Struggling TotalEnergies desperate for Tour de France success with Jordan Jegat to woo new sponsors

TotalEnergies has announced its roster for the Tour de France. The French team is heading to the start of the 2026 Tour de France in Barcelona with a few surprises in store. It’s a team full of mavericks, but one with potential general classification ambitions as well: the struggling squad could play several cards to make for an exciting Tour de France.

Last year, TotalEnergies enjoyed great success at the Tour de France thanks to Jordan Jegat. The French climber worked his way up to tenth place in the general classification through impressive climbing and smart, aggressive racing. After an excellent Tour Auvergne–Rhône-Alpes, where he rode very aggressively, another strong performance is possible—whether in the general classification or in the pursuit of stage wins: the latter is his main goal, as he mentioned earlier.

The French team brings its experience in winning stages to the Tour de France. Anthony Turgis is lining up at the start of the Tour for the ninth time, having won a spectacular stage on unpaved roads in 2024. The 32-year-old classics specialist is an indispensable player in the transition stages and will also be at the front in the more challenging sprints.

The rest of the team consists mainly of attackers. Alexandre Delettre has made an excellent impression over the past year and a half riding for TotalEnergies, and he’s coming into the Tour in good form, as evidenced by his 13th-place finish in the Baloise Belgium Tour. Together with Mattéo Vercher, he’ll have the best chance to make his move in the hills.

In the climbs, the team will be able to count on Nicolas Breuillard and Joris Delbove in addition to Jegat. Delbove won last year’s Tour of Langkawi and finished sixth in the Route d’Occitanie last week. Breuillard finished fifth in the Tour of Turkey and eighth in the Tour de la Provence. The two of them can go for their own chances in the mountains or ride in support of team leader Jegat.

The last two spots will be filled by Mathis Le Berre and Thibault Guernalec. The French duo rode for Arkéa-B&B Hotels last year, but that team has since disbanded. At TotalEnergies, they’ll get a chance to compete in the Tour: Le Berre is a strong all-rounder, while Guernalec provides the necessary power in the team time trial.

Success in the Tour de France is absolutely essential for TotalEnergies. The title sponsor announced last year that it would be pulling out, forcing the team to look for new financial backers. That search is still going slowly, but if the team performs well in the Tour, sponsors may be lining up.

Jordan Jegat
Anthony Turgis
Mattéo Vercher
Alexandre Delettre
Mathis Le Berre
Nicolas Breuillard
Joris Delbove
Thibault Guernalec