Five-time Tour de France champion reflects on cycling’s technological evolution.
MADRID, Spain. Five-time Tour de France winner Miguel Indurain has questioned the extraordinary growth of professional cycling teams, highlighting the contrast between the relatively modest operations of his generation and the increasingly sophisticated organizations dominating the sport today.
The 62-year-old Spanish cycling legend recalled a recent conversation with representatives of UAE Team Emirates, who described an organization employing approximately 120 staff members to support its riders. Indurain compared those figures with the smaller teams that accompanied him during his historic five consecutive Tour de France victories between 1991 and 1995.
According to Indurain, teams during his career typically operated with around 25 cyclists, four mechanics, four massage therapists and a limited number of additional personnel. Modern organizations, by comparison, employ specialists in sports science, nutrition, biomechanics, data analysis, equipment development and performance management.
His comments reflect surprise at the scale of contemporary cycling rather than a detailed assessment of UAE Team Emirates’ staffing requirements. Indurain acknowledged that he is no longer directly involved in professional team operations and therefore does not fully understand how their internal structures function.
The transformation extends well beyond staffing. Modern cycling teams rely on advanced aerodynamic testing, continuous physiological monitoring and increasingly precise nutrition strategies. Performance analysts examine extensive training and competition data, while technical departments work to optimize equipment and racing efficiency.
Indurain also expressed nostalgia for longer individual time trials and demanding stages, disciplines that played a decisive role in his victories. During his career, he frequently established substantial advantages against the clock before defending his position through controlled performances in mountain stages.
Contemporary cycling places greater emphasis on explosive racing, aggressive tactics and shorter, more television-friendly formats. Although these changes have helped reshape the spectacle, they have also altered the competitive conditions under which riders pursue major titles.
UAE Team Emirates provides a prominent example of modern organizational specialization. Led by Slovenian star Tadej Pogačar, the team has combined substantial financial resources with advanced performance systems and an extensive international racing programme.
Its sporting success, however, cannot be attributed exclusively to staff numbers or technological investment. Rider development, tactical decisions, effective management and collective execution remain essential to competitive performance.
Indurain’s observations highlight a broader evolution in elite sport: success increasingly depends on integrating specialized knowledge into coordinated organizational structures.
For professional cycling, the central question is not simply whether teams employ too many people, but how effectively their growing technical resources translate into sustainable improvements in performance, safety and athlete development.
Beyond the Headlines, the Evolution of Performance.