Sup de Vélo

What Sup de Vélo does

Sup de Vélo is a French vocational training school founded in 2011, specializing exclusively in the bicycle industry. The institution delivers both qualifying degree-granting programs spanning three French qualification levels — Niveau 3 (CAP/BEP, Titre professionnel employé technicien-vendeur en matériel de sport), Niveau 4 (BAC, Technicien-vendeur option Cycle), and Niveau 5 (BAC+2, Manager d'unité marchande) — alongside a portfolio of non-degree continuing education modules: Réparateur Loueur de Cycle (175 hours), Conseiller expert en vélo à assistance électrique (5 days), Formation Hydraulique (5 days), Formation aux Particuliers (1 day), and à la carte custom programs. Training is structured around three target personas: cycling retail managers, sales staff, and mechanics/technicians, addressing the professionalization of an industry where formal qualifications were historically absent.

The business operates from three physical campuses — two in L'Isle-Jourdain, Occitanie (totaling approximately 1,400 m² with five theory classrooms, five technical workshops, and a school store) and one in Orléans, Centre-Val de Loire (100 m², opened January 2021). Practical training infrastructure includes individual workshop workstations per student and a "magasin école" (school store) where learners practice merchandising and sales in real conditions. Revenue is generated through tuition for degree and non-degree programs, supplemented by apprenticeship contracts routed through CFA Supdevélo (the institution's dedicated apprentissage center). Pricing is not publicly disclosed, but financing is accessible via French public instruments — CPF, Pôle Emploi, regional funds, professional transition, VAE, and company training funds. Go-to-market is event-driven, anchored by trade-show presence at PRODAYS, social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn), student testimonials, and direct partnerships with French cycling retail chains including Culture Vélo (130+ stores, 4 brands), Bouticycle, VELO STATION, and bike rental operator Paulette Bike. The institution holds QUALIOPI certification obtained in 2021.

Sup de Vélo operates as a private, independent organization with no disclosed parent company, no external institutional investment, and approximately 7–8 trainers distributed across its three campuses (6 at Isle-Jourdain since 2022, 2 at Orléans since 2022). Ownership structure is not publicly disclosed. The training center combines classroom theory with hands-on mechanical and commercial practice, and integrates an employer job board that channels graduates into the same partner retailers that feed the recruitment pipeline — creating a vertically reinforcing B2B/B2C funnel.

Name

Sup de Vélo

Legal name

Sup de Vélo

Website

https://supdevelo.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sup de Vélo is a French vocational training school founded in 2011, exclusively focused on the bicycle industry. It delivers degree-granting and continuing education programs for cycling managers, sales staff, and mechanics across three campuses in L'Isle-Jourdain and Orléans.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

L'Isle-Jourdain

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional training services: Provides qualifying and diploma-granting training programs for the cycling industry, including continuing education and apprenticeship (alternance) programs

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Sup de Vélo provides qualifying vocational training and diploma-granting programs for the French bicycle industry, certifying future managers, sales staff, and repair technicians. Offerings range from level 3 (CAP-BEP) to level 5 (BAC+2) accredited titles, supplemented by short professional-development courses and an apprenticeship track (CFA Supdevélo) delivered at two campuses in L'Isle-Jourdain and Orléans.

Product overview

Sup de Vélo operates as a unified training institution offering vocational education programs for the bicycle industry, organized into two main categories: Degree-granting programs (formations diplômantes) and Non-degree professional development programs (formations non-diplômantes). The degree-granting portfolio includes three levels spanning from CAP/BEP (Niveau 3) through BAC (Niveau 4) to BAC+2 (Niveau 5), covering foundational retail skills, technician-vendor certification, and retail unit management. The non-diplômante programs offer specialized short courses including the 175-hour Réparateur Loueur de Cycle, 5-day VAE expert certification, 5-day hydraulic systems training, and 1-day hobbyist courses. The institution also operates CFA Supdevélo, its apprenticeship division enabling work-study arrangements. Programs are delivered across three campuses (two in Isle-Jourdain totaling 1400m² and one in Orléans at 100m²), with facilities including theoretical classrooms, technical workshops with individual workstations, and a practice retail store. The training is designed for professionals including managers, sellers, and technicians seeking to enter or advance in the bicycle industry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Formation Réparateur Loueur de Cycle available in 175 hours
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• CFA SupdevélocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCentre de Formation d'Apprentis (CFA) Supdevélo enables Sup de Vélo to offer apprenticeship training programs, allowing students to learn through alternating between theoretical study and practical work experience in cycling retail companies.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• GRETA: Public network of GRETA continuing-education groups attached to French high schools. Broader incumbent: similar accreditation, multi-region presence, and continuing-education mission, but a very wide catalogue of trades rather than a cycling specialization.
• AFPA: France's national agency for adult vocational training, operating dozens of centers across the country. Broader incumbent: similar diploma/qualifying-training model and public-funding access, but a much wider trade coverage rather than a single industry focus.
• MFR (Maisons Familiales Rurales): Largest French network of rural vocational training schools, operating a federation of campuses with alternance-based programs. Broader incumbent: comparable QUALIOPI-style accreditation, multi-region presence, and CFA structure, but spreads across many trades rather than specializing in one vertical.
• CCI Formation / CCI Campus: Chamber-of-Commerce-run professional training network in France, with campuses across regions. Broader incumbent: same alternance + continuing-education structure and employer-recruitment model, but covering the full spectrum of commerce/trades rather than specializing in cycling.

Direct peers

• AFTRAL: France's leading specialized vocational training organization (transport, logistics, mobility). Direct peer for the model: single-vertical French trade school, QUALIOPI-equivalent accreditation, multi-campus delivery, alternance via dedicated CFA, strong employer-recruitment channel.
• The Bicycle Academy: UK-based bicycle frame-building and mechanic training school. Direct peer: niche vocational training organization dedicated to the cycling industry, with similar emphasis on hands-on workshop-based curriculum and credentialed outcomes.
• United Bicycle Institute (UBI): U.S.-based bicycle mechanic school offering certification and professional training for bike technicians. Closest international direct peer: same niche focus on cycle-specific technical and repair training, similar diploma/non-diploma curriculum split, and similar B2B placement into bike retailers.
• Park Tool School: Industry-recognized U.S. bicycle mechanic training program run in partnership with a major cycling tooling brand. Direct peer: focused exclusively on cycle-repair professional certification, comparable program structure (intensive, hands-on, modular).
• École Ducasse: French specialized culinary school offering diploma-granting and continuing-education programs. Direct peer: similar model of a niche French training brand with multi-level certifications, dedicated practical infrastructure, employer partnerships, and a reputation premium for specialization.
• Institut National de la Boulangerie Pâtisserie (INBP): French reference school for bakery and pastry trades, with CFA apprenticeship arm and dedicated technical infrastructure. Direct peer: niche French trade school operating on the same diploma-granting + alternance + continuing-education model aimed at one industry.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Sup-de-V%C3%A9lo-120219828040051
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sup-de-v%C3%A9lo
• Instagraminstagram.com/supdevelo

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Sup de Vélo