I am now taking entries for the Easter Fleche. The Fleche is a 24-hour team audax event – each team devises its own route, and rides to a common finishing point (which will be the Stephen Roche Monument in Dundrum again) over the Easter weekend. You can start at any time between noon on Thursday and 10am Saturday, with the honours going to the team that completes the longest distance. Full rules are in the Gazetteer.

If you’re interested in entering, send me the names of the members of your team – minimum of 3 members, maximum of 5. By the 1st of April, send me your proposed start time and route which must be at least 360km measured by the minimum distance between the control points – this is to provide enough time to make any changes that may prove necessary. The entry fee will be €5 per individual and Cycling Ireland membership will be required.

This is a particularly favourable year for doing a Fleche as Easter is very late in the calendar, and it will be excellent night cycling experience for anyone planning on doing PBP later this year. Completing a Fleche is also one of the requirements for a Randonneur 5000 award.

Last year was the first year of the Fleche in Ireland – one team entered, managing 430km in bitterly cold conditions in mid-March. It would be great to see multiple teams on the road this year. If you have any questions, please get in touch.