With one season in the books now out of a total of 3 this cycle, I'd like to hear what everyone's crystal ball says

Who do you have making top 18 based on the teams' outlook heading into 2027?

To me the danger zone starts at 13th ranked Movistar and Groupama FDJ (currently ranked 20th) seems the lowest ranked team that still has a realistic chance:

Obviously Picnic is out, but how else do you see this playing out?

I personally believe Movistar, Jayco and EF look to be in trouble heading into 2027

Both Jayco and EF are losing great riders that can score big points at WT level. Movistar simply isn't set up well with a serious lack of sprinters. Movistar not really being ahead of the pack that much is a bit crazy considering the rather unusual Vuelta points-wise

While ranked quite poorly currently, I don't think Tudor and NSN are at risk. The addition of De Lie and Groves to an already good roster for Tudor, and Carapaz, Van Eetvelt and Buitrago to NSN should be enough for both teams to create plenty of distance between them and some of these other teams

Of the 2 French teams at the bottom, I do think Groupama has the talent to get back into top 18. Lonardi, Crescioli, Jeanniere and Delettre are solid riders that will do a fine job of farming one day races. Great additions in the fight for top 18

Cofidis I like a lot less, especially with Ion Izagirre retiring. They have the sprinty boys for "cheap" points farming, but on just about any other profile they don't really play a role outside of Aranburu

For Lotto I think Widar with a healthy season can easily provide 3-4.000 points in the upcoming years. Berckmoes also really raised his floor this year. I just see enough sprinty boys and if only one of the young riders in Gualdi/Grisel/De Schuyteneer takes another step, the team should feel quite safe

I'll currently say that it's Jayco and Cofidis that will be missing out, with all other teams mentioned being safe

What are your predictions?

Results

• Firstcycling

Like in the good old days! Greg LeMond, the star of the day, Bernard Hinault, Bernard Thévenet, Marc Gomez and about fifty former champions met on Saturday in Pipriac (near Redon), on the occasion of the 17th edition of yesterday's Critérium des champions. After the reunion at lunchtime, the former champions raced a criterium in the municipality of Ille-et-Vilaine. And it was Greg LeMond, obviously, who crossed the line first.

https://archive.is/L9fTn

While the winning man took home 1,490 euros with a victory in the prologue, Lieke Nooijen received 220 euros as the best woman.

English translation below

TotalEnergies appears saved from collapse: 23 riders already under contract

For months, rumors have been swirling about the future of TotalEnergies. Dark clouds seemed to gather over the French ProTeam. This was fueled by the fact that in recent weeks one top rider after another from TotalEnergies signed contracts elsewhere. The team appeared beyond saving, but nothing could be further from the truth. Multiple sources confirm this to Wielerflits.

The future of TotalEnergies has been hanging by a thread for months. After main sponsor TotalEnergies announced last year that it would leave at the end of 2026, team boss Jean-René Bernaudeau and the recently hired Stéphane Heulot began a search for new backers. During the Tour de France, Bernaudeau said he still needed around ten million euros to complete the budget for 2027.

In June there were rumors about the creation of a women’s team, while in August cautiously positive signals emerged. According to the French site Velo-Club.net, various riders had been told that the team would continue next year under a different name. The Chinese bike brand Pardus was also mentioned as a possible successor to CUBE. An official confirmation of a new main sponsor, however, never came.

15 October was an important day

The first deadline for team registration with the UCI is annually on 15 October. In recent days several international media reported on the uncertainty surrounding the French team. A return to Continental level was repeatedly suggested, with the team supposedly continuing on the structure of its development squad Vendée U. In that scenario, France would have lost another ProTeam after Vital Concept and Arkéa-B&B Hotels.

On Thursday afternoon all those involved with the team received good news for 2027. The UCI deadline was met (with a bank guarantee submitted) and confidence is high that the squad will also receive a ProTeam licence for the coming season. One of the driving forces behind securing the future is Tony Gallopin. The former rider (and former yellow jersey wearer) suddenly left Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at the beginning of this year and has now surfaced at TotalEnergies.

Minimum budget and 23 to 25 riders

Behind the scenes hard work has been done to secure new sponsors. Which sponsor(s) this involves is not yet clear. At present the team already has 23 riders under contract for next season. According to our information, Simon Dehairs (currently still at Alpecin-Premier Tech) is one of those 23 names, and the team is transferring the necessary talents from Vendée U. Exactly which riders (current riders and new names) are involved is not yet entirely clear to us.

The French team will operate next year with a minimum budget, but still hopes to obtain a ProTeam licence from the UCI. Should the team manage to lock in an additional sponsor, there would be room for two extra riders. Gallopin himself will take on the role of Head of Performance. He is no stranger to CEO Stéphane Heulot, with whom he worked last year at Lotto. Things therefore look good for the French, although they remain dependent on the UCI’s licence commission.

Many top riders are leaving

In the current season TotalEnergies worked with a roster of 28 riders. Eleven of them will definitely not return next year under the new name. Geoffrey Bouchard, Fabien Grellier and Lorrenzo Manzin are retiring, while strong riders such as Anthony Turgis, Nicolas Breuillard (both to XDS Astana), Jordan Jegat (Lidl-Trek), Alexandre Delettre and Emilien Jeannière (both to Groupama-FDJ United) have already found employment elsewhere. In addition to all the certainties, Diario de Burgos on Thursday also linked Mathieu Burgaudeau with Burgos Burpellet BH. That would see him follow the path of Thomas Bonnet and Mattéo Vercher.

FirstCycling

First cycling.

French biopharma giant Sanofi announced today that it will become a major partner of the Tour de France starting in 2027, and notably the first company to sponsor the iconic White Jersey (best young rider classification) in both the men's Tour and the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.

According to the announcement, the partnership is intended to go beyond branding. Sanofi says it plans to use the Tour's huge audience to promote health awareness, disease prevention, and public education initiatives in collaboration with healthcare professionals and patient organizations. These programs are expected to appear in host cities, fan zones, along the race route, and online.

The company highlighted the Tour's reach, with millions of spectators lining the roads each year and broadcasts reaching around 190 countries.

It's another step in Sanofi's growing involvement in sports, following its partnerships around the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Source: Sanofi press release (16 Oct 2026) and L'Equipe.

Care to elaborate