Home Media News & press releases 12th in La Route du Rhum-Destination ...

News

Sailing Dream Team 26 November 2022

12th in La Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe, an achievement for Emmanuel Le Roch

Emmanuel Le Roch, skipper of the Edenred Class40, crossed the finish line in Pointe-à-Pitre of the 12th edition of the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe on Saturday November 26 at 03:35:25 (Paris time). After 16 days 13 hours 20 minutes 25 seconds of racing, Emmanuel takes a fine 12th place out of the 55 Class40s entered in this legendary event and thus completes his first solo transatlantic race.

A dream come true

Emmanuel Le Roch, 50, dreamed of this adventure from an early age. After a first failed attempt in 2018, the skipper of Edenred arrived in Pointe-à-Pitre on Friday evening local time in a joyful and festive atmosphere, just like him. His family, his team, his friends and skippers gave him the warmest welcome at the Memorial Act pontoon. “Cutting that finish line is really heart warming! When I saw La Désirade this morning, I said to myself, that's it, I've achieved my dream thanks to Edenred, which has placed its trust in me for this new Route du Rhum. I am very happy."

A revelation

If Emmanuel Le Roch already has two Transat Jacques Vabre under his belt, this Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe was his first solo transatlantic race. Sixteen days of racing during which the skipper of Edenred revealed himself. Cautious during the first days of the race in the passage of violent fronts, Emmanuel fought mile after mile to climb back to 13th place, before a forced stopover in the Azores to repair a broken bulkhead on his Class40. This 7-hour pit-stop allows him to set off again in the best conditions without giving up too much time on his competitors. “This 12th place has a special flavor, it took a lot of commitment to get there. I fought like a dog until the end with Ian Lipinski. He came back to me when I was 10 miles ahead of Bouillante. I was at 2 knots, he was at 9. He hardly stopped, I was like crazy. I didn't give up..." explains Emmanuel Le Roch.

“I slept with the survival suit next to me”

Emmanuel admits having taken no pleasure on the first part of the course. “Upwind, the scow is really hell. I felt like the boat was going to smash into pieces under my feet. I slept with my TPS (survival suit) next to me. This is to say that I was not serene, and yet I am not someone who is stressed by nature. Really, it was hot, the boat was bouncing, and I thought it was going to crash in every wave. After the Azores in steady trade winds, downwind, we raced down the track like crazy. It was really a great second part of the race, with the match, the world to catch up, the game all the time."

Of the 55 competitors entered in Class40, 18 were forced to retire and 22 are still in the race. This 12th place is a great achievement for Emmanuel Le Roch, a performance hailed by Bertrand Dumazy, Chairman and CEO of Edenred: "A huge congratulations to Emmanuel who sailed with ambition, courage and determination. Despite his brief stopover in the Azores, he was able to get back into the race and finished in 12th place. I am happy that he was able to realize his childhood dream: to participate and finish this legendary Route du Rhum. This is a second successful transatlantic for the Class40 Edenred. The 10,000 employees of the Edenred Group and I look forward to continuing the adventure in 2023.





About

Edenred is a leading digital platform for services and payments and the everyday companion for people at work, connecting more than 60 million users and more than 2 million partner merchants in 45 countries via close to 1 million corporate clients.

Edenred offers specific-purpose payment solutions for food (such as meal benefits), engagement (such as gift cards and engagement platforms), mobility (such as multi-energy solutions, including EV charging, maintenance, toll and parking) and corporate payments (such as virtual cards). 

True to the Group’s purpose, “Enrich connections. For good.”, these solutions enhance users’ well-being and purchasing power. They improve companies’ attractiveness and efficiency,and vitalize the employment market and the local economy. They also foster access to healthier food, more environmentally friendly products and sustainable mobility.

Edenred’s 12,000 employees are committed to making the world of work a connected ecosystem that is safer, more efficient and more responsible every day.

In 2023, thanks to its global technology assets, the Group managed €41 billion in business volume, primarily carried out via mobile applications, online platforms and cards.

Edenred is listed on the Euronext Paris stock exchange and included in the following indices: CAC 40, CAC 40 ESG, CAC Large 60, Euronext 100, Euronext Tech Leaders, FTSE4Good and MSCI Europe.

Read also

Press contacts

Matthieu SANTALUCIA

Media relations

By phone: +33 (0)6 83 54 12 10