Flèche Vélocio
The Flèche Vélocio was created in 1947. After the Brevets and the PBP Randonneur, it is the oldest event organized by the ACP.
The Flèche Vélocio is a French team ride of 24-hours’ duration, usually held over the Easter weekend. Teams consist of 3 to 5 machines and all members ride together. The number of teams is unlimited. Each team chooses its own start point and its own route. All teams start on Good Friday or on early Saturday, and head to the traditional Easter cycling rally in Provence. At least 360 km must be covered in 24 hours, but the goal is to ride the longest distance possible. Eventually on Easter Sunday morning, teams from all over France meet at the rally, chat and celebrate together.
By training together, team members build a strong spirit of friendship. They meet and ride together as often as possible, they learn to go at the same pace, and they share the same goal : to do a team effort. Such is the ethic of the Flèche Vélocio. Whether achieving or not a high performance, the atmosphere of a 24 hour team ride is an absolutely exceptional experience, and a good opportunity to strengthen relationships between club members.
At the very beginning of the Flèche Vélocio, teams started from Paris. They knew that they would not be able to reach the about 500 miles distant meeting point in 24 hours, but the important thing for them was to do as many miles as possible. Rules changed with time, in order to allow the teams to reach the meeting place with different starting places, but the initial spirit should not be forgotten. Teams strive during 24 hours to achieve a shared goal : to do the best possible. Thus the location of the rally should be considered as an approximative destination rather than as an exact finishing point.
Each year the French Federation of Cyclotourism (FFCT) establishes the town where the rally takes place. Therefore the finishing destination changes each year, but it remains in the Provence region. To respond to a growing demand by French or by international randonneurs who want to meet in a location outside Provence, the ACP also promotes and homologates team events patterned after the Flèche Vélocio: the Flèches Pascales (in France) and the Flèches Nationales (abroad).
Since 1996, the Flèche Vélocio has a lighter version called Trace Vélocio, whereby teams start from 6 a.m. Saturday, ride between 201 and 360 km and finish at the Easter meeting, with an overnight stop of eight hours. The Trace Vélocio being complementary to the Flèche Vélocio, the ACP promotes and homologates the Traces Pascales (in France) and the Traces Nationales (abroad).
Lastly, the ACP organizes the Fléchette Vélocio, a 12 hour team event towards the Easter meeting for riders aged from 14 to 20, accompanied by an experienced randonneur. A good way to introduce young people to randonneuring !
1. Rules of Flèche Vélocio
Épreuve nationale créée par l’A.C.P. en 1947
What is Flèche Vélocio ?
A Flèche Vélocio is a team event organized, verified and validated by Audax Club Parisien. The ride heads to the traditional Easter Cycling Rally in Provence (France).
The ride must meet the following requirements :
– Each team is limited to a maximum of five members and a minimum of three members (multi-rider vehicles count as a single member).
– Teams ride continuously during 24 hours (no rest stop may exceed two hours). All team members ride the whole distance.
– Each team designs their own route, with the requirement to cover at least 360 km during the 24 hours.
The Flèche Vélocio has three main features :
– Building a strong team spirit by training and riding together.
– Riding the longest possible distance in 24 hours, despite limited preparation and difficult climatic conditions.
– Getting all together in a symbolic place to share a nice time of conviviality.
About the riders
The Flèche Vélocio is open to any French or International cyclist regardless of cycling affiliations.
No individual entries are allowed. The Flèche Vélocio must be ridden in a team.
One team member will be designated the team captain and will be the sole contact with the ride organizer. The captain must make sure that the rules are respected. However, he does not have any authority over the other team members during the ride.
Any form of human-powered vehicle is acceptable. The only stipulation is that the vehicle must be powered solely by the rider, and that it complies with the French traffic laws.
Each rider must be covered by liability insurance, according to local law. Concerning France, please refer to articles L.321-1 and L.331-9 of the Code du Sport (French Sport Law).
Any rider under the age of 18 must have the consent of a parent or legal guardian, relieving the ACP of any responsibility.
After registration, riders will receive a personal brevet card and a frame badge. The brevet card will be used for verification at each controls. Each team member must keep the brevet card throughout the ride.
Rider’s duties
The Flèche Vélocio is not a race. Each rider is considered to be on a personal ride and must ride in accordance with all applicable traffic regulations and obey all traffic signals. The ACP cannot and does not accept responsibility for any accident that may occur during a Flèche Vélocio.
Teams choose the route that will lead them to the meeting. The team captain must send a detailed route proposal and time schedule to the ACP organizer. The credited distance is the shortest between successive checkpoints, determined by Michelin maps. Loop-shaped routes are not permitted. No road segment and no location may be used more than once. Riders have to follow strictly the planned road map.
Before the start, each rider must note on his or her brevet card last name, first name, full address and club affiliation. During the Flèche, riders need to keep the cards with them and note the start and finish time as well as the time of passage at all designated controls. Time includes date, hour and minutes.
