At the end of this season, their current sponsors, a free weekly magazine, will withdraw sponsorship.

Systeme U, the French supermarket chain who won the Tour in the 1980s, had been expected to step up to the breach but that deal now looks to have been scuppered.

So far this season, Bonjour have notched up nine wins and are vying for a place among the top 10 teams in international cycling.

Their bid in France will be led by Didier Rous although some believe that the youngster Sylvain Chavanel could impress with his aggressive approach.

Francois Simon, a veteran of the Tour, could also pose a threat considering he was sixth in last year's race.

But few expect him to be given as much leeway as last year, when he was part of a break which went 35 minutes clear on a damp transitional stage.

Bonjour have only been in existence since 2000 and added a fresh edge to French cycling when Rous, Simon and Jean-Cyril Robin, who has since left the team, were brought in from rivals.

They only just squeezed into qualifying for the 2000 Tour but impressed sufficiently with Simon's sixth place and Rous' 11th the following year.

Robin had been the best-placed rider the previous year in 19th.