TotalEnergies' fight for survival receives fresh boost as three-year partnership offers hope for 2027
Cycling
The fight to save one of French cycling's longest-running professional teams has received a welcome boost, with Team TotalEnergies announcing a three-year partnership with Chinese bicycle manufacturer Pardus. With their title sponsor departing at the end of 2026 and their place in the professional peloton still uncertain, the agreement offers Jean-René Bernaudeau's organisation another encouraging sign just days before a crucial deadline.
Confirmed on Tuesday, 27 October, the deal will see Pardus replace Cube as the official bicycle supplier to SA Vendée Cyclisme from 2027 through to 2029, covering both the professional squad and the organisation's U19 and U23 development teams.
New partnership brings hope amid uncertain future
The announcement comes at a pivotal moment for the Vendée-based structure, which has been searching for replacement financial backing since TotalEnergies confirmed in September 2025 that its title sponsorship would end after the current campaign.
Founded by Bernaudeau in 2000, the team has spent 27 seasons in the professional peloton under various identities, including Bonjour, Bouygues Telecom, Europcar and Direct Energie. Its history includes Thomas Voeckler's memorable spells in the Tour de France yellow jersey, Pierre Rolland's victory on Alpe d'Huez in 2011 and Anthony Turgis' triumph on the gravel roads around Troyes in 2024.
"Welcoming PARDUS is an opportunity to work with an ambitious brand that is committed to competing at the highest level of cycling," said general manager Stéphane Heulot in the team's official announcement. "We were impressed by its vision, innovative approach and ambition to compete at the highest level of professional cycling."
Jordan Jeget finished top-10 at the Tour de France in 2025 and 2026 for TotalEnergies
The agreement will see riders use Pardus' SPK EVO G4 and ROBIN EVO G3 road bikes, alongside the GOMERA EVO time trial model. The manufacturer, based in China's Shandong Province, has worked with the Chinese national team since the 2016 Rio Olympics and is looking to expand its presence in European cycling.
"As part of Pardus's development in the European market, we are particularly proud to begin the journey with Jean-René Bernaudeau and his iconic team," explained the manufacturer's vice general manager Terry Gong.
The partnership will also involve direct collaboration between Pardus' technical staff and the team's riders and performance department, with Heulot highlighting the opportunity to develop equipment through feedback gathered during competition.
A replacement title sponsor, however, has yet to be officially announced, leaving the organisation's attempts to secure its professional future unfinished.
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Crucial days ahead for Bernaudeau's team
Earlier this month, TotalEnergies submitted the required bank guarantee to the UCI as part of their attempts to retain ProTeam status for 2027. Nevertheless, the organisation was absent from the governing body's initial registration list, with its application still incomplete.
Bernaudeau has identified 31 October as his deadline for resolving the immediate uncertainty, although he has remained publicly confident about the team's prospects, even expressing his expectation that they will line up at the 2027 Tour de France.
According to reports, agreements have already been reached with approximately 23 riders for next season, with former professional Tony Gallopin reportedly involved in building the new project. The squad will nevertheless look considerably different should the team survive.
Jordan Jegat, who finished tenth overall at both the 2025 and 2026 Tours de France, is leaving for Lidl-Trek, while Turgis and emerging talent Nicolas Breuillard are heading to XDS Astana Team. Émilien Jeannière and Alexandre Delettre have also secured moves to Groupama-FDJ United.
There is still considerable work ahead to replace those departing riders, but the agreement with Pardus gives Bernaudeau and Heulot a technical partner committed through to the end of 2029.
With the organisation's bank guarantee submitted and much of a potential squad reportedly assembled, attention now turns to the missing title sponsor and the remaining UCI registration requirements. Bernaudeau's self-imposed deadline is just four days away, with the professional future of the structure he founded in 2000 still awaiting confirmation.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- they should allow teams to add to the roster limit if they are adding riders in other disciplines. for example, you can have 30 road riders, 3 gravel, 3 mountain bike, 3 cyclocross. that way a team isn't penalized by losing road riders by expanding into other disciplines. of course it needs to be policed as does a team classify Pidcock, MVDP or WVA as cross, mountain, or what? But that is workable.mij27-10-2026
- great guy and a winner if he can stay healthy.mij27-10-2026
- Utter rubbish
Rafionain-Glas27-10-2026 - Ha! For “spring” read “sprint”.Lozza27-10-2026
- Well, for all the whinging about UAE’s massive budget allowing them to buy up all the talent at the expense of the other teams, just take a look at the last couple of seasons of transfers and I think you’ll find UAE aren’t the ones snapping up all the talent!Lozza27-10-2026
- It'll be like the much vaunted Glasgow Worlds legacy millions of pounds spent.. nothing to show for it. I'm sure that the UK Grand Depart will be exactly the same!slappers6627-10-2026
- Hey @acem, I'm not talking about the quality of your or mine statements... I'm talking about the quality of the riders. Capish? PS: And why is Jumping Grasshopper John speaking out? Who asked him anything? Tell him to shush, or I will !!!🤣🤣🤣PogiSloFans27-10-2026
- OK, the TdF 2027 is not built for Pogi. We've heard that at least 100X since the route came out. It's all BS!!! Here's my take on Pogi's 2027 season: Maybe not riding Paris Roubaix would be a smart move considering Pogi's crash and injuries. I think je will recover very well but nevertheless, why risk when he doesn't have to. PR really hits the body hard because of the cobbles. Maybe, just maybe, it could do some damage to his vertebra fracture or concussion, we never know. The upper-body strain, the hands, wrists, forearms, shoulders, NECK AND BACK must cope with repeated jolts. So if Pogi's priorities are the Tour, Vuelta and World Championships, and if he can win them all, the job is done. He will check off the Vuelta, become the first in history to have six TdF wins and take back the Rainbow Jersey. He can also do the Itzulia Basque Country race, to check it off (he would have the "Big Seven" one week races under his belt).... and of course he can still race some other one day races like LBL, Lombardia etc. With all these results under his belt, Pogi can concentrate on Paris Roubaix and the Olympic games in 2028... and maybe his seventh TdF, like Armstrong, but with one huge difference: Pogi would have seven official Tdf wins, Armstrong has none.PogiSloFans27-10-2026
- Tadej said it. and he also looked beleaguered after last year's tour, and came back in the world and Lombardia crushing it. and he is also the one that begged to race euros. and is racing a crit end of the month. and to the point below, it is irrelevant. his injuries do not hold a candle to the others mentioned in the headline. Roll's comment is idiotic.mij27-10-2026
- It will absolutely change his tt position. Call me out if I'm wrong, when we start seeing him training on the tt bike, you will see.awp27-10-2026
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