At 29, the Route du Rhum winning skipper of SVR-Lazartigue has shown talent, dedication and an acute attention to detail since a very young age. Today in Guadeloupe he joins the list of ocean racing greats who have won the classic solo ocean sprint. It is the most prestigious victory of his young career, an incredible triumph for a sailor for whom the legenday solo race has been a goal since he was very young.
Sailors in any discipline who excel at the highest level have mostly let their action speak volumes. All down this 3542 nautical miles cours from Saint Malo to Guadeloupe Laperche has proven this throughout this past week on the Atlantic, taking the lead at Cap Fréhel with masterful skill and never once relinquishing it.
This has been a very atypical Route du Rhum–Destination Guadeloupe. Instead of the usual battle through the initial Biscay and Atlantic low pressure, gatekeepers into the trade winds, this was a tough, physical and mental test and Laperche was always on top of his game. The race demanded constant, grueling maneuvers and the ability to deliver on dynamic strategies required by the constantly changing weather systems.
“Tom has always been very diligent in everything he does.”
Beyond his ability to extract the best from his Ultim and set the pace throughout the race, it is Lapreche’s attitude that really stood out—specifically the demeanor he displayed last Wednesday, immediately after his primary rival, Armel Le Cléac’h (Maxi Banque Populaire XI), had capsized and was rescued. In a full-frame video, Laperche was visibly touched and humbled by the situation. Against the rushing backdrop of the relentless sea, his message captured so much: the constnat extreme velocity, the violent impacts, the sheer endurance, his hair whipping in the wind, and eyes ringed with fatigue—yet, beneath it all, startling, profound clarity.
He speaks like a kid, almost surprised by his own actions: "Coming to you live from... well, I’m not entirely sure where." Then he reverts to his seasoned air relaying informtation about the sudden shifts in wind strength and direction—before his voice begins to tremble as he recounts his rival’s capsize.
This is how Tom has grown into a formidable sailor: sheer resilience and his willingness to share, to reveal a little more of himself each time.
This resilience runs deep and his been there since he was very young. His father, Philippe Laperche—who was dental surgeon and an avid sailor—explains: "Tom has always been very diligent in everything he’s done. As a child, he was easygoing but passionate."
An engineer by training, he was smart and intelligent, skipping a grade in school. "It’s never easy to say this about one’s own children, but Tom has always succeeded in whatever he set out to do; he possesses great ability."
His parents—his mother is a pharmacist—also made a point of trusting him. "We let him do plenty of simple things on his own—like cycling to school, for instance," Philippe continues. "It might come as a surprise, but I was never afraid for him."
The Arkéa Ultim Challenge-Brest: an experience that builds strength
Amidst that mastery of every detail, Laperche does allow a touch of vulnerability to surface—a fleeting glimpse into the intensity of his experiences. Some witnessed his tears as he passed through the lock gates before the start; others remember the raw emotion he displayed after being forced to retire from the 2024 Arkéa Ultim Challenge-Brest—the first ever solo Ultim race around the world during which he had been the only one truly keeping pace with Charles Caudrelier (aboard Maxi Edmond de Rothschild). Their duel in the Atlantic was the highlight of the race, incredibly intense, until a damaged daggerboard and a leak forced him to withdraw into Cape Town.
"In a single second, everything fell apart; I let out a scream like I rarely have before," he confided at the time. "I don’t think I’ve ever experienced anything this difficult in my life."
The disappointment was immense—a crushing blow to his ambitions at the time. Yet, in the footage of the SVR-Lazartigue team working on the boat in South Africa, one can see that the group surrounding Tom emerged from the experience stronger and even more tightly knit. That was a test that served as an opportunity to learn and grow.
Tom Laperche and SVR-Lazartigue came back aiming higher, faster, and stronger. With the invaluable support of Franck Cammas, he went on to win the Rolex Fastnet Race (as part of a crew which included double America’s Cup winner Peter Burling who expressed his deep admiration for Laperche and his team) and then last year the Transat Café L’Or (sailing double-handed) last year with Cammas.
After two successive third places, his formative victory was the 2022 Solitaire du Figaro which he won a one-hour lead over his rivals. His path to the top maybe seemed mapped out, much like his natural affinity for the open sea: his grandfather was a sailor, his father was a regatta racer (having competed in four editions of the Solitaire du Figaro), and he first discovered the thrill of racing big multihulls at the age of eight, sailing aboard Thomas Coville’s ORMA trimaran.
The Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe? "It was a childhood dream"
The Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe? "It was a childhood dream—naturally, a rather lofty one," he told us before the start. In his memory box, there are the harrowing images from the 2002 edition in which six ORMAs capsized and, above all, the 2010 edition—as well as the months spent helping his father, a dentist, prepare the 50-foot boat in which he took part in the legendary transatlantic race. "We got the boat ready, we cleaned and painted the hull, we took care of the provisioning..." “…It was a great family challenge.”
Now sixteen years later, Tom returned to the Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe as one of the top favorites, even if in terms of the race he was, strictly a rookie. His early success no longer surprises anyone on the docks—least of all Tom himself. “People asked me about that mostly when I first took the helm of SVR-Lazartigue,” he says, brushing the topic aside. What is striking, however, is his constant composure—his ability to flirt with the limits without ever crossing them. And then there is perhaps the most important thing: the intense joy he finds in giving his absolute best. “As soon as we’re out sailing, we experience extraordinary moments,” he confided before the start. “You’re constantly walking a tightrope, but it delivers such powerful sensations.” For those who follow the sport—whether seasoned enthusiasts or those with a passing curiosity—there is one shared desire: to see him embark on new challenges and continue to shine. As it happens, there is a crewed round-the-world record to chase—currently held by his long-time friend Thomas Coville (the Jules Verne Trophy)—as well as some unfinished business at the Arkéa Ultim Challenge-Brest, with the next edition scheduled to start in January 2028.
Le palmarès de Tom Laperche 2008 : champion du monde d’Open Bic en Open 5.70 2021 : champion de France de course au large 2021 : 2e de la Transat Jacques Vabre (avec François Gabart) 2022 : Vainqueur de la Solitaire du Figaro 2023 : 2e de la Transat Café L’Or (avec François Gabart) 2025 : Vainqueur de la Rolex Fastnet Race (en équipage)
2025 : Vainqueur de la Transat Café L’Or (avec Franck Cammas)
2026 : Vainqueur de la Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe