A Flèche is a team ride in the tradition of randonneuring. These are 24-hour point to point rides in which at least 360km must be completed, with at least 25km completed within the final two hours. The events get their name because they are ridden in a straight line and flèche is French for arrow. In France the Flèche Vélocio is traditionally held on Easter weekend with all teams converging on the Easter cycling rally in Provence. The team for a Flèche is between three and five machines (tandems count as a machine) and at least three of the machines must complete the Flèche together to be certified. Teams make up their own routes and do not ride with other teams. The intent is to rely soely on those individuals you set out with. Most Flèches in the US are also held on or near Easter weekend. These events are ACP sanctioned and thus count towards the Randonneur 5000 award.
The team needs to design the route and submit it to RBA with sufficient time to approve it (usually two weeks). Routes are to finish at the RBA's home at 1119 Lake Rd, Ontario, NY. Team captains will want to review the official Rules for the Flèches-USA at the RUSA site.