Two bits of common sense here. First, buying the latest racing equipment only improves your performance by seconds. Better coaching takes off minutes. Second, the other guys are also buying the best equipment they can get so your technology edge is very limited if it exists at all. The only logical thing to do is improve the body.
Bike racing is more about people than bikes.
If you think not, then think about this. When I was racing, I used to show up for flat off season training rides on a 1968 Schwinn Varsity that I weighed three times at 52 pounds with heavy clincher tires. To add insult to injury, I also had a book rack and a 6.5 pound chain and padlock on it. They were half beat by the time the season started. It psyched my kids up and their kids down so much.