Missing brevet card validations, missing checkpoint times, or loss of a brevet card will result in disqualification of the team. Teams must start from the point declared in the ride schedule. Teams choose their starting date and time between Friday 06:00 a.m. and Saturday 10:00 a.m. It is mandatory that they start at the declared date and time.
In their ride schedule, each team must indicate an intended finish point, but this point is not binding. The aim of the Flèche Vélocio is not to reach a particular spot, but to ride during 24 hours towards the meeting place. The actual finish point will be the nearest town or village where the team members can get their card verified at the end of their 24 hours. The team will be homologated if they have achieved a distance within plus or minus 20% of what they declared at registration (with an absolute minimum of 360 km), regardless of their actual arriving location.
Different teams cannot ride together. If several teams use the same starting point and the same route, the starting times for individual teams shall be spaced at least one hour apart.
Teams must have their location and time verified at the starting point and at each designated control, by getting a stamp on their brevet card at a local establishment (such as a grocery store or gas station). In the case of a postcard verification (between 8:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m.), location and time must be noted on the postcard, and all members still riding must sign the postcard. Will also be accepted as proof of control a credit card receipt or a photo of the group of participants with an element (eg road sign) justifying the place.
During the 22nd hour and at the end of the 24th hour, the exact time and the location of the team must be noted on each route card and verified in any encountered town or village. A minimum of 25 kilometers must be ridden between both verifications. It is not necessary that teams reach their announced finish point or that they stop there. The recorded location at the end of the 24th hour will be recognized for their homologation (so long as 25 km have been covered since the 22nd hour control).
The goal of the Flèche Vélocio being to ride the longest distance possible in 24 hours, the team must ride until the end of the 24th hour. If they cannot find a way to get verification at that point, they must ride further to the next town or village, get their card stamped and note on it the mileage covered at the end of the 24th hour.
Example : You start Saturday at 9h a.m. You must get your card stamped Sunday at 7h (22th hour) and then, at least 25 km further, at 9h (24th hour). You can get verification in any encountered town or village, even if they are different from those planned on your ride schedule. It is 9h a.m., you have ridden 420 km but you are in the countryside, 10 km from the next town. You must ride to this town, get your card stamped and note on it ‘420 km’ at the 24th hour.
The team will be homologated if the distance covered is within plus or minus 20% of their announced mileage (with an absolute minimum of 360 km). For example, if you design a 450 km route, you must ride between 360 and 540 km.
No following cars are allowed. Teams can meet a support car only at the rest stops. No rest stop may exceed two hours.
For night riding, bikes must be equipped with front and rear lights attached firmly to the bike. Lights must be turned on at all times during hours of darkness or other low-light conditions (rain, fog, etc.). During hours of darkness or other low-light conditions, all riders must wear a reflective vest (this is mandatory according to French traffic law). Any violation of these night riding rules will result in the immediate disqualification of the team. Backup lighting systems are strongly recommended in case the primary system fails and cannot be repaired on the roadside. It is strongly recommended to wear an approved helmet, light-colored clothes, and to carry a survival blanket and a cell phone.
Event officials may be on the road, acting as secret controllers. Each irregularity will be pointed out and result in the immediate disqualification of the team.
If a change occurs in the composition of the team, the organizer must be notified before the start.
Registration
From the beginning of January and no later than six weeks before Easter, the team captain must send by email a detailed route and time schedule to the organizer.
To make the organizer’s work easier, the team captain must indicate: name of crossed locations, name of roads, distance between locations, and cumulative distance. Some checkpoints (controls) with a planned time of passage must be suggested. The exact starting point and starting time (including date, hour and minutes) must be declared.
The organizer checks the route proposal and determines the controls.
Upon approval of the proposed route, the team captain receives a registration form by email.
The captain must return by email the completed registration form to the organizer, with electronic copy of each rider’s club affiliation or cycling licence.
NB: For those who do not have an email address, postal items are accepted.
Registration fee : 57 euros per team (55 euros for FFCT members).
How to pay : via PayPal (to michele.hugon@audax-club-parisien.com) or bank transfer (ask the organizer for details). Bank checks are accepted only if drawn from a French bank.
Validation and awards
For a Flèche Vélocio to be certified by the ACP, and any awards to be earned, it is required that:
– At least three team members have ridden the same distance and arrive at the finish together.
– At least 25 km have been ridden between the 22nd hour and the 24th hour of the ride.
– The team captain or a delegate be present at the Easter meeting, on Sunday between 08:00 and 10:00 a.m., and submit the completed brevet cards to the ACP delegates.
In case the entire team does not arrive at the finish, only the team members present at the arrival will be homologated, and in no case their teammates who did not finish or who finished separately of the team.
The homologated mileage will be the distance covered in 24 hours, provided it is within 80 and 120% of the announced mileage.
