Allagrande Mapei Racing
Transat Café L'Or 2025
October 26 – November 7, 2025 · Le Havre › Fort-de-France
The Transat Café L'Or — formerly Transat Jacques Vabre, also known as the "Coffee Route" — is the world's most prestigious double-handed transatlantic race. 4,530 miles non-stop and without assistance, from Le Havre in Normandy to Fort-de-France in Martinique. For Ambrogio Beccaria, it's his first transatlantic race in an IMOCA, a major step up in class after his victory in Class40 in 2023. Alongside him again is Thomas Ruyant, on his seventh "Coffee Route" — and already a two-time winner in the IMOCA class.
A partnership built throughout the 2025 season, from the Course des Caps to The Ocean Race Europe, and now ready to face the real ocean: open, solitary, unforgiving to those who lose focus.
Twelve days of sailing, a penalty, a sail incident, 605 miles in twenty-four hours, and a fourth place that leaves something unresolved — and a lot of experience to build on.
Le Havre → Canaries → Fort-de-France · 4,530 nautical miles in IMOCA
The route follows the "Coffee Route": exit the English Channel, Atlantic descent passing east of the Canary Islands, then the trade winds leg towards the Caribbean. A more "closed" route compared to previous editions, with fewer possible strategic variations.
The Race
Crew
Ambrogio Beccaria (skipper), Thomas Ruyant (co-skipper)
«Doing this race with Thomas is an important step for me and the team. For me, it's my second double-handed transatlantic, but my first in IMOCA, and therefore my first transatlantic among the big players. I've always seen this class of boats and their skippers as something unattainable: this is a debut for me, although a debut with experience. And above all, it's a debut where I'm flanked by a legend like Thomas Ruyant, someone who has done seven transats and won two of them!»
— Ambrogio Beccaria, on the eve of departureGazzetta del Cammellone — pre-departure weather analysis
October 26, 2025
The Start
The start from Le Havre is spectacular: strong northwest wind, short English Channel waves, the entire IMOCA fleet foiling at high speeds. "Allagrande Mapei" crosses the line and immediately joins the leading group alongside "Charal" (Beyou / Lagravière) and "Macif" (Goodchild / Berrehar). The passage through the Casquets traffic separation scheme — one of the busiest and most technical points of exiting the Channel — is handled with precision.
The first 24 hours are demanding: peaks over 30 knots, sustained upwind sailing, every manoeuvre requiring maximum effort from the two-person crew. At dawn on the second day, "Allagrande Mapei" is in second position. The crossing of the Bay of Biscay brings the first test: an anticyclonic ridge slows down the leading trio. Beccaria and Ruyant manage the transition and resume the race as they approach Cape Finisterre.
Departure from Le Havre
October 27 – November 6, 2025
The Crossing
From the Bay of Biscay onwards, the race is structured into distinct phases, each with its own character. Off the Canary Islands, a new anticyclonic ridge compacts the fleet: "Allagrande Mapei" takes advantage of the light conditions to re-enter the leading group.
«Second morning on board "Allagrande Mapei". The day dawns, it's magnificent! We're on a broad reach, in the conditions the boat prefers... and us too! She's moving at 25 knots without suffering, it's a real pleasure. Ahead are the guys from "Macif", as always impressive, but we're right there, very close, glued to them. Thomas and I are very happy, we're having a great start to the race. It's tough, physically, especially with two people: every manoeuvre requires a lot of energy. You have to find the right rhythm to maintain throughout the race.»
— Ambrogio Beccaria, from on board, second morningWith the entry into the trade winds, the boat accelerates: several days averaging over 20 knots, and in the heart of the Atlantic the duo records over 605 miles covered in 24 hours, approaching the IMOCA daily distance record.
In the final stages, the situation becomes complicated: an incident with a headsail limits the boat's potential downwind, reducing the chances of catching up to "Macif" and "11th Hour" in the last few days. Despite a total commitment until the last mile, the gap does not close.
November 7, 2025
The Arrival
"Allagrande Mapei" crosses the finish line in Fort-de-France on Friday, November 7th at 9:54 PM (Italian time), after 12 days, 7 hours, and 24 minutes of sailing. Fourth place. Charal, Macif, and 11th Hour precede the Italian-French duo at the finish.
This is Ambrogio Beccaria's first transatlantic race in an IMOCA. A hard-fought race from the very first hour, with a consistent pace at the top of the fleet throughout the crossing. The disappointment with the result is real — the goal was a podium finish — but the technical and human balance sheet is rich.
«I felt very comfortable on board: I feared the boat might "batter me," but having Thomas next to me, with his great experience, made everything easier. The boat is extremely seaworthy, and the sensations were excellent right from the start. Of course, I'm a little disappointed with the result, because it wasn't the goal we had set for ourselves. In this sport, you win and you lose, and this time we lost. We are disappointed because we couldn't fully express the value we know we have — me, the boat, the team, and the sponsor. That said, I consider this race as the beginning of a long journey with Allagrande Mapei, which will lead me in three years to circumnavigate the world solo. I learned a lot, both about the boat and about myself as a sailor.»
— Ambrogio Beccaria, upon arrival in Fort-de-FranceArrival in Fort-de-France
In Martinique
Visit aboard "Allagrande Mapei"
From the dock in Fort-de-France, Ambrogio opens the boat's doors and recounts from within: life on board during twelve days of crossing, tactical choices, reduced spaces, the technology of an IMOCA 60 seen by someone who has just lived inside it.
Visit aboard — Part 1
Visit aboard — Part 2
Summary
A fourth place, 605 miles in 24 hours, twelve days of continuous sailing in the middle of the Atlantic. For Ambrogio Beccaria, the Transat Café L'Or 2025 was his first true immersion in the ocean in an IMOCA: the conditions, the distances, the fatigue of double-handed sailing, managing the boat on downwind legs — all a level above what came before.
Thomas Ruyant leaves the boat. It was already his — the "Vulnerable" he had sailed for years — and now it officially passes into Ambrogio's hands. A handover built over an entire season, which concludes here, in Fort-de-France.
The next appointment is the Route du Rhum 2026. The ultimate goal is the Vendée Globe 2028, the solo round-the-world race. This crossing served to understand where they are strong, where they can still improve, and how much the boat still has to give. The work continues.
