TotalEnergies deny reports that team manager Jean-René Bernaudeau will retire at end of 2025 season

TotalEnergies have issued a categorical denial that, contrary to multiple media reports, longstanding team manager Jean-René Bernaudeau will not be leaving his job at the end of 2025.

Ouest-France had reported on Thursday that Bernaudeau would be quitting as the head of SA Vendée Cyclisme, the organisation for the team which began as Bonjour back in 2000 and which is currently sponsored by giant petrochemical company TotalEnergies.

Bernaudeau had reportedly reached out to former rider and current French national coach Thomas Voeckler to take over the job, though he declined, while ex-Lotto manager Stéphane Heulot was also in the frame.

However, according to a team press release on Friday, Bernaudeau is set to continue at least into 2026, a challenging year, which will see the squad search for a new sponsor with TotalEnergies departing at its conclusion.

"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 press release said.

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.