Fresh hope for TotalEnergies' 2027 plans amid fears over team's future

TotalEnergies appears to have avoided collapse after reportedly meeting the UCI’s initial registration deadline for 2027, leaving the French team confident of securing a ProTeam licence despite losing several key riders and preparing to operate on a reduced budget.

According to WielerFlits, multiple sources have confirmed that the team submitted its registration documents, supported by a bank guarantee, before the 15 October deadline, with 23 riders reportedly under contract so far for next season bolstered by additions from the development squad Vendée U. 

The French ProTeam’s future has been in doubt since September last year when title sponsor TotalEnergies announced its exit after the 2026 season.

Team manager Jean-René Bernaudeau and Stéphane Heulot have been important figures in the search for financial backing with the approximately €10 million needed to secure the French side's future. WielerFlits have also reported that former professional and current expert consultant Tony Gallopin has played a key role. 

Of the 28 riders on TotalEnergies roster at the start of the 2026 season, eight riders have secured moves elsewhere for 2027, while three riders have announced their retirement. 

Jordan Jegat, who finished tenth at the Tour de France in 2025 and 2026, has signed for Lidl-Trek. Anthony Turgis, who has been one of the team’s most valuable riders since arriving in 2019 and a Tour de France stage winner in 2024, will move to XDS Astana alongside Nicolas Breuillard. 

Émilien Jeannière and Alexandre Delettre are off to Groupama-FDJ United, Mattéo Vercher and Thomas Bonnet to Burgos Burpellet BH and Pierre Thierry to Cofidis.

Meanwhile, former Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España KOM winner Geoffrey Bouchard is set to retire alongside Fabien Grellier and Lorenzo Manzin.  

The uncertainty surrounding TotalEnergies follows the collapse of fellow French team Arkéa-B&B Hotels, which folded and ceased operations at the end of last season after failing to secure new sponsors ahead of the October 15 deadline. 

Team Manager Emmanuel Hubert informed his staff and riders ahead of the deadline, but the writing had long been on the wall according to members of the French team, meaning the final outcome was not a shock.

“We already knew the situation was complicated for several months, and Manu Hubert was searching for backers for the team for more than a year,” sports director Sébastian Hinault told the media, including Domestique at the 2025 Tour of Guangxi.

Additionally, TotalEnergies are far from the only team facing a difficult future. Belgian ProTeam Flanders Baloise are set to cease operations at the end of the season, bringing to an end a 33-year era. 

Meanwhile, Spanish ProTeam Equipo Kern Pharma is also on the hunt for new backing, after its title sponsor confirmed it will withdraw at the end of the season after a seven-year partnership.