Former Bbox Bouygues Telecom team seeks Tour de France invite and ProTeam qualification next year
The Europcar team, formerly known as Bbox Bouygues Telecom was presented to the press today, with riders switching their turquoise and white livery for a subtler green and black. The team retains its Professional Continental status, the sports second division, after withdrawing its ProTeam application early on in the process last year because of uncertainty over securing a new sponsor.
Europcar was secured to take over from the cellphone company at the eleventh hour, just in time to hold on to the team’s biggest star, Thomas Voeckler, but not before a number of big names went elsewhere.
“Since 2004, Europcar has been committed to Jean-René Bernaudeau and his team,” said Philippe Guillemot, the chief executive of the Europcar Group, “and it is with pride that we now invest in the next three seasons as title sponsor. The Europcar brand now features on the jerseys of a team that we respect, support and encourage for the challenges of 2011. Mutual trust and respect lie at the heart of this great sporting adventure that we share as a team.”
The team is now entering it’s twelfth season, having been created in 2000 as Bonjour; in 2003 it became Brioches La Boulangère, before Bouygues Telecom was secured in 2005.
“We are delighted to welcome the Europcar Group as title sponsor,” said team manager Jean-René Bernadeau. “Today, this partnership, which is built on the close and trusting relationship established since 2004, gives us the means to realise our ambitions and to pursue the human and sporting adventure that so drives us. Europcar cultivates the values of service, of closeness and of team spirit that we also share.
“The alliance with Europcar,” he added, “a major brand recognised by consumers and present in 150 countries, is a perfect fit with the current globalisation of cycling, which is becoming ever closer to its growing audience.”
As a French team, Europcar’s aims for the season are obvious. Being outside the WorldTour means that the team will not automatically qualify for the Tour de France and so must rely on a wildcard invitation. For a French team of this size, that boasts the current national champion in Voeckler, missing the biggest race of the year would be a disaster.
“Our main objective in 2011 is to position Team Europcar in the world rankings and to aim for the first division in 2012,” he explained, “This obviously means winning races and sealing victories. There will be plenty of opportunities as we have received numerous invitations and the calendar for the 2011 season already includes 250 race days.
“If 2010 was the year of the 18 victories that enabled us to almost reach the world top 15, 2011 will be the year we go even further and beat that record,” he added.
Although Bernadeau managed to hold on to Voeckler, he was unable to prevent the departure of the team’s other Tour stage winner Pierrick Fédrigo, who has transferred to FDJ along with William Bonnet and Steve Chainel. The departing riders have been replaced by neo-pros Jerome Cousin, Tony Hurel and Kevin Reza, Sébastien Chavanel from FDJ, Christophe Kern from Cofidis and Canadian David Veilleux from Kelly Benefit Strategies.
Aside from new boy Veilleux, and Japanese rider Yukiya Arashiro, the team line up is entirely French.
Team Europcar 2011 line up:
Yukiya Arashiro (Jap), Giovanni Bernaudeau, Franck Bouyer, Anthony Charteau, Sébastien Chavanel, Mathieu Claude, Jérôme Cousin, Damien Gaudin, Cyril Gautier, Yohann Gène, Saïd Haddou, Tony Hurel, Vincent Jérôme, Christophe Kern, Guillaume Le Floch, Alexandre Pichot, Perrig Quemeneur, Kévin Reza, Pierre Rolland, Sébastien Turgot, David Veilleux (Can), Thomas Voeckler