After spending two years with the Specialized brand, the Team TotalEnergies team switched bike suppliers during the off-season, switching to ENVE bikes. Until then unknown on the racing circuit, ENVE has committed to being the bicycle partner of Jean René Bernaudeau’s team for the next two seasons.
Non-Counterclockwise Problems
However, a problem arose for the Time Trial races. ENVE, an American brand, does not manufacture bikes for this type of racing, so the team had to look for another solution. During the Time Trial at Étoile de Bessèges the team decided to keep the same TT bike from last year, the Specialized S-Works Shiv TT.
As it is no longer sponsored by the brand, the French team chose to disguise its bikes, which now have no visible sponsorship. During the announcement of the new partner, Jean-René Bernaudeau, general manager of Team TotalEnergies, emphasized the importance of this partnership and thanked Specialized for the two beautiful seasons of collaboration.
Jean-René Bernaudeau’s statement
“Announcing the partnership with ENVE is a great source of pride,” said Bernaudeau, showing enthusiasm for the new alliance. He praised the brand’s high technology and responsiveness and expressed his pleasure in associating his team with this innovative brand.
Meanwhile, despite the change of sponsor, the look of the camouflaged Specialized Shiv TT bikes at the final Étoile de Bessèges Time Trial shows that while the brand may have changed, the trust and respect for Specialized’s performance and design continues.