There is much speculation about the salaries of the top stars in professional cycling. Reliable figures are few and far between. Now a report by Gazzetta dello Sport, TotalVelo and Het Laatste Nieuws make people sit up and take notice. According to the report, Tadej Pogacar received the most money from his employer, UAE Team Emirates, with a gross salary of six million euros. The number one of the UCI world rankings 2023 was already on the 2022 Payroll of the Italian website Calcio e Finanza at the top.
Salary in professional cycling: Three Ineos riders in the top 5
Behind them were Chris Froome and Peter Sagan with 5.5 million euros each. The fact that the Slovakian, who will no longer be riding any major road races, and Froome are missing is surprising given the list of Gazzetta dello Sport, TotalVelo and Het Laatste Nieuws. Nevertheless, it is a good indicator of the sums currently in circulation. After all, many of the salaries on the Italian 2022 list match the 2023 index or are at least close to it.
Pogacar is followed by three riders from Ineos Grenadiers: Tom Pidcock with four million euros, Geraint Thomas (3.5 million euros) and Egan Bernal (3 million euros). Thomas' salary matches that of the 2022 list, while Bernal's was €2.8 million in 2022. It is not surprising that Ineos is said to have three top earners, as the British team is said to be with the most money among the Tour de France teams.
Salary increase for Vingegaard? Alaphilippe ahead of Evenepoel
Primoz Roglic (€2.9 million) and Jonas Vingegaard (€2.5 million), two riders from Jumbo-Visma, are only in fifth and sixth place. Roglic will be riding for Bora-Hansgrohe next year; the World Tour team did not disclose his salary when he signed. Vingegaard only recently announced his Contract with Jumbo-Visma (in future Visma | Lease a Bike) extended. This may also have been accompanied by a salary increase.
Julian Alaphilippe is said to have been the best-paid rider of Team Soudal - Quick Step with 2.3 million euros, not Remco Evenepoel, who follows in tenth place with two million euros. This puts him on a par with Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel, whose earnings are also said to have totalled two million euros. Whereby van Aert 2022 according to Calcio e Finanza 2.2 million euros in the previous year.
The list of the top earners (gross salary) in professional cycling in 2023 according to Gazzetta dello Sport, TotalVelo and Het Laatste Nieuws
- Tadej Pogacar - 6 million euros
- Tom Pidcock - 4 million euros
- Geraint Thomas - 3.5 million euros
- Egan Bernal - 3 million euros
- Primoz Roglic - 2.9 million euros
- Jonas Vingegaard - 2.5 million euros
- Julian Alaphilippe - 2.3 million euros
- Wout van Aert - 2 million euros
- Mathieu van der Poel - 2 million euros
- Remco Evenepoel - 2 million euros
How is the salary of a professional cyclist measured?
Four of the top 10 riders in the 2023 UCI world rankings - Mads Pedersen, Adam Yates, Jasper Philipsen and Joao Almeida - are not among the top earners. However, it is likely that the riders' sporting qualities are not the only criteria that play a role in the contract negotiations. In the age of the digital world, social media activities and followership of the pros are also likely to be strong arguments in salary negotiations.
What is the minimum wage in cycling?
Neo-pros can only dream of the earnings of the stars. From 2024, professional rookies in World Tour teams will be entitled to 34,020 euros, while all other World Tour riders should receive at least 42,047 euros per year. This was recently agreed by the drivers' union and team representatives.
