Cycling salaries 2025: What do the Tour de France stars earn?

The financial landscape of professional cycling continues to evolve, with top salaries having risen significantly in recent years. Cyclingnews took a closer look at this and compiled a salary ranking in April 2025. Tadej Pogačar from Team UAE Emirates - XRG is at the top of the earnings list with an annual base salary of 8.2 million euros. This sum exceeds the total budgets of seven World Tour teams for their entire squads in 2024, resulting in a growing financial gap in the peloton.

Rising salaries and contracts worth millions in professional cycling

The total revenue of the 35 professional men's cycling teams in 2025 will amount to over €730 million, of which an estimated 45 per cent - around €330 million - will be spent on rider salaries. The average salary of a WorldTour pro is around 250,000 euros, with more than 60 riders having contracts worth at least one million euros. Around half of these top earners even receive €2 million or more per year. This development reflects the growing commercialisation and professionalisation of the sport.

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Gender-specific salary differences

Despite the positive trend in top salaries, the pay gap between male and female professional cyclists remains. There is not a single woman among the 60 riders with contracts worth millions. There are also clear differences in the minimum salaries: the minimum salary for employed female riders is 38,000 euros compared to 44,150 euros for men. Nevertheless, there are signs of improvement in women's cycling. Some top female riders are approaching the million euro mark, which indicates a positive development. Demi Volleringone of last season's most successful riders, is said to have negotiated a salary of just under one million euros when she moved to FDJ-Suez. Her former team-mate Lotte Kopecky and Elisa Longo Borghini from UAE Team ADQ are estimated to earn around 900,000 euros a year. This development shows that although women's cycling is making progress in terms of remuneration, it still lags well behind men. However, experts see a positive trend and expect salaries in women's cycling to continue to rise in the coming years.

The salaries of the top 10 earners in professional cycling in 2025

1. Tadej Pogačar - 8.2 million euros
2. Remco Evenepoel - 5 million euros
3. Mathieu van der Poel - 4.8-5 million euros
4. Jonas Vingegaard - 4.5 million euros
5. Primož Roglič - 4.5 million euros
6. Thomas Pidcock - 4.5 million euros
7. Wout van Aert - 3.8 million euros
8. Jasper Philipsen - 3.2 million euros
9. Chris Froome - 3 million euros
10. Mads Pedersen - 2.8 million euros

Alongside Pogačar, the best-paid riders in the peloton include Remco Evenepoel from Soudal Quick-Step with an annual salary of €5 million and Mathieu van der Poel from Alpecin-Deceuninck, who earns between €4.8 and €5 million. Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Primož Roglič (Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe) follow with €4.5 million each. Interestingly, the salary structure has also changed for established stars. Geraint Thomas, former Tour de France winner, accepted a pay cut to around €2 million per year when he extended his contract with INEOS Grenadiers, reflecting his status as an experienced rider in the final stages of his career.