Beaune 24 Hours

The Beaune 24 Hours is above all a good-humoured event for teams and visitors, but also a bike race with time trials, a race, podiums, spectators, rules…
This event is an 8-rider-per-team race on bikes which must have at least three wheels and two people pedalling...
The race starts on Friday evening and ends on Saturday evening, and bikes must run for the entire duration of the race.

HISTORY

It was back in 1987 in the Saint-Jacques district of Beaune that the Beaune 24 Hours was born.
Aboard their brightly decorated vehicles, 6 teams set off for 24 hours of madness with a single ambition: to bring the neighbourhood to life, have fun and make it to the end!
Over the years, the Beaune 24 Hours became so popular that race rules were drawn up. Stewardship was also put in place to ensure the proper functioning of the race.
 

BEAUNE 24 HOURS

The Beaune 24 Hours is an original concept full of good humour and sporting achievement. Today, more than 25 000 visitors come along and encourage the crews both by day and by night.
Each team, consisting of 8 riders, designs and produces a non-motorised prototype to be ridden by 2 team members minimum. This prototype is subject to strict rules regarding weight, decoration ... rules specified in technical documentation provided in advance to the different teams. Any team not complying with the rules will be denied access to the circuit.
Each year, a theme is set for decorating the bikes, ranging from the underwater world, through cartoons, UNESCO, humour ... and this year, it’s "The Fantastic 30s"!
Solidarity being an important concept in the spirit of the "Beaune 24 Hours", the profits are donated to The Sports Welfare Fund, which aims to promote the integration of young people into Beaune’s sports clubs.

THE DIFFERENT PRIZES

Several classifications in different categories are contested by participants, allowing everyone to compete according to their "design" and "philosophy" for the trial:
- Scratch Category: for the fastest machine, having travelled the greatest distance at the end of the 24-hour race.
- Beauty Category: for the machine with the most aesthetic and original decoration in line with this year’s theme.
- Fair Play Category: for the machine and its crew most in line with the values ​​supporting the folklore of the trial, festive atmosphere sought by the organisers and sportsmanship associated with any sporting competition.
- Combined Category: for the highest rated machine over a combined average of the three categories "Beauty", "Fair Play" and "Stands".
- Category Classification: for all participating vehicles, classifications established based on the composition of the crew. Namely: young, female and mixed.
- Stand Award: for the crew whose stand has the most festive atmosphere and most original decoration.
-  Company Award: for the crew made up of at least six employees from the same company which covers the greatest distance at the end of the 24 hours.
- The "Green Challenge" Award: for the crew which designs its decoration (bike and stand) ecologically and shows respect for the environment throughout the duration of the competition (recycling, materials...): cf. Green Challenge annex.
- Rigid Bike Prize (non-tilting): for rigid machines having travelled the greatest distance at the end of the 24-hour race.

ENTERTAINMENT

During the 24 hours, spectators can also enjoy a multitude of shows, concerts, sports demonstrations, street entertainment and all kinds of activities put on by the town: rides, Cheerleaders, Freestyle BMX show ... to delight young and old alike!
Catering stalls are also available for the brave fans!

FOCUS ON THE "LES COPAINS DE TIMEO" ("FRIENDS OF TIMEO") TEAM

The "Les Copains de Timéo" team is an association taking part in the Beaune 24 Hours and supporting the charitable association's objectives of:
 
Improving the living conditions of sick children in hospital and at home.
Providing support to families
Representing families in their dealings with various organisations
Helping with medical research for children with cancer in Burgundy
 
The team consists of 8 exceptional racers: Stéphanie, Emmanuelle, Jonathan, Anthony, Cyril, Marc, Florian, Alex
 
Their goal: the scratch prize, no … but the beauty prize, YES! This they’ve won twice over the last 5 events, including last year with their famous “Gaston Lagaffe Fiat 509”.
 
But as Team President Jonathan Vion said: "Victory is not won on the track, but before the event ... when creating the bike!"
Four months’ work are required to produce a prototype to win the beauty prize, from the pure mechanics to the welding, painting, cutting ... and all in a very fun and friendly atmosphere!

 
Here in pictures is the making of the bike from A to Z:
 

We wish them good luck and every success for this latest event!