"We also knew Pogacar, but he was not feasible in terms of budget" - Patrick Lefevere insists UAE money is what's behind the 'success' of their scouting

UAE Team Emirates are having an incredible season. Lead by unstoppable Tadej Pogacar, they already left any competition far in the dust by June and now sit on stunning 77 professional victories achieved by 20 out of 30 of their riders. The depth of team is something Patrick Lefevere's Soudal - Quick-Step used to take pride in, but the Belgian admits that competing against UAE's money has become far from feasible when it comes to attracting new promising riders.

"Of course, the power of money plays a role in UAE's dominance. It is no secret that their domestiques would be leaders in most other teams," writes Lefevere in his Het Nieuwsblad colum. "At the same time, I do not want to minimize the merit. The UAE team is also cleverly composed, with many young talents."

Lefevere can identify with UAE's tactic of cleverly investing money in young talents rather than overpaying to attract stars from other teams (even if they sometimes do that too...). "The list of their twenty winners includes names such as Isaac Del Toro, Jan Christen and Antonio Morgado, who are all twenty years old. With Tadej Pogacar, they have the greatest talent at the top of the pyramid, but they also invest a lot in the base."

"That makes it difficult for the rest to compete. I am not doing the truth any harm when I say that most of those talents are also on the radar of other teams. Joxean Matxin, the sporting manager of UAE, is a good scout, but so is our Johan Molly. We also spoke with Antonio Morgado. If I am well informed, Jan Christen was very close to the Roodhooft brothers, if he had not already signed a contract with them. We also knew Pogacar and Mikkel Bjerg, but they were not feasible in terms of budget."

"You can have the best staff and the best climate, but it is often no longer the decisive factor," says Lefevere. "Ultimately, it is often money that determines the choice of the riders. Nothing to be silly about. A family that has, say, 70,000 euros in the bank will of course accept a contract proposal where the sixteen-year-old son can suddenly earn a multiple. I understand that, but at the same time I find it a pity that the romantic idea of ​​'discovering a rider' is gradually disappearing," concludes the team boss of Soudal - Quick-Step.