BPCE-Natixis yesterday made a statement of intent as they revealed the teams first signings for the 2016 seasons. The team revealed four signings, with the stand our being the confirmation that 25 year old sprinter Adrien Petit would be leading the team for the 2016 season.

25 year old Petit has been widely rumoured over the past few weeks to be signing for fellow French Pro Continental outfit Direct Energie for the 2016 season. The fact that BPCE-Natixis were able to swoop in and convince the highly rated French sprinter to sign is a real coup for the new team, and will go some way to allaying the doubts of their critics. BPCE-Nataxis will be hoping that Petit can build on some solid form in the 2015 season, which included an impressive win at the Tro-Bro Leon, following his split from former team Cofidis.

At yesterdays press conference, Directeur Sportif Alexandre DuBois confirmed that Petit will be handed a leadership role within the team. “Adrien is exactly the kind of rider we wanted to bring in to this project. He's young, hungry and has proved that he can win races at the highest level. Over the past few weeks there has been some scepticism about what we're trying to do here, with questions being raised over whether we have time to put together a competitive squad in two months. Today's announcements should put any doubts to bed!”

DuBois has stated he aims to have a squad of around 20 riders ready for the start of the 2016 season, and tells CyclingNews.com that he has been in contact with dozens of French riders. While he admits to having missed out on some major targets due to the delay in the project, he remains bullish that he can assemble a competitive squad of French riders by the deadline. He points to the signing of Adrien Petit as proof of the drawing power of the team.

A big, powerful sprinter, Petit may be able to offer BPCE-Natixis wins, but he is not the next French Tour de France hope the team is searching for. DuBois admits that this search is still ongoing. “We have identified a few prospects, but most are already tied up with other teams and are off limits for now. This was always a five year project, so we have time to scout and negotiate to build our perfect team. Our main aim for this year is simple: Promotion to the World Tour.”

While Petit has taken the headlines, fellow additions Royane Bouhanni, John Gadret and Steve Chainel, should not be ignored.

Highly rated Royane Bouhanni rode as a stagiare for Cofidis for parts of the 2015 season, and was widely expected to join the French team for the 2016 season. However, much like Petit, BPCE-Natixis were able to lure the young rider away from a fellow French Continental Pro outfit and add the exciting young talent to their roster.

John Gadret and Steve Chainel will bring World Tour experience to what is likely to be a young squad. Gadret, 36, is a climber with a decades experience at the top level. After eight seasons at French World Tour team AG2R, Gadret has spent the past two seasons riding for Movistar. Released at the end of the 2015 season, Gadret was one of the first names linked to BPCE-Natixis following the teams announcement last month.

Steve Chainel is another hugely experienced rider, who has had spells with almost every professional French cycling team in the last decade. Signing for Bbox Bouyges Telecom in 2009, Chainel went on to have spells at FDJeux, AG2R and Cofidis.

Team Leaders

One of French cyclings great young hopes! A powerful sprinter, signing Adrien was a huge coup for BPCE-Natixis. Petit will be team leader for the 2016 season. Strong over the cobbles as well as the flat, Adrien will be key for the early season classics and the team will be looking to him to secure early victories and get the team off to a flying start. Formerly of Cofidis, BPCE-Natixis will be hoping Petit can continue the form that saw him win the 2015 Tro-Bro Leon.


Romain was a man we were really happy to get hold of. Formerly of Euskaltel-Euskadi, Romain has spent the past 2 seasons racing for Team Europcar. I first made contact with Romain back in September, when Team Europcar were having Sponsorship issues and got him on board with the project. A strong climber, Romain can also time trial well and will lead us in stage races throughout the season.


Steve brings a wealth of experience to the team, entering his 10th season as a pro. Steve has ridden for almost every professional French cycling team in the last decade. Signing for Bbox Bouyges Telecom in 2009, Chainel went on to have spells at FDJeux, AG2R and Cofidis. Most at home on the cobbles, Steve will be a force for us in the early season classics.


Yannick is a good sprinter, who has some good results under his belt – including a 3rd place finish at the Tour de la Somme. Amid questions around the future of Team Europcar (now Direct Energie) at the back end of the 2015 season, we were able to convince Yannick to joing our venture. Yannick's big strength as a sprinter is that he is also able to get over the hills, which makes him a good option for us in the hilly classics.


John is a hugely experienced climber, with over a decades experience at the very top of our sport. John rode eight seasons with French team AG2R, before moving to Movistar in 2014. His experience will prove invaluable for our younger riders, and his climbing skills will prove extremely useful to the team in the mountains.

Stars Of The Future

Senior Domestiques

Wild Cards for the Tour De France 2016 were announced this morning, with French teams dominating the selection. Cofidis, Direct Energie, Fortuneo-Vital Concept, and BPCE-Natixis were all confirmed for this years event. It is rare for all four wild card spots to be offered to French teams, but the organisers are daid to be hoping that the home teams will inject a sense of excitement and unpredicatability into this years event as they all chase the glory of a stage vicory at the teams home Grand Tour.

The choice of Team BPCE-Natixis has been the most talked about among many observers, with the team having been announced less than two months ago and yet to compete in a professional race. Backed by the nations second largest banking group, there are rumblings among some of the teams detractors that money has played a role in their inclusion.

However, BPCE-Natixis Direteur Sportif Alexandre DuBois has not let this dampen his excitement at the announcement. “We have stated from the outset that our ultimate goal for this project is to produce a French winner of le Tour within the next five years. For our young guys to gain experience riding the event this year will be a huge step in their development.”

When asked whether he thought it was fair on foreign teams that four French teams were handed the wild card spots this year, Du Bois commented that “having more home teams in le Tour can only be good for French cycling.”

Team BPCE-Natixis make their racing debut in the Grand Prix Cycliste le Marseillaise on 31st January.

11/02	La Mediterraneenne		2.1	Stage Win	0.5
20/02	Tour du Haut Var Matin		2.1	Top 5	1.5
06/03	Paris-Nice		CWT	Stage Win	3.5
26/03	Criterium International		2.HC	Top 5	2.5
03/04	Paris-Camambert		1.1	Top 10	1.0
05/04	Circuit Cycliste Sarthe		2.1	Top 5	2.0
10/04	Paris-Roubaix		CWT	Top 10	3.5
17/04	Tro-Bro Leon		1.1	Top 5	1.5
04/05	4 Jours de Dunquerque		2.HC	Top 3	2.5
13/05	Tour de Picardie		2.1	Stage Win	1.0
05/06	Criterium du Dauphine		CWT	Stage Win	3.0
02/07	Tour de France		CWT	Stage Win	4.0
10/08	Tour de l'Ain		2.1	Top 3	2.0
16/08	Tour du Limousin		2.1	Top 5	0.5
09/10	Paris-Tour		1.HC	Top 10	3.0