Stéphane Heulot left his position as team manager of Lotto in September and seemed ready to succeed Jean-René Bernaudeau as the main boss of TotalEnergies. However, Bernaudeau will still be just the team manager of the French squad next year, but this does not mean Heulot won’t join the team: the former rider will take on the role of the new general director.
This was confirmed by the now 69-year-old Bernaudeau to the French newspaper Ouest-France. The 54-year-old Heulot had been linked to TotalEnergies for several weeks, but as a successor to his countryman, who is fifteen years his senior as team manager. This turns out not to be the case, but Heulot will indeed take on a leading role within the structure of the French ProTeam.
"Stéphane will join our team in January to ensure the continued success and development of the team," said Bernaudeau, who has been at the helm for more than thirty years, in an interview with Ouest-France. "I will continue working as team manager and thus remain the CEO. Stéphane will further develop the team as general director."
Bernaudeau looks to the future with optimism. "Stéphane and I have developed a development plan that aligns perfectly with how things are currently going. The goal is to grow and attract promising new riders."
Bernaudeau led the team—which was successively sponsored by Bonjour-Toupargel, Bonjour, Brioches La Boulangère, Bouygues Telecom, BBox Bouygues Telecom, Europcar, Direct Énergie, and TotalEnergies—to numerous successes. He did so with French fan favorites such as Thomas Voeckler, Sylvain Chavanel, Pierrick Fédrigo, and Pierre Rolland.
Challenge
Bernaudeau and Heulot do face a significant challenge: finding a new title sponsor. TotalEnergies previously announced that the partnership will end at the close of 2026. The partnership began in 2019, after which the team raced for three years under the name Direct Energie and later under TotalEnergies.
The decision not to continue the collaboration after 2026 is not unexpected. Since July, TotalEnergies has also been a sponsor of INEOS Grenadiers. According to various sources from Cyclingnews, the French fuel giant will invest around 15 million euros in INEOS Grenadiers. The amount is in line with what the company currently invests in its own ProTeam.
