2015 Tour de France à la Voile – Groupama to face stiff competition

by Groupama Sailing Team on 2 Jul 2015 2015 Tour de France à la Voile – For the third consecutive year, Groupama sailing team will take the start of the tour. Winner in 2013 then second in 2014, the crew led by Franck Cammas and Pierre Pennec will be up against some stiff competition thanks to the change of boat and the arrival of the Diam 24 trimaran. From Dunkirk to Nice via the Atlantic coast, the racing promises to be hotly contested and the race zones are sure to be powerful crowd-pullers.

A genuine offshore race training hub for the past thirty years or so, the Tour de France à la Voile hasn't been such a hot attraction over recent years. By taking the radical option of choosing a high performance multihull able to be dismantled, the organisers of the big looped circuit are about to pull off a big gamble with some 28 crews at the starts and some high coverage skippers, besides Cammas - Riou, Stamm, Beyou, Tabarly, de Pavant, Coville and Lemonchois.

Determined to bring sailing within reach of the general public, the Race Committee will set two types of courses: one will take the form of a long coastal course, enabling sailors to discover the special features of each host stopover and the other will be contested within a stone's throw of the beach or the port, on a very short format, so as to captivate any visiting holidaymakers.

Beyond the visual spectacle, the public will benefit from simple, sensible commentary from specialists.

Within this innovative context for the Tour, which is somewhat reminiscent of the Extreme Sailing Series circuit that the skipper of Groupama has often participated in, the pre-season races have enabled every one of the 28 crews to adapt themselves and make progress. The first champion of France in the series, following on from their victory in the Grand Prix de l'Ecole Navale, Franck Cammas, Pierre Pennec and their crews have dominated despite the talent and professionalism of the Spindrift stable: 'We've sailed some fine races this year. The number of competitors and the general standard is continuing to progress. That's what we like and that's what makes it interesting,' comments Franck Cammas, who will make his appearance in the Tour on 12 July during the Roscoff stopover, once the World Nacra 17 Championship has been contested in Denmark.

In his absence, it's the catamaran champion, formerly selected for the Olympics, Pierre Pennec, who will take the helm of Groupama 24: 'It's quite something to be joining a team with Groupama's level of organisation and preparation. Franck Cammas gets referred to a lot but it's the whole team who does a superb job, without taking themselves too seriously'. A talented perfectionist, Pennec successfully switches from the post of the tactician, when Cammas is aboard, to that of helmsman: 'I really enjoy sailing with Franck. He's an excellent helmsman and very focused and there's never an angry word with him. When he isn't there, the atmosphere is sometimes a little more relaxed but always very studious'.

Teaming up with Franck and/or Pierre, three crew members will be taking it in turns to compete: Arnaud Jarlegan, the giant with the nimble fingers, who cannot be beaten in the headsail trimming department; Quentin Ponroy, the master sailmaker from La Trinite sur Mer in south-west Brittany and Romain Motteau, who for a matter of days leaves behind him the role of Export marketing manager at the Fountaine Pajot boatyard. All specialists in the sports catamaran, these sailors have rapidly found the finesse that enables Groupama 24 to make fast headway: 'We all have the same boat so it's your use of the boat that makes the difference. The performances are becoming more uniform but we still have a slight edge when it comes to consistency,' explains Pierre Pennec.

In a series that doesn't permit any discards, the ability to avoid counter performances will probably be decisive: 'We'll all fluff up a start or a tack. However, in both instances, you have to be able to come back from such mistakes. It may be this quality which will decide victory,' continues the skipper, who will take the start of the Tour on Friday in Dunkirk.

Alternating between assembling and dismantling the boat, often on the beach, this 38th Tour de France à la Voile will be no picnic for the sailors and their shore crews: 'The boat is pretty physical despite being small. And the rhythm is really steady with some long coastal courses and a lot of stadium courses, which require a great deal of concentration. Not to mention the boats, which need to be rigged and derigged every two or three days. It's better to attack the Tour in good shape physically because, without that, the final in the Mediterranean promises to be somewhat problematic,' concludes Pierre Pennec.

With regards the shore, as the partner to the event, Groupama, a major protagonist in Prevention for the past 60 years, will have a substantial device set up in the Tour's entertainment village. The aim will be to raise awareness among visitors, old and young alike, about the different types of risks, by offering them Prevention activities:
- A `barrel' car enabling visitors to understand the important of wearing seat belts,
- Entertainment activities for kids, using educational clips about the dangers of the roads, risks around the home, the dangers of the sun and some prevention quiz games! The kids will leave the session as 'experts in prevention', with gifts and a diploma to boot!

Finally, on the web, Groupama sailing team fans are invited to share the Tour de France à la Voile adventure:
- On Facebook, they have the opportunity to ask their questions to the team. The best questions will be selected and the team will reply to them via video. The authors of the questions will receive a pair of Julbo sunglasses.
- On Twitter and Instagram, a selfies competition kicks off on 3 July. Internet users are invited to take a selfie photo showing their vision of the Tour de France à la Voile Groupama and to post these selfies with the hashtag #MonTourGroupama. The authors of the top 20 selfies will win a Magic Marine present.
- Via video, each stage of the Tour de France à la Voile, will be an opportunity to discover eight new aspect of the Groupama sailing team: from onboard safety to equipment and the skipper's typical day.

The three typical crews on Groupama 24 during the Tour:
1/ from 3 to 11 July: Pierre Pennec, Quentin Ponroy and Arnaud Jarlegan
2/ from 12 to 18 July: Franck Cammas, Pierre Pennec and Arnaud Jarlegan
3/ from 19 to 26 July: Pierre Pennec, Quentin Ponroy and Romain Motteau