Total Direct Energie team manager Jean-Rene Bernadeau's attempts to sign Julien Alaphilippe to a contract for 2020 were unsuccessful.

Total Direct Energie topped the 2019 Professional Continental Team standings and earned an automatic berth in all WorldTour races in 2020. They will likely compete in the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France, but could also forego the Vuelta a España and other races, balancing aggressive racing and gaining valuable ranking points to secure the top spot and the 2021 secure an automatic berth in the Tour de France.

Bernaudeau is stuck between trying to replicate the excitement of success that Thomas Voeckler has given the team over the years and the harsh reality of survival in professional cycling.

"Alaphilippe makes the race unpredictable and hard to control. It inspires me and I want my team to do the same. With Thibaut Pinot, Alaphilippe has brought nobility back to the sport. We cannot let it be lost again," said Bernaudeau in a long interview (opens in new tab) with Philippe Brunel of L'Equipe magazine.

While Bernaudeau's own riders struggled in the Tour de France, he was inspired by the aggressive racing of Pinot and Alaphilippe.

"Their boldness made up for my frustration," he said. What they did on the road to Saint-Etienne (where they both attacked and gained time on the GC) contained a necessary madness, something I hadn't seen in a long time. The fans were happy and I can only thank them," said Bernaudeau.

Bernode raced in the 70s and 80s and liked to be aggressive and outspoken. As a team manager, Bernode has always opposed the Directeur Sportif, which determines race strategy from race radios, in-race power meters, and team cars.

"At least for the brainless RC riders, radio seems to equate to a few extra watts. But as far as I know, Director Sportif is incapable of judging the precise moment when a race is decided to the nearest tenth of a second."

"Don't talk about needing a radio for safety reasons, that's a bogus issue, because when William Bonnet crashed on the road to Huy in the 2015 Tour, everyone was told over the radio to move up a position before the left-hand bend. There was hysteria in the peloton. The radio did not prevent the crash, it provoked it.

"In total, we want intelligent and honorable players like Voeckler. I want a rider like Alaphilippe, who doesn't hold back and doesn't follow strategy. He has shaken up the French cycling world and shown that anything is possible. That will serve us well in the future."

"Strategy can be decided in the pre-race briefing, but wattage and UCI points cannot be the decisive factor in deciding a race. At the Tour, Pinot and Alaphilippe's spectacular runs captivated the crowds. No one can argue with that. I don't think a race radio was necessary in the Saint-Etienne finale or in Tourmalet.

Bernault loves exciting races, but admits that he will have to tone down the flamboyance in 2020 for those chasing ranking points. While Total Direct Energie is guaranteed entry to all WorldTour races, it must earn as many ranking points as possible in order to again top the rankings and earn an automatic invitation to the big race in 2021.

Bernaudeau can only hope that Niki Terpstra is back to his best after suffering an injury in his first season with the French team. Lilian Carmejane, Niccolo Bonifazio and Adrien Petit will remain on the Direct Energi roster for 2020.

"I had banned the terms top 10 and UCI points from my vocabulary because they turned the race into a numbers game and made it boring, but this year I had to use them," Bernot admitted bitterly.

"Today's riders prefer the security of a top 10 finish and the points that come with it, rather than taking risks and trying to win races. We raced with a focus on scoring maximum points and despite the bad luck that hit Terpstra, we came out on top in the standings. The Tour was hard and intense and many riders started tired and suffered."

Bernaudeau's instinctive desire for a brilliant race will once again collide with the reality of the 2020 UCI ranking and points competition, and an automatic invitation to the Tour de France and other World Tour races in 2021.

"The new rules were officially announced on October 22, so it was too late to adopt them.

"Calmejane wants to ride the Giro d'Italia, but only time will tell if that is possible. He will continue to chase points to keep his first place, even if it won't be easy. Arkea Samsic has signed with Quintana and Buhanni. In the future, the ranking in the Tour will be much higher and will be earned only thanks to strong teamwork."