{"id":257720,"date":"2025-11-12T00:06:10","date_gmt":"2025-11-12T00:06:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/257720\/"},"modified":"2025-11-12T00:06:10","modified_gmt":"2025-11-12T00:06:10","slug":"cycling-is-always-searching-for-rare-gems-but-we-cant-treat-a-rider-as-finished-at-22-totalenergies-boss-urges-change-in-attitude-towards-the-sports-youth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/257720\/","title":{"rendered":"“Cycling is always searching for ‘rare gems’ but we can\u2019t treat a rider as ‘finished’ at 22” \u2013 TotalEnergies boss urges change in attitude towards the sport’s youth"},"content":{"rendered":"


\nJegat\u2019s top-10 finish at the 2025 Tour de France<\/a> was one of the year\u2019s biggest surprises, especially for a team operating on a modest budget. For Bernaudeau, it served as vindication of the \u201cdouble project\u201d model TotalEnergies has championed since 1991 \u2014 encouraging young riders to pursue both education and sport rather than specialising too early. \u201cJordan represents hope for those who\u2019ve been cast aside,\u201d he continued. \u201cEndurance only reaches its full maturity later, around 25 to 30. We can\u2019t just erase those who develop more slowly.\u201dBernaudeau warns of \u2018collapse\u2019 in amateur cycling base<\/p>\n

Beyond Jegat\u2019s personal story, Bernaudeau sounded a broader alarm about the health of French cycling\u2019s foundations. He fears the amateur scene that once sustained the sport\u2019s pipeline of talent is close to breaking point.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe amateur cycling pyramid is in danger of collapsing,\u201d he warned. \u201cWithout clubs, there are no champions. In the Vend\u00e9e we\u2019re lucky \u2014 we have strong foundations, volunteers, a real culture. That\u2019s precious.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bernaudeau believes the WorldTour\u2019s relentless professionalisation and rising financial demands are putting that ecosystem at risk \u2014 creating a top-heavy structure where smaller teams and community clubs struggle to survive.<\/p>\n

Still, he insists the core identity of his organisation remains rooted in collective values rather than star-driven ambition. \u201cWe never bet everything on one man,\u201d he said. \u201cOur captains, those who don\u2019t get the glory or the money, are our pillars.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"JordanJegat\"\/<\/p>\n

Jegat in action at the Tour de France<\/p>\n

Looking ahead to life after TotalEnergies<\/p>\n

With TotalEnergies set to end its sponsorship after 2026, Bernaudeau confirmed negotiations are already underway to secure the team\u2019s future \u2014 but declined to offer details until a deal is signed.<\/p>\n

\u201cNegotiations are done quietly,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen there\u2019s something to announce, I\u2019ll announce it. But yes, the project will continue.\u201d<\/p>\n

For now, the veteran manager is content to focus on the next step of the team\u2019s evolution. Jegat\u2019s rise, Emilien Jeanniere\u2019s growing consistency and the unity of the wider group all point to a stable platform heading into 2026. \u201cWhen you win, you don\u2019t lecture others \u2014 and when you come second, you keep hope alive,\u201d Bernaudeau concluded. \u201cIf next year we\u2019ve honoured the people who make victories possible, the season will already be a success.\u201d<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Jegat\u2019s top-10 finish at the 2025 Tour de France was one of the year\u2019s biggest surprises, especially…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":257721,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[4985,101,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-257720","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling","8":"tag-cycling","9":"tag-sports","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom","12":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/257720","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=257720"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/257720\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/257721"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=257720"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=257720"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=257720"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}