Individual awards
Each homologated rider will receive a certificate and a medal.
Team awards
For any team awards to be earned, the team must include at least three homologated members of a same club.
CHALLENGE A.C.P. Awarded to the team that rode the longest distance.
The team holds the award for one year. It is acquired definitely after three years, consecutive or not.
COUPE Pierre MOLINIER (creator of the Flèche Vélocio)
Awarded to the team that rode the second longest distance.
If several teams rode the same distance, the coupe is awarded to the team having the most homologated members.
CHALLENGE DE L’AMITIÉ Offered by Marie-Thérèse and Roger Martin
Awarded to the team having ridden the longest distance with five homologated members. All riders must belong to the same club. The team holds the award for one year.
If several teams rode the same distance, the coupe is awarded to the team with the most women.
It is never acquired definitely.
COUPE de L’EQUIPE LA PLUS JEUNE
Awarded to the youngest team. All riders must belong to the same club.
It cannot be combined with another award.
CHALLENGE FÉMININ Created by Jacques Dorléans and offered by Michèle et Rémy Hugon
Awarded for one year to the 100% female team that rode the longest distance.
If several teams rode the same distance, the coupe is awarded to the team having the most homologated members.
It is never acquired definitely.
COUPE Madeleine et Claude AUBAGUE
Awarded to the club having the most homologated members.
It is acquired definitely each year.
If several clubs are tied, the coupe is awarded to the club with the most women.
It cannot be combined with the Coupe Raymond Cateloin.
COUPE Raymond Cateloin
Awarded to the club that has the most homologated women.
It is awarded definitely each year.
If several clubs are tied, the coupe is awarded to the club with the highest mileage total achieved by women.
It cannot be combined with the Coupe Madeleine et Claude Aubague.
The A.C.P. award ceremony takes place in January.
Contact
Mme Michèle HUGON
30, rue de la JANVRERIE
91470 LES MOLIERES
Tél. 01 60 12 47 68 – 06 81 66 12 89
fleche-velocio@audax-club-parisien.com
The rules of the Flèche Vélocio can be downloaded here : 
2. registration to Flèche Vélocio
Here is the registration file with two sheets to describe your team and submit your route map : 
Once completed, send first your route proposal to :
Michèle HUGON
30 rue de la JANVRERIE
91470 LES MOLIERES
Tél. : 01 60 12 47 68
fleche-velocio@audax-club-parisien.com
While your route is validated, you can send your registration form and the registration fees.
Registration fees :
- 55 Euro per team for FFCT member
- 57 Euro per team for non FFCT members
3. Results of Flèche Vélocio
CHALLENGE A.C.P. : C.S.C.C.T. CHATEAU THIERRY, équipe 1 de Vincent HALBIN – 680 km
Awarded to the team that rode the longest distance.
HALBIN Vincent, ISELI Patrice, LAMOTTE Pascal, LEVEQUE Eric
COUPE Pierre MOLINIER : U.S. METRO, équipe 1 de Jacques CRESSANT – 655 km
Awarded to the team that rode the second longest distance.
CRESSANT Jacques, ROPERT Jean-Pierre, RAGGI Alessandro, DENIS Pascal
CHALLENGE de l’AMITIÉ : A.G.S.E. LES ESSARTS LE ROI, équipe 2 de Régis BRUNEL – 544 km
Awarded to the team having ridden the longest distance with five homologated members. Offered par Marie-Thérèse et Roger MARTIN
BRUNEL Régis, MICHEL Emmanuel, VALERA Eric, VERGNE Frédérick, LE DEVEDEC Didier
CHALLENGE FÉMININ : C.C. DE LA MANDALLAZ, équipe 1 de Eliane CHARVEYS – 373 km
Awarded for one year to the 100% female team that rode the longest distance.
Created by Jacques DORLEANS – Offered par Michèle et Rémy HUGON.
CHARVEYS Eliane, GRUMEAU Emilie, LYARD Christelle, LE BELLEC Bernadette, VERNAY Martine
COUPE Madeleine et Claude AUBAGUE : U.S. METRO, 12 homologations
Awarded to the club having the most homologated members.
COUPE Raymond CATELOIN : C.C. DE LA MANDALLAZ, 5 homologations
Awarded to the club that has the most homologated women.
It cannot be combined with the Coupe Madeleine et Claude Aubague.
COUPE des PLUS JEUNES : U.S. METRO, équipe 2 de Philippe HUET – average age 47,60 years – 624 km
Awarded to the youngest team.
HUET Philippe, CATTE Jean-Baptiste, DUARTE Carlos, RICARD Olivier, WACHEL Catherine
Results of previous years are available below :
2019 :
2018 :
2017 :
2016 :
2015 :
2014 :
2013 :
2012 :
2011 :
2010 :
2009 :
2008 :
2007 :
2006 :