UAE Team Emirates directeur sportif Tomas Gil talks about the team's great success in the 2024 season and says the reason for the record-breaking campaign is "not just money.""

The Emirates team reportedly has the highest budget in professional cycling, estimated to be €55 to €60 million, 3 times the budget of several other teams on the World Tour.

In 2024, out of 30 rider teams, 20 had a record victory. The team had 81 wins throughout the season, including 24 from Tadeji Poganyar, who was second only to HTC–Colombia's 85 in 2009.

Speaking with WielerFlits in an interview exploring the team's great success, Gil, who was a former racer for Androni and Neri Sottoli before retiring in 2016, noted that the UAE team's environment and work rate are as important as the high budget.

"I never expected these 81 wins, but of course they didn't come out of nowhere. We are working very hard to make the most of every race," Gill said. "That work happens not only during the race and during the season, but also outside of it, especially during the off-season. A good environment leads to good results.

"It's not just money. Of course, money is the part that helps us provide the best for our riders and solve the problem. But keeping everyone happy is not just a matter of money. It is also about understanding the needs of riders and providing them the ideal environment to perform.

Gil also said that the Basque sports manager "has the perfect eye to discover young riders and grow them to be the top riders of the moment," Jok

He said that the team's budget will be based on established top talents such as Adam Yates, João Almeida and Pavel Sivakov. In addition to the obvious tactic of signing, he said it was being spent on maintaining riders and optimizing performance.

"We didn't buy Pogi for millions. We helped him grow in the team. It is at least as important. The money goes to keep the performance and our top riders," he said.

"We rely on everyone. We are not "Team Poganyal". Of course, he is the best rider in the world at the moment and he provided a third of our victories. But we approach all races with the same mindset and it's a great winning mindset.

Gil believes that having "great champions at the top of the pyramid" like Pogagnal, who counted Liège Bastogne Liège, Giro d'Italia, Tour de France, World Championships and Il Lombardy among the big victories of the season, will foster a culture of victory across the team. He said it was important for the government to take action.

He also talked about the drive within the team to break the record, especially the record set by Mapei-QuickStep in 2000 of the 19 different race winners in the team.

"These kinds of people can inspire others, they are the type that can push them. Not only teammates, but also the staff make a little extra effort. With Poggi in the team, everyone is working a little harder," Gill said.

"Indeed, at the end of the season, Juan Sebastian Morano really wanted to be number 20. But the other 10 riders who haven't won yet also wanted it. That is the most important thing and has that impulse."

But all good things have to end – as the grenadiers of Ineos discovered at the end of the spell of domination of the Grand Tour. The purpose seems invisible to the UAE, but Gill acknowledged that it would not last forever.

"A few years ago, Jumbo-Visma was the team. Now we are. It's like a wheel. Sometimes you are at the top, sometimes at the bottom. We understand too well, so negative comments about great domination don't affect us," he said.

"You have to enjoy the moment. But it will be hard to do better next year. We want to keep at least the same."