Jean-René Bernaudeau retires after 26 seasons as TotalEnergies manager

It's all change at the top of TotalEnergies for 2026 as team manager Jean-René Bernaudeau is set to step down from his position and retire after 26 seasons at the helm of the ProTeam.

Bernaudeau's role will likely be taken over by Stéphane Heulot, until recently the manager at Lotto.

Bernaudeau, a former professional racer from 1978 to 1988, has been in charge of the French squad since founding the team in 2000. Nine years previously, he founded the Vendée U development squad, which remains a feeder team for TotalEnergies to this day.

Bernaudeau, who turns 70 next year, had signalled his intention to step away from running TotalEnergies for several years and will now head into retirement after over a quarter of a century at the team.

According to a report from Ouest-France, Bernaudeau had asked his former rider, Thomas Voeckler, to take over as team manager. However, the French national team coach, who also commentates for France TV, declined the offer.

Instead, 54-year-old Breton Stéphane Heulot will take over the job, having recently departed Belgian squad Lotto ahead of the team's merger with Intermarché-Wanty.

Heulot, who raced for R.M.O., Banesto, GAN, FDJ, and BigMat between 1991 and 2002, has wide-ranging experience in the peloton since retiring from racing. He ran Saur-Sojasun between 2009 and 2013 and was a performance director for Cannondale in 2014.

He returned to cycling in 2019 to work for three seasons as European general manager for Rally Cycling. His most recent job saw him successfully oversee Lotto as the team successfully made their way back to the WorldTour.

"I'm the happiest man, but unhappy for my staff and riders because I loved this team and that's still the case," Heulot said upon departing Lotto last month. "I'm happy with what I've experienced because, in my opinion, I've succeeded in my mission – we've brought the team back to the WorldTour."

Ouest-France reported that Bernaudeau and Heulot "quickly understood each other" regarding the team's philosophy and values, noting that upholding the team's model – that of developing and promoting riders in-house without a budget to match the biggest squads – is of paramount importance as management changes hands.

During his time as team manager, Bernaudeau has led the team through several iterations and title sponsorships, with the team starting life as Bonjour at the dawn of the Millennium. Since then, the team has been known as Brioches La Boulangère, Bouygues Telecom, and Europcar before French energy company Direct Energie/TotalEnergies took over sponsorship in 2016.

The major challenge facing Heulot will be to find a new title sponsor, with TotalEnergies departing at the end of the 2026 season.

During his time leading TotalEnergies, Bernaudeau has overseen 15 Grand Tour stage wins, including 11 at the Tour de France, plus four top-10 finishes at France's biggest race, which the team hasn't missed since its foundation.

Other major successes include nine stages of both Paris-Nice and the Critérium du Dauphiné, plus the GP Québec, the Bretagne Classic - Ouest-France, and the Donostia San Sebastián Klasikoa.

Star racers Voeckler and Sylvain Chavanel stand among the top riders developed in-house at the team. Other major French names, such as Pierrick Fédrigo, Pierre Rolland, and Anthony Turgis, have also passed through over the years, as have major foreign names such as multiple former World Champion Peter Sagan and Niki Terpstra.

Next year's TotalEnergies lineup looks set to be an all-French affair, with 24 home riders currently under contract.

The team will be led by 2024 Tour stage winner Turgis and rising star Emilien Jeannière, who raced to 15 podium places in 2025, including a stage of Paris-Nice, the Copenhagen Sprint, and the Bretagne Classic.