Ineos Grenadiers will remain one of the wealthiest teams in the peloton for the coming years, but this is mainly thanks to the entry of TotalEnergies. This is reported by Cyclingnews based on conversations with several insiders. Team owner Jim Ratcliffe wants to maintain his contribution but refuses to further increase the budget. The French energy giant fills that gap.
According to the report, it is not that Ratcliffe has lost interest in the team, but the costs of running a WorldTour team are skyrocketing. UCI documents viewed by Cyclingnews show that budgets increase on average by 7.5 percent per year, something various stakeholders – including the UCI itself – consider unsustainable. In 2019, INEOS pumped about 43 million euros into the team; by now, that amount is said to have risen to over 50 million euros. With the arrival of TotalEnergies, Ratcliffe can reduce that amount from 2026 to an estimated 35 to 40 million euros.
TotalEnergies pays about a third of the team budget
The French fuel giant, longtime title sponsor of Jean-René Bernaudeau's ProTeam, will according to several sources from Cyclingnews invest around 15 million euros in INEOS Grenadiers. This amount is in line with what the company currently invests in its own ProTeam. TotalEnergies has already announced that after the 2026 season, it will withdraw as a sponsor from the namesake ProTeam. With the combined resources of INEOS and TotalEnergies, the total team budget in 2026 will be between 50 and 55 million euros.
TotalEnergies has appeared on the jersey since the 2025 Tour de France – photo: fotopersburo Cor Vos
This again places the team among the absolute world elite. UAE Emirates XRG reportedly operates with the largest budget (60 million euros), while teams like Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe and Lidl-Trek are also in that category. Just below are teams such as Decathlon-CMA CGM and Visma | Lease a Bike. It is expected that TotalEnergies will become the second title sponsor of INEOS Grenadiers starting in 2027. Currently, the UCI requires that a company can only be title sponsor for one team.
Unconfirmed sources also told Cyclingnews that INEOS-TotalEnergies is considering switching to a French license from 2028 or 2029. Currently, INEOS Grenadiers is still the only British WorldTeam. Behind the scenes, the top team is assembling their roster for the coming season. A number of experienced riders are retiring, and in their place, Kévin Vauquelin and French champion Dorian Godon are the main new signings. Michał Kwiatkowski has reportedly extended his contract, and it became clear in the WielerFlits Podcast last week that the team aims to bring in several new GC contenders.
