more like oil drums. Trampolines the size of tennis courts.

"SVR Lazartigue" also looks like a fighter jet: instead of a classic cockpit, there are two glass domes. And there are actually car steering wheels, reminiscent of a Formula 1 racer. The boat is a flush decker, so the boom can end just above the hull. The trim and navigation centre are located underneath, hidden deep in the belly of the centre hull. This is better aerodynamically.

It gets really futuristic when you stand in the closed cockpit. Batteries of screens with columns of numbers for dozens of pieces of data: Angle of attack of foils, loads on stays, inclination of the masts that can be tilted to windward. Autopilot, wind displays, plotter, speed are all on top. In between, a plethora of hydraulic rotary switches: Foil rake, outhaul tensioner, forestay pressure - there are up to 20 hydraulic cylinders in use on the boats. All of them are operated using muscle power via a grinder. This makes it impressively clear what a mammoth task the skipper has to master. His futuristic bucket seat stands alone in the centre of it all.

The race will now show which of them is best able to tame their monster. They will also need a bit of luck. Given the high speeds of the boats, collisions with even small pieces of flotsam became the main problem. Four record attempts had to be cancelled as a result. None of them got further than the Kerguelen Islands. Thomas Coville foresaw this when he added to his assessment of the historic event of the race around the world: "Of course, the beginning of this era can be a bit chaotic." It will be interesting to see how much.

More about the Ultim Callenge:

• These are the favourites for the solo race around the world
• "Changing sails is a nightmare, you're completely exhausted afterwards!"

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Tom Laperche, 25, will be at the helm of the boat for the Arkea Ultim Challenge, a solo non-stop round-the-world race, in January 2024, just a few weeks after the Transat Jacques Vabre double-handed transatlantic race in which the two sailors will team up again.

The skipper embodies values that are specific to the brands SVR, Lazartigue and Fillmed: progress and performance with a will affirmed to take into account the societal and environmental challenges.

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Two giant foiling trimarans set for a Fastnet Race battle

• Toby Heppell
• July 18, 2023

The battle to be the first boat home will be hard fought between two giant trimarans in this years Fastnet Race, with the foilers promising an epic battle

As with most big races around the world, bragging rights in the Rolex Fastnet Race race are split into two broad camps, the line honours winners (the first boat to complete the course) and the winner of the event on corrected time.

And since the inclusion of multihulls 20 years ago, these categories are split again into monohull and multihull line honours and handicap winners.

Most of those taking part in the race, in either monohulls or multihulls, will only be focussed on the handicap results as a line honours win is out of reach of all but the fastest, biggest and most expensive boats in the world.

For the Rolex Fastnet Race 2023 , the fastest boat to complete the course will almost certainly be one of the two 100ft foiling trimarans, the Ultim of Banque Populaire XI and SVR-Lazartigue .

Banque Populaire XI in full flight. Photo: Jeremie Lecaudey

Fastest Fastnet Race Multihulls

The foiling ocean racers are at the very forefront of technical innovation and are designed to break records – be that offshore races, ocean crossings or the ultimate prize a Jules Verne Round the World record .

The Ultim trimarans are set to become especially newsworthy over the next months with the first ever race for five of these extreme 32m long by 23m wide flying trimarans, around the world, non-stop, singlehanded, setting sail from Brest, France on 7 January next year.

Before then two of the main contenders will be leading the charge on the rather shorter 695 mile Rolex Fastnet Race.

A rticle continues below…

Extraordinary boats: Banque Populaire XI

Banque Populaire is one of the world’s most experienced and successful sailing teams, and was the force behind Armel Le…

The ultimate foiling machine? Onboard SVR-Lazartigue

Launched in July after 150,000 hours of work, SVR-Lazartigue is the latest addition to the burgeoning Ultim 32/23 fleet. In…

How to win the Rolex Fastnet Race: expert navigator’s tips

The 2021 edition of the Rolex Fastnet Race came with an interesting change. The finish line, having always previously been…

SVR-Lazartigue and Banque Populaire XI are skippered by two titans of offshore racing, Francois Gabart and Armel le Cleac’h respectively. Both are Vendée Globe winners (Gabart 2012, le Cleac’h 2016). Le Cleac’h is part of the exclusive club of triple winners of La Solitaire du Figaro (the unofficial world championship of solo offshore racing). He has been racing Ultims since 2013, this being his second boat.

