Team TotalEnergies
| Company type | Professional cycling team |
|---|---|
| Industry | Road bicycle racing |
| Founded | 1984 |
| Founder | Jean-René Bernaudeau (director since 1995) |
| Headquarters | France |
Area served | International (UCI Continental Circuits, select UCI World Tour events) |
Key people | Jean-René Bernaudeau (director) |
| Products | Road bicycle racing team |
Team TotalEnergies () operates as a professional road bicycle racing squad, competing at the UCI ProTeam level within UCI Continental Circuits and participating in select UCI World Tour events by invitation. The team has undergone several name changes over the years, previously known as Brioches La Boulangère, Bonjour, Bouygues Télécom, Bbox Bouygues Telecom, and Europcar. Following the conclusion of Europcar's sponsorship in 2015, the team transitioned to Direct Énergie in 2016.
Origins
The team was established in 1984 under the name Système U. After a brief disbandment in 1985, it was reformed in 1986 with directeur sportif Cyrille Guimard at the helm, who brought with him the prominent rider Laurent Fignon. In 1990, a change in sponsorship led to the team being renamed Castorama. Guimard assumed managerial duties in 1992, and by 1995, former professional cyclist Jean-René Bernaudeau had taken over as director. Between 1996 and 1999, the team stepped back from elite competition while Bernaudeau focused on developing the feeder squad Vendée U.
Development
In 2000, Bernaudeau revived the professional outfit under the name Bonjour. This evolved into "Brioches La Boulangère" by 2003 and subsequently "Bouygues Télécom" in 2005. Throughout this period, the amateur development team Vendée U remained instrumental in nurturing emerging talent.
The squad gained recognition through promising riders such as Fabrice Salanson, Thomas Voeckler, and Sylvain Chavanel. The tragic passing of Salanson in 2003 was a significant blow; nonetheless, Voeckler’s remarkable ten-day tenure in the yellow jersey during the 2004 Tour de France brought national attention to the team. Their racing calendar primarily focused on French events. In 2005, Chavanel left to join Cofidis.
On 29 September 2009, both Bbox Bouygues Telecom and Cofidis were refused ProTour license renewals due to inadequate performance results.
2010–2011
During their initial year following relegation, the team secured impressive outcomes in grand tours, capturing multiple stage victories and holding various classification jerseys, notably at the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France. Despite these successes, challenges with sponsorship persisted alongside ambitions to regain top-tier status.
Towards the end of 2010, after an extended search for a sponsor for 2011, Europcar finalized a three-year sponsorship agreement that hinged on retaining French National Champion Thomas Voeckler. This late confirmation required an extension of the UCI license submission deadline but arrived too late to prevent departures of riders such as Pierrick Fédrigo and Nicolas Vogondy. Voeckler’s contract was valued at over 400,000 euros per year, making him one of the highest-paid French cyclists and underscoring the team's dedication despite competitive offers from teams like Cofidis.
With sponsorship secured, the 2011 campaign became the most successful in the team's history up to that point. They achieved stage victories at both Paris–Nice and the Critérium du Dauphiné, where they also claimed the team classification title. In July’s Tour de France, Voeckler wore the overall leader’s jersey for ten days. His teammate Pierre Rolland gained acclaim for his support efforts and triumphed on Alpe d'Huez while securing the white jersey for best young rider overall. The roster included Yohann Gène, noted as the first black cyclist to compete in the Tour de France. Europcar planned to capitalize on this increased visibility to expand their international presence and attract more prominent riders for the 2012 season.
2012 season
Although Team Europcar was unable to regain World Tour status, their performance at the start of the season was notable. Sébastien Turgot achieved a remarkable second place at the renowned Paris–Roubaix, followed by Thomas Voeckler’s solo triumph at the Brabantse Pijl, where he maintained a lead for 30 kilometers. Voeckler also secured multiple top-five results in the Ardennes classics, including strong showings at both the Amstel Gold and Liège–Bastogne–Liège races.
During La Tropicale Amissa Bongo in Gabon, the team earned stage victories through Géne and Voeckler, while Anthony Charteau captured the overall classification for a third consecutive year. In Europe, sprinter Matteo Pelucchi claimed a stage win at the Four Days of Dunkirk in early May.
In April, Europcar was awarded a wildcard entry to the Tour de France, joining three other French squads. Throughout the Tour, Voeckler won stages 10 and 16 and secured the King of the Mountains jersey, while Pierre Rolland took victory on stage 11.
2013 season
Despite failing to extend lead sponsor Europcar’s contract beyond 2013, the team launched into the season with strong momentum. Yohann Gène achieved both a stage win and overall victory at La Tropicale Amissa Bongo, marking the team’s fourth straight triumph in Gabon. The squad dominated Étoile de Bessèges with three successive stage wins: Bryan Coquard claimed stages two and four, while Jérôme Cousin took stage three.
Coquard continued his success by winning stages eight and nine at the Tour de Langkawi. In their inaugural World Tour event of the year, Paris–Nice, Damien Gaudin captured the opening prologue. Gaudin went on to win the Cholet-Pays de Loire one-day race, while Anthony Charteau secured a stage victory at the Tour de Normandie. Pierre Rolland triumphed on the penultimate stage and clinched overall victory at the Circuit de la Sarthe.
Cyril Gautier emerged victorious at the Tour du Finistère after a breakaway effort, and Natnael Berhane won the queen stage of the Tour of Turkey, ultimately being declared winner following an anti-doping disqualification of the original victor. Coquard’s consistent performances propelled him to lead the UCI Europe Tour standings and earn a stage win at the Tour de Picardie.
In June, David Veilleux opened Critérium du Dauphiné with a stage win; Thomas Voeckler also took a stage there and went on to claim overall victory. At Route du Sud, Gène won a stage while Voeckler captured both a queen stage and overall title. Veilleux maintained his strong form by winning Boucles de la Mayenne. Angelo Tulik recorded his first professional win in August by taking the final stage of Tour des Fjords. Coquard secured his first one-day race victory at the Châteauroux Classic, ascending to lead in the French Road Cycling Cup standings. Voeckler won the penultimate time trial of Tour du Poitou-Charentes and held onto overall leadership to secure his second title in that event.
National Titleholders
- 2001
- Didier Rous, winner of the French Road Race Championships
- 2003
- Didier Rous, champion of the French Road Race Championships
- 2004
- Thomas Voeckler, victor in the French Road Race Championships
- 2005
- Pierrick Fédrigo, holder of the French Road Race Championships title
- 2006
- Stef Clement, champion of the Dutch Time Trial Championships
- 2007
- Erki Pütsep, winner of the Estonian Road Race Championship
- Stef Clement, titleholder at the Dutch Time Trial Championships
- 2010
- Thomas Voeckler, French Road Race Champion
- Nicolas Vogondy, French Time Trial Champion
- 2011
- Christophe Kern, winner of the French Time Trial Championships
- 2013
- Yukiya Arashiro, Japanese Road Race Champion
- 2014
- Natnael Berhane, Eritrean Time Trial Champion
- 2015
- Dan Craven, Namibian Road Race Champion
- 2019
- Rein Taaramäe, Estonian Time Trial Champion