The ''Critérium des As'' (''Race of the Aces'') was a cycle race that was generally held at the end of the season, with entry by invitation only, for the leading riders of the season. Competitors rode behind pacers on tandems or motorcycles. It was held from 1921 until 1990, mostly in Paris, France but also in Switzerland and Holland. The last Critérium des As was held in 1990 and was replaced by the Roue d'Or des As the following year.

History

In 1920 the ''Critérium de la résistance'' was run from Bordeaux to Paris ( Longchamp) and back to Bordeaux, and is regarded as the forerunner of ''Critérium des As''. The paced event was won by

Louis Mottiat Louis Mottiat (6 July 1889 – 5 June 1972) was a Belgian professional road bicycle racer. Mottiat was born in Bouffioulx, and because of his endurance was nicknamed 'the iron man'. His career was interrupted by World War I. He died in Gilly, ...

of Belgium, in 56 hours and 48 minutes. In 1921 the best riders of the season were invited to enter the ''Critérium des As'', 27 laps of a 3.63 km circuit around Longchamp. They rode alone except for pacers who helped on occasional laps, not being fast enough to last longer. Crowds of up to 6,000 watched in the years before the World War II. The individual pacers were replaced by tandems, triplets, motorcycles and finally specialist

Derny A Derny is a motorized bicycle for motor-paced cycling events such as during six-day and Keirin racing and motor-paced road races. Some riders train behind a derny on the road. The Derny is so-called as it was originally produced by the Fren ...

lightweight motorcycles in 1947.

René de Latour René de Latour (born New York, United States, 30 September 1906, died Quiberon, France, 4 September 1986) was a Franco-American sports journalist, race director of the Tour de l'Avenir cycle race, and correspondent of the British magazine, ''Sp ...

, a journalist who organised the race in 1943, when the inside of the circuit included

flak Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based ...

guns to defend the

Renault Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A.) is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans, and in the past has manufactured ...

factory in

Boulogne-Billancourt Boulogne-Billancourt (; often colloquially called simply Boulogne, until 1924 Boulogne-sur-Seine, ) is a wealthy and prestigious commune in the Parisian area, located from its centre. It is a subprefecture of the Hauts-de-Seine department and t ...

, said: The most prolific winner was

Rik Van Steenbergen Rik Van Steenbergen (9 September 1924 – 15 May 2003) was a Belgian racing cyclist, considered to be one of the best among the great number of successful Belgian cyclists. Early life Van Steenbergen was born in Arendonk into a poor fami ...

of Belgium, with five wins.

Winners

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Criterium des As Cycle races in France Defunct cycling races Recurring sporting events established in 1921 1921 establishments in France Recurring sporting events disestablished in 1990 Men's road bicycle races 1990 disestablishments in France