Similarly, Gabart joined the Ultim class in 2015 winning many events with his MACIF trimaran, culminating in his record for sailing singlehanded non-stop around the world of just 42d 16h 40m 35s, incredibly just under two days shy of the fully crewed record.

Gabart has competed in the Rolex Fastnet Race twice before, winning on his IMOCA 60 MACIF in 2013 and then, in 2019, leading into the Plymouth finish line aboard his Ultim trimaran, only to be pipped at the post by Groupe Edmond de Rothschild , finishing less than one minute astern. “That was a little disappointing,” Gabart admits.

Charles Caudrelier and Franck Cammas on Maxi Edmond de Rothschild win the last Fastnet Race in 2021. Photo: Eloi Stichelbaut / PolaRYSE / Gitana

Neither of these Ultims competed in the 2021 race, when Charles Caudrelier and Franck Cammas on Maxi Edmond de Rothschild established the record for the new course to Cherbourg of 1d 9h 14m 54s.

Their Ultims are more than capable of bettering this and it’s possible a good breeze could even see the 14-year-old outright record for the most miles covered in 24 hours (908.2 miles/average speed 37.84 knots), also broken, given enough runway with suitable conditions and the will. If pressed, the latest Ultims could cover 1000 miles in a day (average speed 41.6 knots).

The top speed on Banque Populaire XI to date is 47 knots, but it is not top speed but high average speeds that Le Cleac’h says is the objective. “40-42 knots for one or two hours is very good, or 35-37 knots for 24 hours. We know that it is possible with our boat if the conditions are good.”

The performance of the Ultims has taken a massive leap in recent years, since new foil configurations have enabled them to fly.

For Banque Populaire XI getting airborne requires 12-13 knots of wind/22-23 knots of boat speed. Ideal conditions are no more than 20 knots as above this the sea state becomes too rough to use the foils effectively. Upwind in 15-17 knots Banque Populaire XI flies and will be making 27-30 knots. “That is the big step forward compared to the last Ultims, and that difference is very important compared to the older generation Ultims.”

“We regularly reach speeds of over 40 knots at less than 90° true wind angle (TWA),” says Gabbart. “In certain conditions, such as 25 knots of wind on flat seas, at 65°-70° off the wind, you’re doing 40 knots. That’s 60-65 knots of apparent wind speed. The maximum AWS in our log is not far from 70 knots.”

Of course one of these two foiling beasts being first to finish the Fastnet Race does require that they actually finish. The giant trimarans are at the very forefront of innovation and are famously susceptible to damage.

Reliability is improving, however, as foiling technology improves but even these hugely developed technological marvels the old adage holds true; ‘to finish first, first you have to finish’.

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The Ultim single-handed round the world race - Green light for 2023!

Article published on 08/07/2021

By Emmanuel van Deth

published in n°SP16 aug. / sept.

For 15 years now, race organizers, skippers and sponsors have been dreaming of THE great universal race - a single-handed round-the-world race on board large ocean-going trimarans. This project is now becoming a reality - OC Sport Pen Duick announced on July 7 th , 2021 that this race will take place in 2023, in collaboration with the Ultim 32/23 Class. 

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It will have been necessary to wait until these incredible flying machines had proved to have sufficient reliability, and that the race schedule fits in with other races, along with many other factors... The announcement was apparently very well received by the skippers. Several have already formalized their commitment to enter:  Actual  (Yves Le Blevec),  Banque Populaire  (Armel Le Cléac'h),  Brest Ultim Sailing  (TBC),  Maxi Edmond de Rothschild  (Charles Caudrelier) and  Sodebo  (Thomas Coville). As for SVR-Lazartigue, a project led by François Gabart, they are willing in theory. The start and finish port should be the city of Brest, in Brittany, unless there is a major change of plans.

