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Tom Dolan Wins 5-Minute Bonus in La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec Leg 2

17 August – 15 September 2024

Ireland’s Tom Dolan secured a five-minute time bonus for his victory in Stage 2 of La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec’s Intermediate Sprint. He passed the Sisargas Islands near the village of Malpica, leading the fleet of 36 boats this afternoon.

After a slower start from Gijón on Sunday and into the first night of this 515 nautical-mile leg across the Bay of Biscay to Royan, Dolan executed his strategy effectively. He aimed to break through a cold front forecasted to hit the leaders at around 0400hrs local time. By positioning himself slightly north, offshore from his nearest competitors, he gained a small lead as he navigated around the rocky islets at 1519hrs this afternoon. Finishing second was Alexis Thomas on “Wings of the Ocean,” 18 minutes behind Dolan, earning a three-minute bonus. Gaston Morvan from “Région Bretagne-CMB Performance” finished third with a one-minute advantage on his time.

Dolan entered this second of three stages with a time deficit of 5 minutes and 31 seconds behind overall leader Basile Bourgnon of “EDENRED.” By late afternoon, Bourgnon trailed Dolan by ten miles, while Lois Berrehar, who was in second place overall, found himself in seventh, seven miles behind Dolan, who had won the first leg of La Solitaire Paprec 3.

The cold front brought rain and wind speeds of up to 25 knots. Dolan and his closest competitors enjoyed a relatively fast passage towards the islets under gennaker sails. He maintained his position to the north of Thomas and Morvan, the latter being a strong contender for the podium but having faced challenges in the earlier leg.

As of early Monday evening, it became evident that the race turned into a speed contest on a close-reaching course, with the fleet moving away from the Spanish coast and stronger currents. They still had about 350 miles to cover before reaching Royan, situated north of the Gironde estuary entrance.

In the standings, Spain’s Pep Costa from “VSF Sports” held 11th place, nine miles behind the leader. Germany’s Sanni Beucke, sailing for “This Race is Female,” occupied the 23rd position, 15 miles behind Dolan and Thomas. Swiss rookie Anaëlle Pattusch, representing “Nemo,” was in 28th place.

Dolan expressed his satisfaction with the race conditions this morning, noting, “We have around twenty knots of wind, but with a lot of rain. I’m pleased to have achieved my positioning goals. I was able to secure a good place in the west to reach the front. I didn’t expect the cold front to arrive so quickly. I’m feeling prepared to tackle the remainder of the race.”

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