The French Cycling Federation

What The French Cycling Federation does

The French Cycling Federation manages leisure cycling and bicycle tourism. It is recognized by the Ministry for Health and Sports and the Ministry for Ecology. The federation is also involved in the organization of cycling events, contributing to the promotion of the sport and fitness industry.

Name

The French Cycling Federation

Legal name

Fédération française de cyclotourisme

Website

https://ffvelo.fr/

Company type

Private

Founded year

1923

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The French Cycling Federation is a sports and fitness company that manages leisure cycling as well as mountain biking.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Federation Services (Cycling Tourism)

NAICS

Spectator Sports (71121), Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Cycling Events (Road Races, Gran Fondos, Sportives) (MPAKAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Cycling / MTB / E-Bike Guiding & Rentals (THAAALAG)

Keywords

• Cyclotourism federation
• Leisure cycling association
• Cycling tourism services
• Cycling membership licenses
• Cycling event organization

Headquarters

HQ city

Ivry-sur-seine

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Licences: Annual licence fees from over 120,000 licensed practitioners. The licence provides insurance, access to clubs, and membership benefits.
2. Magazine Advertising: The Cyclotourisme magazine (11 issues per year, 11,500 copies) sells advertising space to brands. The federation highlights reaching 100,000 potential readers through 3,000 clubs. NEW digital diffusion to all 100,000 licensed members.
3. Event Participation Fees: Fees charged for participation in federation events. For example, the Cyclo Baie du Mont Saint-Michel charged 7€ for licensed members and 10€ for non-licensed participants.
4. Pass'Vélo and Merchandise: Revenue from the Pass'Vélo membership product and the official boutique (boutique.ffvelo.fr) selling federation merchandise and branded items.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The French Cycling Federation (FFVélo) organizes and promotes leisure and touring cycling (cyclotourism) in France through annual licence memberships, a network of 3,000 affiliated clubs, national and regional events (Semaine Fédérale, Gravel Challenge, Les Roc'h des Monts d'Arrée, Bike Camp), the FFVélo+ mobile application, youth cycling schools, federal training programs, the Cycl'hôte hosting network, and the Cyclotourisme magazine. The federation bundles insurance with its licence and serves as the recognized national governing body for cyclotourism.

Product overview

FFVélo (Fédération française de cyclotourisme) offers a unified platform of cycling tourism products and services centered around its FFVélo+ mobile application, which gamifies the cycling experience through badge collection and community features. The federation provides membership through the Pass'Vélo and annual Licence, access to over 3,000 clubs, and organizes major cycling events including the Semaine Fédérale, Le Gravel Challenge, Les Roc'h des Monts d'Arrée, Paris-Brest-Paris, Maxi Verte, Les Cyclomontagnardes, and Bike Camp for youth. Additional offerings include organized trips and voyages, Cyclotourisme Magazine and La revue Cyclotourisme publications, French cycling schools (Écoles françaises de vélo), federal training programs, the Cycl'hôte hosting network, and the Club avantages member benefits program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FFVélo+: Mobile application for cyclotourism that transforms each ride into an adventure to collect, allowing users to earn badges by accumulating kilometers and visiting remarkable sites.
• Pass'Vélo
• Bike Camp
• Semaine fédérale internationale de cyclotourisme
• Ensemble à vélo
• Cyclotourisme Magazine

Products and services

• FFVélo+ Application Mobile application that gamifies cyclotourism by allowing users to earn badges through kilometers accumulated and sites visited, create communities, follow friends, and discover nearby events. Designed for individual leisure and touring cyclists.
• Licence (annual cycling license)

Quantifiable outcome

• 120,000+ licensed cyclotourists reached annually through the federation network
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Club des Cyclos AnnemassiensminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026Local club partnered with the Léman Bouquet Festival 2026, providing guided cyclo-musical rides and demonstrating the federation's community engagement at regional cultural events.
• France ParalympiquecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026Partnership announced in April 2026 for inclusive cycling, expanding the federation's reach to para-athletes and people with disabilities. FFVélo joined the Comité paralympique et sportif français (CPSF) in 2026.
• Fédération française handisport (FFH)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026Partnership between FFVélo and FFH for inclusive cyclotourism announced in April 2026, aimed at developing cycling opportunities for people with disabilities.
• Agence nationale du sportcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational sports agency that partners with the federation on sports development programs, providing institutional and financial support for cycling initiatives.
• Atout FrancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrance's national tourism development agency partners with the federation to promote cycling tourism and bicycle travel across France.
• Comité national Olympique et sportif français (CNOSF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe French National Olympic and Sports Committee, representing the federation within the French Olympic movement and national sports governance.
• Ministère des sports, de la jeunesse et de la vie associativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe French Ministry of Sports provides governmental recognition, institutional support, and policy alignment for the federation's cycling development activities.
• UCTI (Union des cyclotouristes internationaux)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational cyclotourists union representing the federation internationally and connecting it to the global cycling tourism community.
• UECT (Union européenne de cyclotourisme / European Cyclists' Federation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean cycling tourism union that connects FFVélo to broader European cycling advocacy and development initiatives.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Fédération Française de Cyclisme (FFC): Official French federation for competitive cycling, governing road, track, BMX, and cyclo-cross. Sits alongside FFVélo as the second national cycling federation in France; together they split the French cycling ecosystem between competition and leisure/tourism, making them the most direct structural peer.
• Cycling UK: UK national cycling charity (formerly Cyclists' Touring Club) promoting leisure cycling, route development, and member benefits. Closest functional equivalent to FFVélo in scope, model, and audience: membership-based, magazine-published, event-organizing federation for recreational cyclists.
• ADFC (Allgemeiner Deutscher Fahrrad-Club): Germany's largest cycling federation with 200,000+ members focused on cycling advocacy, leisure cycling, and tourism. Highly comparable in mission, magazine publishing, club network, and insurance-included membership model.
• Fietsersbond: Dutch cyclists' union (50,000+ members) promoting cycling infrastructure, leisure cycling, and route networks. Comparable federation structure with member services, route products, and advocacy focus on recreational/touring cycling.
• League of American Bicyclists: US national cycling advocacy organization promoting cycling for transportation, recreation, and health. Operates comparable advocacy, education, and member-program structure focused on recreational cycling rather than competition.
• SwissCycling: Swiss national cycling federation combining competitive and recreational cycling under one organization with regional clubs and member services. Comparable federated model and event portfolio including gran fondos and touring events.
• Vélo Québec: Quebec-based cycling organization promoting recreational cycling, route network (Route Verte), and member services. Closest North American equivalent in mission, with comparable route infrastructure programs and recreational cycling focus.

Broad incumbents

• European Cyclists' Federation (ECF): Pan-European cycling advocacy umbrella coordinating national cycling groups across the EU. UECT partner of FFVélo; broader in geographic scope but overlapping in cycling tourism, infrastructure policy, and leisure cycling advocacy.

Others

• Strava: Global commercial cycling and fitness app with tens of millions of users. Competes with FFVélo+ for daily cyclist engagement, route data, and community features, and is the primary alternative engagement platform that FFVélo's digital strategy must differentiate against.
• Komoot: European route-planning platform popular among touring and gravel cyclists. Overlap with FFVélo's audience in cycling tourism, route discovery, and event exploration, representing a commercial alternative to the federation's curated itineraire and FFVélo+ app.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/FFVELO
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ffvelo
• Instagraminstagram.com/ffvelo_officiel
• Xx.com/FFVelo_officiel

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The French Cycling Federation