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Solo Ultim round the world race set for 2023

The first ever single-handed race around the world in the giant Ultim multihulls will take place in 2023, 15 years after the vision was originally conceived. The race will be organised by OC Sport Pen Duick in collaboration with the Class Ultim 32/23 as well as the skippers and owners of the world’s   most highly advanced and exciting ocean-going race boats.

An incredible test of both man and machine awaits the skippers, in a race which will no doubt create the greatest heroes of ocean racing. The coming together of these 32-metre giants promises an extraordinary sporting feat that will be shared with people around the globe, guided by strong core values of surpassing oneself, humility, commitment, perseverance, and ambition. The adventure, talent and shared emotions will place the event at the heart of sports conversation and mark a significant moment in the history of ocean sailing.

The long-awaited summit

The concept of a solo, round the world tour for these multihulls was first envisioned more than 15 years ago. However, the idea that these marvels of ocean sailing and innovation could chase the winds around the globe has taken time to come to fruition – and for good reason.   The balance between technical development, reliability, and an ambitious programme is extremely complex. And so, the first edition, to be held at the end of 2023, is the fruit of many years of work to establish such a revolutionary event.

“We are very happy to see this project come to life. Together, we will be able to prepare for this round the world trip and give this magnificent race, which is both very human and highly technological, the breath it deserves. Jean-Bernard Le Boucher, newly appointed General Manager of the Ultim 32/23 Class will have, among other missions, that of supporting this great and beautiful challenge,” said Patricia Brochard, President of the Ultim 32/23 Class.

“It is with great joy that we are pleased to announce the confirmation of this great project, the organisation of the single-handed round the world race in a multihull. Everything has come together after many years of reflection and joint work to make this event a sporting, media and public success,” commented Edouard Coudurier, Chairman of Groupe Télégramme and Roland Tresca, Chairman of Pen Duick and Deputy CEO of Groupe Télégramme, owner of OC Sport Pen Duick.

A common adventure

The creation of a race of this magnitude – which marks the start of an exciting new chapter in ocean sailing – has been made possible thanks to the joint efforts of the boat owners and their skippers, the Class and OC Sport Pen Duick’s expertise in event management.

“More than 40 years after the first edition of the Route du Rhum, the announcement of the Ultim round-the-world solo race is reflective of the pioneering character and know-how of OC Sport Pen Duick. We are delighted to be able to now start working with the boat owners on the implementation of this superb project which will undoubtedly be a milestone in the history of sailing,” stated Hervé Favre, President of OC Sport Pen Duick and organizer of the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe and The Transat CIC.

While the choice of the start and finish host city has not yet been decided, discussions are underway with the City of Brest, which has shown keen interest in hosting the event since the creation of the project.

The level of competition and the calibre of the skipper’s is set to be exceptional, with formal commitments already confirmed by:

Actual (skipper, Yves Le Blevec)

Banque Populaire (skipper, Armel Le Cléac’h)

Brest Ultim Sailing (TBC skipper)

Maxi Edmond de Rothschild (skipper, Charles Caudrelier)

Sodebo (skipper, Thomas Coville)

SVR-Lazartigue,  a newcomer to the world of large trimarans (skipper, François Gabart) also supports this new project and its strong, unifying ambition.

Quotes from the Skippers / boat owners

Cyril Dardashti, Managing Director Gitana France:

“This race is part of the objectives we set for ourselves in 2017 by building – and then launching – the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild, the pioneer of this generation of flying giants. It took a little patience for the first edition to see the light of day, but today we can make this announcement! The arrival of the new maxi-trimarans was accompanied by a technological breakthrough and so it was important to allow time for this first event to live up to the magic of these boats. Beyond the incredible sporting performance that the sailors will accomplish on this inaugural round-the-world trip, it will be an extraordinary challenge to take up. We are delighted to be able to draw on the know-how of OC Sport Pen Duick as organiser for this great premiere.”

Charles Caudrelier, Skipper Maxi Edmond de Rothschild:

“This solo round-the-world race in the Ultim is a dream I didn’t even dare to hope for in my career. I have always been very drawn to the Vendée Globe, but here, at the helm of the fastest boats on the planet and in flying mode, it is quite simply the ultimate challenge. Leading such a boat alone on such a demanding global course is an extraordinary adventure that I am really proud to share with the Gitana Team and on the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild. I have been thinking about this world tour for 2 years, it is this goal that motivates me and keeps me moving forward every day.”

