A new Chinese bike brand joins the peloton: Pardus signs with TotalEnergies

The Chinese brand Pardus will be the new bicycle supplier for the French structure TotalEnergies for the next three seasons. The agreement just announced by the team will extend until 2029, marking the end of the brief collaboration with Cube and an important step in the international expansion of the Asian manufacturer.

Pardus replaces Cube at TotalEnergies and enters the European professional peloton in 2027

Jean-René Bernaudeau's team has already secured its bicycles for 2027. The French structure has officially confirmed its agreement with Pardus, a Chinese manufacturer based in Shandong province that will join as a material supplier starting next season. The alliance will have an initial duration of three years, until the end of 2029.

The arrival of Pardus means the departure of Cube, which joined the team in early 2026 after ending its long relationship with Intermarché-Wanty. The collaboration between the German brand and the French formation will have lasted barely a season, a rare change in the equipment of a professional team.

For Pardus, on the other hand, it represents an opportunity to gain visibility in European cycling and to continue developing its bicycles in competition. The brand already has international experience thanks to its collaboration with the Chinese national cycling team, which it has equipped since the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Three Pardus bicycles to meet the team's needs

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The agreement includes the supply of three competition models, two for road races and one specifically for time trials.

The Pardus SPK EVO G4 will be the most aerodynamic option. It is a road bike designed to favor speed, with aerodynamically optimized tube profiles and complete cable integration. The brand indicates that its development has involved collaboration with the Chinese national team and wind tunnel testing.

The Pardus Robin EVO G3 will be aimed at routes where weight and responsiveness are more important, especially on mountain days.

Finally, the Pardus Gomera EVO will be the bike designated for time trials.

The supply will not be limited to the professional team. The bicycles will also reach the training teams linked to the structure, including the CREF sub-19 and Vendée U–Primeo Energie sub-23.

This aspect is particularly important for the French formation, which has maintained a close relationship between the professional team and its youth academy for decades.

Pardus wants to use professional cycling to accelerate its European expansion

Beyond commercial exposure, the manufacturer aims to use this collaboration as part of its technical development. The riders, mechanics, and performance managers will work directly with Pardus engineers to translate the needs identified during the season into the product.

Terry Gong, Deputy General Manager of Pardus, explains that the agreement comes at an important time for the company's European expansion.

"As part of Pardus's development in the European market, we are particularly proud to partner with Jean-René Bernaudeau and his iconic team", Gong states in the official announcement.

The executive also highlights the experience accumulated by the brand during its collaboration with the Chinese national team and believes that working with a European professional structure will allow them to improve their products based on the real demands of cyclists.

From the team's side, Stéphane Heulot, General Director of SA Vendée Cyclisme, has emphasized the innovative capacity of the new supplier.

"We were convinced by their approach, their capacity for innovation, and their willingness to face the demands of the professional peloton," Heulot explains.

The French manager also considers that this collaboration represents "an important first step at the highest international level in road cycling" for Pardus.

A new bicycle supplier while the team continues to seek a sponsor

The announcement comes at a particularly delicate moment for the French structure. TotalEnergies announced in September 2025 that it would end its main sponsorship at the end of 2026, which has forced Bernaudeau and Heulot to seek new funding avenues to maintain the project in the professional peloton.

In fact, the formation did not appear in the first list of registered teams for 2027 published by the UCI. In a statement from October 19, the management confirmed that it had submitted a bank guarantee accepted by international bodies, although it still needed to complete the financial, administrative, and ethical requirements of its application.

The incorporation of Pardus thus resolves one of the pending issues for 2027, but does not completely clear up doubts about the future of the formation.