TotalEnergies deny Bernaudeau exit reports, confirm team manager will stay beyond 2025
TotalEnergies have denied reports that team manager Jean-René Bernaudeau will leave his position at the end of 2025, issuing a statement contradicting several French media outlets.
On Thursday, Ouest-France reported that Bernaudeau was planning to step down as head of SA Vendée Cyclisme, the organisation behind the team he founded in 2000, initially known as Bonjour before securing TotalEnergies as title sponsor.
"To anticipate the major challenges facing Team TotalEnergies in the coming months, a thorough review is underway to strengthen the company's core workforce. No decision has been made at this stage," the team press release stated on Friday.
The original reports suggested Bernaudeau had approached former rider and current French national coach Thomas Voeckler to succeed him, but Voeckler declined the opportunity. Former Lotto team manager Stéphane Heulot was also mentioned as a potential candidate for the position.
According to the team's statement, Bernaudeau will continue in his role at least into 2026, which will be a particularly challenging year as the team will need to secure a new title sponsor with TotalEnergies ending their partnership at that time.
Bernaudeau, 68, has been the constant figure at the helm of the French squad since its inception. A professional racer himself from 1978 to 1988, he founded the team in 2000 after previously establishing the Vendée U development team in 1991, which continues to serve as a feeder programme for TotalEnergies.
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