Thomas Coville, Skipper Sodebo Ultim 3:

“It is a privilege to be part of this group of sailors associated with exemplary partners. With Sodebo, we have been thinking about this race since 2007 when we launched the construction of the first Sodebo Ultime trimaran.

There were a lot of twists and turns in the creation of this race around the world. We had to be patient for the project to mature, which shows that we are all interdependent. On the day of the start, we will all be happy to have carried this idea.

This race justifies 20 years of commitment and high-level sailing. This is the race that will consecrate the life of an athlete and a sailor.”

Armel Le Cléac’h, Banque Populaire Skipper:

“I am delighted to see the Ultim’s programme structured around major sporting events that are very motivating, and which will also create superb sporting moments for all enthusiasts. Our boats are magical, and I am happy that we can share them with the public around great adventures. I can’t wait for it to start!”

Emmanuel Bachellerie, Managing Director and owner of Brest Ultim Sailing:

“These exceptional trimarans have deserved this solo race for a long time. They were thought out, designed, financed, built, and developed for it. Now that it is finally happening, the race will deliver its outcome after 40 to 50 days at sea – or more, or less… That is the magic of the sea and may it continue to remain so; that is to say, an exceptional adventure that we cannot predict.”

Samuel Tual, President Actual Leader Group:

“This round-the-world race is the culmination of our shared project with the Ultim Class. It will be an exceptional event. Exceptional for our skippers who will have to take up an unparalleled sporting and technical challenge aboard boats with performances like Formula 1. Exceptional also for all the public who will follow this race and the extraordinary adventure of talented sailors who are capable of extraordinary things. I am delighted that we have succeeded in creating this event which I hope will make ocean racing history.”

Yves Le Blévec, Skipper Actual Ultim 3:

“The confirmation of this single-handed round-the-world race for Ultim’s is very good news that we were all impatiently awaiting. Beyond the sporting challenge and the preparation that is required, I am proud to be able to be part of this with Actual Ultim 3, which promises to be very challenging. We are going to live an extraordinary adventure with exceptional sailors, on exceptional boats and with partners who have demonstrated the strength of their commitments.”

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A Gravity Industries jet suit being demonstrated in the UK.

Image credit: Gravity Industries

The world’s first jet-suit race zoomed around the Dubai Marina this week with racers donning Iron Man-esque technology darting around floating buoys, hoping to cross the finishing line in a very noisy blaze of glory.

The race on Wednesday, February 28, was organized by Gravity Industries, a UK-based aeronautical tech company that specializes in high-powered jet suits. 

As reported by the Associated Press (AP) , Issa Kalfon was crowned the winner, earning himself a ceremonial gold jet turbine. 

All went smoothly, aside from a minor mess-up by Emirati pilot Ahmed al-Shehhi who reportedly crashed into the water during his heat. Fortunately, he quickly rose to the water’s surface and gave a thumbs-up before being picked up by a rescue crew. 

Inspired by F1 technology, the suits feature five gas turbine propulsion assemblies fitted on the arms and back, capable of generating over 1,000 horsepower. This allows the racer to pick up speeds of up to 128 kilometers (80 miles) per hour. The suits can typically stay airborne for just 3 minutes, although it’s possible to fly for over 7 minutes if conditions are optimal. 

If the suits remind you of a certain billionaire superhero, you’re not alone. It seems that the founder of Gravity Industries also drew on the Marvel universe for some inspiration. 

“The closest analogy would be that dream of flying... and then go wherever your mind is taking you,” Richard Browning, the founder and chief test pilot for Gravity Industries, told the AP after the Dubai race. 

“And yes, the world of Marvel superheroes and DC Comics, they have created that dream book with CGI, and we’ve got the closest I think anybody’s ever got to delivering that for real,” Browning added. 

Understandably, the technology doesn’t come cheap. If you fancy getting your hands on a custom-made jet suit costs from Gravity Industries, expect a price tag of at least £380,000 ($479,770) plus VAT.

It isn’t all fun and games, though. Gravity Industries has previously demonstrated have their Avengers-style jetpacks could be used by paramedics to reach treacherous mountain areas. They’ve also suggested it could be used by police forces to hunt down criminals on the run. 

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Preview Tirreno-Adriatico 2024 | Vingegaard's Visma team faces strong BORA-hansgrohe and UAE-Team Emirates

S trade Bianche on Saturday, kicking off Paris-Nice on Sunday, and from Monday onwards it's already time for Tirreno-Adriatico. The big Italian stage race of the spring presents a delightful course each year, and that often also results in a magnificent field of participants. IDLProCycling.com tells you everything you need to know about the 2024 edition!

Check the honor roll of the Race of the Two Seas, and you know you have to be a real top-tier rider to win this race. Requirement: you must have won a grand tour, become a world champion, won Monuments, or been an Olympic champion. Because those are the victories that the most recent winners of the stage race have on their list of honors, aside from Tirreno-Adriatico.

In the past five years, four times things turned into a Slovenian party, with Primoz Roglic and Tadej Pogacar winning twice each. These two gentlemen will not be participating this season, as Roglic is opting for Paris-Nice on behalf of BORA-hansgrohe, and Pogacar is not racing at all this week. But that shouldn't dampen the spirits at all!

Most recent winners Tirreno-Adriatico

2023 Primoz Roglic

2022 Tadej Pogacar

2021 Tadej Pogacar

2020 Simon Yates

2019 Primoz Roglic

2018 Michal Kwiatkowski

2017 Nairo Quintana

2016 Greg Van Avermaet

2015 Nairo Quintana

2014 Alberto Contador

Tirreno-Adriatico 2024: Course, favorites stage wins and times

Stage 1, monday, march 4: camaiore - camaiore (10 km, time trial).

This year, Tirreno-Adriatico kicks off with a ten-kilometer-long, completely flat time trial in and around Lido di Camaiore. The time trial specialists will want to go full throttle here, while for part of the peloton, this will also be like an extra rest day.

Filippo Ganna (INEOS Grenadiers)

Magnus Sheffield (INEOS Grenadiers)

Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ)

Start: 12:35 PM

Finish: 4:44 PM

Stage 2, Tuesday, March 5: Camaiore - Follonica (198 km)

On day two of the Italian WorldTour race, it will likely be the sprinters' turn. The route from Camaiore to Follonica covers nearly two hundred kilometers, including one categorized climb.

97.0 km: Castellina Marittima (11.7 km at 3.0%)

Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step)

Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck)

Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek)

Start: 11 AM

Finish: 3:43 PM

Stage 3, Wednesday, March 6: Volterra - Gualdo Tadino (220 km)

Stage three will be a classic Tirreno-Adriatico stage, where the peloton faces constantly rolling terrain, without the course ever becoming excessively difficult. The finale of the 220-kilometer-long stage is quite tricky, with a finish in Gualdo Tadino. Mathieu van der Poel managed to out-sprint Wout van Aert there three years ago after a sharp sprint.

204.0 km: Casacastalda (5.9 km at 3.6%)

Magnus Cort (Uno-X)

Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty)

Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ)

Start: 10:20 AM

Finish: 3:42 PM

Stage 4, Thursday, March 7: Arrone - Giulianova (207 km)

The fourth stage also exceeds two hundred kilometers, likely making this another opportunity for the classics riders. In the opening phase, the stage quickly heads to the Castelluccio climb, which is nearly seventeen kilometers long at an average of five percent. The ending again features rolling terrain, with a slight uphill finish. Opportunities for the breakaways?

70.0 km: Castelluccio (16.9 km at 5.0%)

Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal Quick-Step)

Alberto Bettiol (EF Edcuation-EasyPost)

Andrea Bagioli (Lidl-Trek)

Start: 10:30 AM

Finish: 3:41 PM

Stage 5, Friday, March 8: Torricella Sicura - Valle Castellana (146 km)

The fifth stage is marked as the first mountain stage, although it could still go either way. There are two categorized climbs scheduled, with the summit of San Giacomo (twelve kilometers at more than six percent) located about 25 kilometers from the finish line. From there, the final ten kilometers also climb up gently.

