At the very top of the professional cycling world, there is a large pay gap – one man reaps the rewards, exceeding the budget of the entire 30-man team of seven WorldTour teams in 2024.
This man is, of course, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), a nine-time Monument winner, four-time Grand Tour winner, and recipient of nearly 100 victories, whose base salary is €8.2 million. The 26-year-old Slovenian's base salary exceeds that of the next highest-earning cyclists by more than €3 million. Furthermore, this does not include victory bonuses, personal sponsorship deals, or other fees.
The publication Cyclingnews conducted research to provide an overview of the top ten highest-earning cyclists. This year, the total budget of 35 professional men's cycling teams will exceed €730 million, of which an estimated 45%, or €330 million, will be spent on rider salaries. The average annual salary for a WorldTour cyclist is around €250,000, but according to unofficial data, over 60 cyclists earn a seven-figure salary, and about half of them earn at least €2 million per year.
"While top cyclists' salaries haven't doubled, they have risen significantly in recent years," said one agent.
The gender pay gap remains a serious issue in cycling – among the 60 cyclists who earn over a million euros annually, there are reportedly no female cyclists.
It should also be noted that the minimum salaries for male and female WorldTour cyclists still differ significantly. A female cyclist's remuneration can be €62,320, compared to a male cyclist's total sum of €72,404. Meanwhile, the minimum salary for contracted female WorldTour cyclists is €38,000, while for men it is €44,150. The higher up the pay scale one goes, the larger this gap becomes.
The estimated amounts listed below refer only to riders' base salaries and do not include additional fees from sponsorship deals and appearance money.
TADEJ POGACAR, UAE Team Emirates-XRG: €8.2m
While he previously earned a base salary of €6 million (as reported by La Gazzetta dello Sport in January 2024), according to Cyclingnews, Pogačar has now reached €8.2 million annually.
In addition, Pogačar has sponsorship deals with footwear brand DMT, the tourism board I feel Slovenia, and the Slovenian water company Jana. It is believed that some of these deals bring him over €100,000 per year, and he can command similar fees for participating in criterium races, such as the Tour de France Singapore Criterium, where he raced last November.
REMCO EVENEPOEL, Soudal-QuickStep: €5m
Soudal-QuickStep is known in cycling circles as a frugal team, but after Evenepoel won two Olympic golds last summer and finished third in his first Tour de France, the Belgian team realized they had to act to keep their superstar.
Moreover, the Belgian media reported that Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe was prepared to pay up to €10 million to buy Evenepoel out of his contract, offering significant compensation to QuickStep.
Ultimately, Evenepoel signed a new contract with his current team, increasing his annual salary from €2.8 million to €5 million, with part of the salary coming from Specialized's support. However, he did not extend his contract for a fixed term, and his current contract expires at the end of the 2026 season.
Like others, Evenepoel also receives additional income from several personal sponsorship deals. He has become Specialized's main brand ambassador following Peter Sagan's retirement, has a contract with Pizza Hut in Belgium, and receives a car from a local Audi dealership.
MATHIEU VAN DER POEL, Alpecin-Deceuninck: €4.8m - €5m
The only man who has consistently beaten Tadej Pogačar in one-day races has also seen a salary increase in the past year. His salary rose in March when he extended his contract with Alpecin-Deceuninck until 2028, resulting in his salary increasing from €4 million to nearly €5 million annually, according to Cyclingnews. Simultaneously, the Dutchman signed a ten-year deal with Canyon, but it is unknown how much of his salary comes from the German bike brand.
This multi-discipline star, who holds seven world titles in cyclo-cross, has long been an ambassador for Oakley sunglasses and, since January of this year, is also supported by luxury watch brand Richard Mille. His partnership with the Lamborghini sports car brand is reportedly purely in kind – no money is exchanged, but he is given a free car.
Similar to Pogačar, Van der Poel can command six-figure fees for sponsorship deals and participation in criteriums, meaning his total annual income could exceed the €6 million mark.
