Speeds are high on the sleigh ride east towards the Amsterdam gate with short term private duels developing but with just over one third of the course completed it is worth reflecting, once again, that you don’t have to be in the lead now, only at the finish in Les Sables d’Olonne. The Indian Ocean is in relatively benign mood, but there is no obligation to push too hard – to press for the fraction of a knot – when the real key strategy at this stage is to be fast and safe, sailing in the heart of the peloton.