55.0 km: Castellalto (7.8 km at 4.5%)

120.5 km: San Giacomo (11.9 km at 6.2%)

Jonas Vingegaard ( Visma | Lease a Bike)

Daniel Felipe Martínez (BORA-hansgrohe)

Tom Pidcock (INEOS Grenadiers)

Start: 11:55 AM

Stage 6, Saturday, March 9: Sassoferrato - Monte Petrano ( km)

The penultimate stage of Tirreno-Adriatico is this year's queen stage. After 180 kilometers of racing, the riders reach Monte Petrano, a climb of ten kilometers at an average of eight percent. This is where the general classification of the Italian race is likely to be decided.

67.0 km: La Forchetta (3.2 km at 7.3%)

151.5 km: Moria (2.4 km at 8.5%)

180.0 km: Monte Petrano (10.0 km at 8.0%)

Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike)

Ben O'Connor (Decathlon AG2R)

Juan Ayuso (UAE-Team Emirates)

Start: 12:05 PM

Finish: 4:57 PM

Stage 7, Sunday, March 10: San Benedetto del Tronto - San Benedetto del Tronto (154 km)

For many years, Tirreno-Adriatico concluded with a time trial in San Benedetto del Tronto, but nowadays, it often ends with a sprint by the Adriatic Sea. This is likely to be the case in 2024 as well, with the second half of the stage being completely flat.

42.0 km: Montedinove (4 km at 5.1%)

Caleb Ewan (Jayco AlUla)

Start: 12:55 PM

Finish: 4:59 PM

Favorites general classification Tirreno-Adriatico 2024

Note: the participants list is not yet fully complete, so adjustments may still be made.

Tirreno-Adriatico starts with one absolute top favorite: Jonas Vingegaard of Visma | Lease a Bike. The Dane already won O Gran Camino last week and has claimed the status of top favorite for this Tirreno-Adriatico with his performances there - and those of the past two years. He will be supported by Steven Kruijswijk, Ben Tulett, Dylan van Baarle, Robert Gesink, Cian Uijtdebroeks and Attila Valter.

BORA-hansgrohe and UAE-Team Emirates are setting up multiple challengers against Roglic. The German team includes Daniel Felipe Martínez , winner of two mountain stages in the Tour of the Algarve, but Jai Hindley and Lennard Kämna are also part of the team. The Emirati squad will be without Tadej Pogacar, but with Adam Yates and Isaac del Toro, they still have a formidable line-up.

Ben O'Connor (second in the UAE Tour representing Decathlon AG2R) and Simon Yates (winner of the AlUla Tour in the Jayco AlUla jersey) have already succeeded in the Middle East and now aim to continue that success in Italy. They are among the group of outsiders, which also includes well-known stage racers like Enric Mas (Movistar), Tao Geoghegan Hart (Lidl-Trek) and Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost).

Tom Pidcock, Thymen Arensman and Magnus Sheffield lead the general classification squad of INEOS Grenadiers, while Bahrain Victorious has so far highlighted the talented Antonio Tiberi as their main contende. Romain Grégoire is given free rein at Groupama-FDJ, the same role that Kévin Vauquelin holds at Arkéa - B&B Hotels.

Who are the favorites for the general classification of Tirreno-Adriatico 2024, according to IDLProCycling.com ?

Top favorites: Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Daniel Felipe Martínez (BORA-hansgrohe)

Outsiders: Ben O'Connor (Decathlon AG2R), Thymen Arensman (INEOS Grenadiers), Juan Ayuso (UAE-Team Emirates) and Simon Yates (Jayco AlUla)

Long shots: Tom Pidcock (INEOS Grenadiers), Tao Geoghegan Hart (Lidl-Trek), Enric Mas (Movistar), Lennard Kämna, Jai Hindley (BORA-hansgrohe), Cian Uijtdebroeks (Visma | Lease a Bike), Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) and Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious)

TV Tirreno-Adriatico 2024

Tirreno-Adriatico can typically be followed in the afternoon on Eurosport, both on the main channel Eurosport 1 and the online platforms of the sports channels. IDLProCycling.com will bring a comprehensive daily report and all other essential details you need to know from Italy.