“We will be on the next Tour de France”: TotalEnergies closes in on 2027 survival as title sponsor talks near completion

TotalEnergies’ future in professional cycling appears increasingly secure, with team manager Jean-René Bernaudeau saying the French squad expects to continue racing in 2027 despite negotiations over its main sponsor remaining unfinished. The team has met a key financial requirement set by the UCI, although its official registration as a ProTeam is still pending.

Bernaudeau’s team submitted its bank guarantee on October 15, the deadline for teams seeking to renew their ProTeam status for next season. The guarantee represents 25 percent of the gross salaries of a roster comprising at least 20 riders for 2027.

The financial deposit fulfills the first of two major registration requirements. The team must still submit its official name, including the identity of its principal sponsors, before the UCI can complete the process. According to Bernaudeau, that final step could be resolved within days.

“Our dossier is good, the budget will be found,” Bernaudeau said in a recent interview, expressing confidence that the team would remain in the professional peloton. “When things are difficult, it gives me strength. Cycling is not doing very well economically, but our team is popular. We have three important meetings left. We have considerably lowered the entry fee, and partners are coming in.”

The team is assembling a budget of approximately €10 million for next season, with the Vendée Departmental Council and a network of regional businesses helping to maintain the project. Primeo Énergie, a Swiss energy group that already sponsors the team's amateur development structure, Vendée U, has agreed to increase its involvement at the professional level in 2027.

The team's continuity would preserve a project that dates back to 2000, when it was established under the Bonjour name, building on the development structure that had been operating since 1991. For Bernaudeau, maintaining that pathway from amateur cycling to the professional ranks remains central to the team's identity.

The organization is working toward a budget of approximately €10 million for next season. Under the leadership of general manager Stéphane Heulot and sports director Tony Gallopin, that funding would allow the team to assemble a roster of between 20 and 24 riders.

The professional squad will nevertheless undergo substantial changes. Nine riders have already signed elsewhere: Jordan Jegat, Emilien Jeannière, Anthony Turgis, Alexandre Delettre, Nicolas Breuillard, Pierre Thierry, Mattéo Vercher, Thomas Bonnet and Mathieu Burgaudeau.

Three other riders are set to end their racing careers. Lorrenzo Manzin and Geoffrey Bouchard will retire, while Fabian Grellier is also stepping away from competition and is expected to join the team's staff.

For Bernaudeau, the uncertainty surrounding the team's future is familiar. He has navigated similar challenges before, including the period surrounding the team's transition to Europcar in 2010.

“It’s intense, but we’ll get there,” Bernaudeau said. “Our situation is healthy; we have all our technical partners thanks to Stéphane’s network. What drives me is ensuring our values endure. That parents who entrusted us with a child at Vendée U can tell us we gave them back a man.”

He also believes the team's current UCI ranking strengthens its case for continued participation at the highest level of the sport. Ranked 21st in the UCI team standings, the squad can receive invitations to all the major races. “The Tour is not out of reach. We will be on the next Tour de France,” Bernaudeau concluded.