"Julian Alaphilippe would have been an accelerator for invitations" - TotalEnergies fear for future Tour de France wildcard prospects
CyclingTuesday, 10 September 2024 at 16:30
After losing their big name rider Peter Sagan at the end of the 2023 season, TotalEnergies have been searching for a new superstar to lead them into the coming years. Having missed out on main target Julian Alaphilippe though, the French team are concerned about their prospects.
"We believed in it. Julian Alaphilippe would have been an accelerator for invitations," explains team manager Jean-Rene Bernaudeau in conversation with Centre Presse. Having been present at the Tour de France since 2000 under their former guises Bonjour and Europcar, are the French-based outfit now at risk of missing out on wildcard selection for the 2025 edition of their home Grand Tour?
"That's how it is. Julian won't be with us, it's a shame," Bernaudeau continues, however he doesn't hold a grudge against the two time world champion, who instead opted to join the Tudor Pro Cycling Team after leaving Soudal - Quick-Step. "The Tudor Pro Cycling Team project is a great project, like that of Uno X - Mobility."
Even within TotalEnergies at the moment, things aren't completely settled. One of the stars of the 2024 squad, Pierre Latour has not completely convinced Bernaudeau of his capabilities, meaning unrest within the team. "It's complicated with Pierre Latour," admits the team manager. "We're very unhappy, he's not doing well on the descents."
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Eclipsed in results, sure; they are on opposite sides of the street, one going up, the other down. Yet, by your own admission, or knowledge of said press, people are still interested in reading the press he gets, and after all, it's entertainment.itsent21-05-2025
- The Roglic superpower: never question the past, always look forward. And always use adversity to aim higher. Who else loses the Tour on a time trial, then gets Olympic gold and wins the Giro on a time trial? The man is both reflective and totally immune to the past, it seems.RidesHills21-05-2025
- Its a wonder that Froome still gets press. Watched his drop from TDF winner to bottom feeder and his delusinal progression of his statements from Fifth TDF win to TDF podium to TDF Stage win to GT stage win to TDF participation to finally collapsing to Vuelta Participation. In the meantime Pogi has completely eclipsed him.abstractengineer21-05-2025
- A senior Tour de France would arguably be just as exciting as the WT TdF. Not all retirees become instant slouches, and they're the same age as many of the most ardent pro cycling fans, so the audience would certainly be there. Who wouldn't want to see a Contador-Froome rematch?itsent21-05-2025
- No gifts! Time for the senior tour!frieders321-05-2025
- Not very likely. No nostalgia tour.mobk21-05-2025
- Once a rider starts to crash, he becomes a crash magnet.abstractengineer21-05-2025
- So, is it solved???Mistermaumau20-05-2025
- Or some health issue. I’d make sure he’s never far from an ambulance with competent crew.Mistermaumau20-05-2025
- I hate to agree. If it was a lesser name that had won in that way, they would have been called a "wheelsucker". Still a win is a win and it goes down in the record books as that, no matter how it is gained.Cyclingsbestfan20-05-2025
Frankly i think this was a flaw in the negotiations, they did not go all out and that was a mistake