Fresh to the team in 2024, the experienced Emils joins the squad after a successful career so far where he has worked hard and climbed the professional cycling ranks from the Continental level to the WorldTour; taking some impressive wins along the way.
Coming from cycling blood, Emils dad was a road cyclist, but initially the Latvian started out his life on two-wheels with BMX – which is a very popular sport in Latvia. Yet, over time it became more difficult as the BMX track was in another city 30 kilometres away and became time consuming for Emils’ parents to take him there all the time. Instead, he turned to road racing and although his dad was initially sceptical because he knew of the “daily suffering” that Emils would undergo, his mum was firm and adamant, so he went to training.
“I’m really thankful for my parents who did all they could for me, with my mum taking me to every training and competition and my dad is my biggest fan.”
Alongside his BMX and road racing, Emils did also try his hand at downhill cycling and some motocross. It’s clear that he has a passion for all things fast and exciting, and that shines through when Emils talks about his love for the sport.
“I really like the sprints, the speed of it and where sometimes you need to go a bit crazy. When your hands are shaking after a finish, and you have all the adrenaline from it; that’s what excites me about cycling.”
Despite that, there is a part of Emils which is a free spirit and enjoys the freedom which having a bike brings you, being able to see new areas, enjoy the outdoors and just “breathe in some fresh air rather than sit inside all day.”
Emils early cycling career by his own admission was more on an “amateur-level”, taking part in the sport for fun and he wasn’t doing a lot of training. However, he ended up in the team ran by the Latvian cycling federation president who highlighted the big talent that he had, and Emils decided to take things more seriously. Progressing quickly, he moved through the ranks and in 2018 joined ONE Pro Cycling where he had his most impressive season to date.
“That was really the proper start for me. I won five UCI level races that year and the team and the guys there really helped me to become the professional I am.”
Emils would soon go on to make the WorldTour and prove himself as a reliable cog in the lead-outs but someone who can also take consistent results when given the opportunities. Coming almost full circle, at Team dsm-firmenich PostNL he has some friendly faces with coaches Matt Winston and Phil West, plus trainer coordinator Steve Benton, who all were at ONE Pro Cycling for his most successful year.
“I think this team is a good place to start winning again. I am confident and think I can win races but I’m also a good team player, you can always trust me to give 110 percent. I think we are one team, so if we win, we win together.”
The outgoing and charismatic Emils describes himself as “funny”, where he can bring positive energy to a group, “responsible” as he always likes to think and plan ahead, taking his role seriously. Finally, he laughs and says he is a bit “crazy” because he’s a good wheel to follow in the sprint because he’ll always be in position when needed.”
Off the bike, Emils enjoys spending quality time with his partner and his family to get away from the cycling bubble. In the off-season you might also catch him on the ice rink as he’s pretty “badass” at ice hockey, which is one of Latvia’s main national sports and what his sporting idol and inspiration Sandis Ozolins competed in.