TotalEnergies slammed over former Lotto-chief appointment: 'Has abandoned his teams more often than he has helped them'

Stéphane Heulot was forced to leave after his team Lotto merged with Intermarché-Wanty. The Frenchman has since found a new role in professional cycling: he is joining TotalEnergies as general director. He takes over that role from Jean-René Bernaudeau, who will remain CEO. However, it appears that Heulot is far from universally welcomed within the team.

Former professional rider Jérôme Pineau believes it is a ridiculous decision to have hired Heulot. Bernaudeau wanted to share responsibilities with someone else, but according to Pineau, Heulot should never have been that person. “He is handing over the reins to someone who has abandoned his teams more often than he has helped them,” Pineau states in the podcast Grand Plateau.

Pineau himself turned professional with Bonjour and spent seven years riding for the predecessor of TotalEnergies. After his racing career, he became general manager at B&B Hotels-KTM, a team that collapsed in 2022. “I have let one team fail myself,” he admits. “I take full responsibility for that… But everyone in the business knows that he is not the most reliable man.”

But Pineau does not see Heulot’s exit at Lotto as an isolated incident. In his view, Heulot has caused problems at several teams in the past. For example, he worked at Saur-Sojasun between 2010 and 2013. That team was forced to shut down in its final year after sponsors withdrew, with Heulot unable to attract replacements. “Hopefully he at least turns up with one thing: a partner already in his pocket,” Pineau says.

Having sponsors is one thing; running a team is something entirely different. “In terms of preparation, values and the overall message, it is completely different,” Pineau continues. “He has never ridden for this team, has never even been close to this team. Which message are we sending with this? This team has seen many brilliant people, far more brilliant than Mr Heulot.”

Pineau turned professional via development squad Vendée U, which feeds into the TotalEnergies structure. According to him, Bernaudeau had far better options than Heulot. “This team is unique. We, the veterans of Vendée U, share a philosophy that he has ignored with this choice. I don’t know what Heulot is capable of, I don’t know whether this decision will pay off, but I doubt it very strongly.”