Charles Mochet became known in the 1920s for the Vélocar, a two-seat pedal quadricycle with lightweight bodywork. The two-wheeled Vélo-Vélocar followed in 1932. Its rider used a seat with a backrest and forward-mounted pedals; a universal-joint mechanism placed the handlebars within reach.
On 7 July 1933, Francis Faure rode this type of recumbent 45.055 kilometres in an hour in Paris. It was an unpaced hour record. The achievement drew attention to a design that placed its rider in a markedly different position from that of a conventional racing bicycle.
Competition rules also shaped the result’s history. In 1934, the UCI excluded this recumbent design from conventional bicycle records. The episode is a reminder that a sporting record is tied to the definition of permitted equipment. Mochet’s approach remains a striking example of the different forms a human-powered vehicle can take.