Team TotalEnergies' future has officially been secured, with French IT company XEFI taking over as title sponsor of Jean-Rene Bernaudeau's team from 2027. The three-year agreement, announced on Tuesday, 10 November, will see the Vendee-based organisation compete under the name XEFI until the end of 2029, ending months of uncertainty over its survival.
The confirmation comes four days after Ouest-France reported that Bernaudeau and general manager Stephane Heulot had found a replacement for TotalEnergies, whose withdrawal at the end of 2026 had threatened the future of a team established in 2000.
"We've achieved something remarkable" - Heulot on saving the team
The search for a new title sponsor had become increasingly urgent in October. Although the team submitted its bank guarantee to the UCI, it was absent from the governing body's initial registration list for 2027, with its application still incomplete.
"We all realise, given the teams that have disappeared in recent years, that we've achieved something remarkable," Heulot said at Tuesday's press conference in Arcueil, near Paris.
The collapse of Arkea - B&B Hotels had left another gap in the French professional peloton, while Bernaudeau's own organisation had already lost several leading riders during the uncertainty.
Heulot described the new budget as "substantial and sufficient to achieve our objectives", although the financial terms of XEFI's agreement have not been disclosed.
Bernaudeau's team has previously raced as 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' stage triumph in 2024.
Team TotalEnergies have been saved by a new sponsor
Who is XEFI, the team's new title sponsor?
Founded by Sacha Rosenthal, XEFI provides IT services to small and medium-sized businesses through a network of branches and franchises. It has supported Velo Club de Villefranche-Beaujolais since 2018, while the company's franchisees have collectively backed its move into professional cycling.
"When I commit to something, I give it my all," Rosenthal said in the official announcement. "I want the riders, staff and everyone involved in this team to feel that they have people alongside them who truly believe in them. We will have ambitions, and we will stand by them through the difficult moments."
The partnership also brings together XEFI's training academy, launched in 2020, and Bernaudeau's longstanding commitment to youth development through CREF and Vendee U.
"This project is not about blindly pushing forward, but about restoring meaning to elite sport while remaining true to our beliefs and our commitment to transparency," said Bernaudeau, who also thanked Heulot for his work securing the agreement.
Read also
XEFI's 25-rider squad almost complete, but contracts remain unsigned
Heulot has revealed that the new team's squad is already close to completion, despite the prolonged uncertainty and the departures of several established riders.
In an interview with Cyclism'Actu following Tuesday's announcement, he explained that recruitment had been taking place since August, with contracts deliberately left unsigned to prevent the identity of the new sponsor becoming public.
"The 25 names are already on paper," he said. "We haven't signed the contracts because each one needed to include the name of the organisation, and therefore our partner XEFI, which we obviously didn't want to reveal."
Former professional Tony Gallopin is joining as a sports director in January and has been involved in the recruitment process. The management have already drawn up provisional race programmes and selections, with another sporting meeting scheduled for Thursday, 12 November.
Heulot also expects a more international squad, reflecting both the riders available and the new sponsor's ambitions, while retaining a strong French core and promoting talent from Vendee U.
Among those leaving are Jordan Jegat, who finished tenth overall at both the 2025 and 2026 Tours de France and is joining Lidl-Trek, and former Tour stage winner Turgis, who is moving to XDS Astana Team alongside Nicolas Breuillard. Emilien Jeanniere and Mathieu Burgaudeau are among the other departures.
Chinese manufacturer Pardus has meanwhile signed a separate three-year agreement to supply the team's bicycles from 2027.
XEFI must still complete the UCI registration process, with the final list of approved teams scheduled for publication on 8 December. A return to the Tour de France will also require a wildcard invitation from ASO after the team finished fourth among ProTeams in 2026.
The next announcements are expected to concern the riders who will represent XEFI in 2027. With recruitment already well advanced and the sponsor's identity no longer confidential, the outstanding contracts can now be finalised ahead of the team's first season under its new name.
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.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- great analysis thanks! appreciate you posting this. I didn't realize CX had a different standard for deviation. this is even more egregious it seems.mij10-11-2026
- As he isn't currently with Red Bull, I guess if he want to race for one more year he needs to find a team. He's 37 so this will be his last year I would guess, unless he wants to race for almost nothing like Froome did.awp10-11-2026
- I think some are making much ado about nothing. Even though Jonas is getting older, before his crash in the Tour, he looked like a solid 2nd all the way home. No one can really climb with Tadej until this year, Eric Mas showed himself which I think was a one off year for him and Paul Seixas has been able to be pretty close to him. Whatever stage race Jonas enters as long as Tadej is not there he is a favorite to win.awp10-11-2026
- Giro or not Giro, he won't win the Tour!MajorPayne10-11-2026
- Very true.awp10-11-2026
- Ciccone had a very strong end of season. Consistently attacking and livening up races. Hope he makes that last leap in progress and starts notching some significant wins. Great rider to watch.Occam10-11-2026
- Me too!!!!!Occam10-11-2026
- they can sign any 100 of top riders today but Pogi will win over Remco any time at the TDF unless something goes wrongabstractengineer10-11-2026
- the time for a GC rider to retire is when they cannot win stages, or have a significant level drop like from winner/podium into top 5/10 consistently. Roglic is still competitive and Froome raced even though he became pack fodder.abstractengineer10-11-2026
- He should be in a different team. It was detrimental. For them it does not matter if he does not develop. He should have gone to a team where they need him to succeed.abstractengineer10-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment