The future of TotalEnergies’ professional cycling team appears considerably more secure after reports that Jean-René Bernaudeau and Stéphane Heulot have reached an agreement with a replacement title sponsor for 2027. The French squad has been searching for new backing since TotalEnergies confirmed it would end its association with the team after this season.
According to Ouest-France, a new partner has agreed to support the Vendée-based organisation for three seasons, covering 2027 through 2029. The company has not yet been named, with an announcement expected early next week. The agreement is being reported by the French newspaper rather than having been formally unveiled by the team.
A significant step towards securing the team’s future
The news follows several difficult months for a structure that has competed in the professional peloton since 2000. TotalEnergies announced in September 2025 that its title sponsorship would end after 2026, leaving the team’s management to find new funding while attempting to complete the UCI registration process for next season.
There has been progress on the administrative side, although the team’s future is not yet fully settled. SA Vendée Cyclisme, the organisation behind TotalEnergies, was absent from the UCI’s initial list of teams seeking registration for 2027. In an update on 19 October, it said its bank guarantee had been submitted and accepted, but that work remained on the financial, ethical and administrative elements of its application. The initial registration announcement left the team’s ProTeam status uncertain.
A new title sponsor would address a major part of that problem, but the reported agreement should not yet be confused with confirmation of a 2027 UCI licence or a place at the Tour de France. Bernaudeau’s team has competed at every Tour since its foundation, and maintaining that presence remains an important sporting ambition.
A smaller squad after a difficult transfer market
The search for funding has already had consequences for the roster. Ouest-France reports that the team is targeting a squad of 25 riders for 2027, despite a succession of departures and retirements during the uncertainty.
Jordan Jegat is moving to Lidl-Trek after consecutive Tour de France top-10 finishes, while Anthony Turgis will join XDS Astana Team in 2027. Sandy Dujardin is heading to Groupama-FDJ United and Mathieu Burgaudeau is bound for Burgos Burpellet BH. Rebuilding that depth will be one of the immediate tasks once the team’s financial position is confirmed.
Pardus deal already in place for 2027
One part of the team’s commercial future was settled before the latest report. On 27 October, SA Vendée Cyclisme announced a three-year agreement with Chinese bicycle manufacturer Pardus, which will replace Cube as equipment supplier from 2027.
That is a separate arrangement from the reported new title sponsorship. Pardus will supply bikes to the professional squad and its U19 and U23 development programmes, while the identity of the company expected to replace TotalEnergies on the team’s jersey is still to be revealed.
