'I don’t want to pull a publicity stunt' - XEFI downplay Roglic 'shock transfer' move despite new title sponsor

The French team’s future was in doubt throughout 2026 after TotalEnergies confirmed it would not renew its backing, but on Tuesday morning, Heulot and team president Jean-René Bernaudeau confirmed that French IT services company XEFI had signed a three-year sponsorship deal.

The full roster for 2027 has yet to be confirmed, but Heulot indicated that it would be more international than this season, when it was composed entirely of French riders.

XEFI offers IT services to small and medium sized businesses via a franchise structure. It operates in France, Switzerland, Belgium and Spain and has a reported turnover of €400 million.

“This is primarily a sporting decision, and one that also meets our partners’ expectations,” Heulot told L’Équipe. 

“We were quite late to the market, so it was important to think carefully about the opportunities that align with our values and our history as well. This isn’t something we’ve only just started thinking about. We’d anticipated everything to some extent so that we’d be ready at the right moment.”

Although the team has previously signed foreign stars such as Joseba Beloki and Peter Sagan, Heulot downplayed the idea that they were in the market for Roglič, who has yet to sign a deal for 2027.

Roglič has been linked with teams including Pinarello-Q36.5, Visma Lease a Bike and Lotto Intermarché in recent months, but his options appear to be dwindling as the winter draws on. 

“I’d say the squad is pretty much complete at the moment,” Heulot said when asked if his team would now make a splash in the transfer market. 

“A shock transfer? I don’t know who we could be talking about right now. Roglič, perhaps? But it’s true that it’s not something we’re actively considering, to be honest. 

"I don’t want to pull a publicity stunt, as some teams have done who can’t actually afford to sign him. And besides, does that fit with our values? So that’s another thing we need to discuss with XEFI.”

For Jean-René Bernaudeau, there must have been a sense of déjà vu about the occasion. In 2010, his team was on the brink of collapse following the end of Bouygues Telecom’s sponsorship, but at the 11th hour, he negotiated with Europcar to save the operation, a deal that was contingent on Thomas Voeckler rejected the overtures of Cofidis.

Bernaudeau’s team has been in the pro peloton since it started the 2000 season as Bonjour, but the project goes back to 1991, when he launched the Vendée U amateur squad. The idea was to provide a springboard for riders from his home region, and the philosophy remains intact for 2027, with the Vendée U Primeo Energie serving as a feeder team for the pro squad.  

“I told myself it was impossible for it to end. We’re different from the rest. If I give up tomorrow, eventually everything will fall apart. The legacy must be passed on,” Bernaudeau told DirectVelo. 

Although Bernaudeau was initially confident about finding a replacement for TotalEnergies, that belief was shaken when the team dropped down the UCI rankings midway through 2026, putting its likely 2027 Tour wildcard invitation at risk.

“We negotiated to a very advanced stage with around ten people, but given the economic climate, there was a sense of caution,” Bernaudeau said. “And above all, we had a very poor May, which unsettled a group that had been interested.

“We were in jeopardy with regard to the rankings. We couldn’t tell that big company that was interested: ‘Don’t worry about the Tour de France, we’ll be there – and perhaps the Vuelta a España too.’ So May was a very difficult month.”

The ship was eventually steadied, and the team finished the season 21st in the UCI standings, but by then, many of the top-scoring riders had signed elsewhere for 2027, including Jordan Jegat (Lidl-Trek) and Anthony Turgis (XDS-Astana). Bernaudeau expressed thanks to the riders who opted to stay on board amid the uncertainty.

“Stéphane Heulot and I never lied to them. We didn’t tell them we were going to pull it off, but we did say we were in serious negotiations,” Bernaudeau said. “We’ve always told the truth, always. And at one point, they didn’t want to leave. They feel at home with us, they’ve placed their trust in us, and they’re being rewarded for that today.”