Comparing the 6 million euros that Tadej Pogacar pockets per season with the 225 million dollars that Al-Nassr of the Saudi Arabian league pays a player already in the twilight of his career like Cristiano Ronaldo may seem obscene. . But the world of cycling has the media impact it has and salaries in line with what the market dictates.
In the latest ranking, names like Chris Froome disappear, whose supposed salary with Israel-PremierTech, estimated at 5.5 million euros, placed him among the highest in the peloton and who, in fact, has sparked repeated criticism for part of the team owner thanks to the poor performance shown by the British cyclist since his serious injury a few years ago.
Peter Sagan also appeared in top positions by earning a figure around 5.5 million euros, although we imagine that his departure from this statistic is due to his end as a professional cyclist and that he will only collect his contract as a luxury ambassador. of Specialized during the next year that he will dedicate to resuming his activity as a mountain biker in addition to his own work as the image of the Morgan Hill brand.
It is also not known, since he has not disclosed the number of his renewals, as to how cycling riders such as Jonas Vingegaard or Sepp Kuss will be placed during the coming seasons, whose cachet has surely increased with the great results achieved during 2023.
1. Tadej Pogacar – 6 million euros
The best cyclist in the world has a firm contract with UAE Team Emirates until 2027. Despite not having recently updated his contract, he continues to dominate the earnings rankings with his salary estimated at around €6 million per season .
2. Tom Pidcock – €4 million
It is not surprising to find the British in these positions. Not because of his efficiency in terms of victories, few still on the road, but select, but because of his media and multidisciplinary character that places him as the reference in mountain biking. Apart from the generous salaries that INEOS Grenadiers usually receives, which in the case of Pidcock would amount to 4 million euros, we must not forget that the Briton adds the exclusive personal sponsorship of Red Bull which will surely bring him good profits.
3. Geraint Thomas – 3.5 million euros
The Welshman’s career within INEOS Grenadiers is well recognized and places him among the highest paid in his team. Let us remember that INEOS Grenadiers continues to be the squad with the largest budget within the World Tour, a large part of which is used to pay the juicy salaries of its cyclists and employees. Good old Thomas, despite his seniority, fully justified this income by being close to winning the last Giro d’Italia that he lost in the final time trial against Primoz Roglic.
4. Egan Bernal – 3 million euros
The case of Egan Bernal is curious, as he continues to be one of the highest-paid cyclists of INEOS Grenadiers despite the significant drop in his performance since the serious accident he suffered at the end of January 2022. However, the Colombian cyclist was lucky since he barely A few weeks before this event he had renewed the contract, which has an end date in 2026 so, for economic purposes, he continues to earn as if he were one of the leaders. In fact, it contrasts with the 2 million euros that Carlos Rodríguez will receive, after his last renewal this summer.
5. Primoz Roglic – 5 million euros
The Slovenian’s price increases after joining Bora-Hansgroe, in fact, previous rankings placed his emoluments at around 2 million euros, a low figure for a cyclist who has two Tours of Spain and a Giro d’Italia under his belt. to have. Perhaps in the comparative grievance against Jonas Vingegaard, in addition to the sporting aspect of not having to share stripes, we must seek justification for his departure from Jumbo-Visma.
6. Jonas Vingegaard – 2.5 million euros
It is at least surprising to have to go down to 6th place in the classification of the highest paid cyclists to find a winner of the Tour de France. In any case, this figure is the one associated with the contract that the Danish cyclist had in force, a figure that will probably have increased significantly after the extension of his relationship with Visma-Rent a Bike until 2028. In fact, after the departure of Primoz Roglic, the Dutch squad has its legs as the main bulwark to continue amassing great tours in the coming years given the doubt of whether Sepp Kuss will be able to take on the stripes and repeat the victory achieved in La Vuelta.
7. Julian Alaphilipe – 2.3 million euros
In 2021, with the rainbow jersey on his shoulders, Julian Alaphilipe signed a juicy contract that placed him in the positions of honor in the ranking of the highest paid cyclists. A contract that has an end date at the end of next season. However, the French cyclist has spent 2 years in which his production of victories is not what he used to and without shining too much in the races. There is no doubt that he will have to get his act together in 2024 to once again be that decisive cyclist who brings a good number of victories to Soudal-QuickStep.
8. Wout van Aert – €2 million
After the fantastic Tour de France that was marked in 2022, with an inhuman week full of victories, vital work for his team and yellow jersey for several days included and a rest of Grande Boucle going all out for what would be Jonas’s first Tour de France Vingegaard, Wout van Aert extended his contract with Jumbo-Visma until 2026. Therefore, he lives in a fairly comfortable situation that allows him to have a not particularly brilliant year like 2023 without fear of starting to lose cachet. In any case, few of us doubt the genius that the Belgian cyclist is capable of leaving us and those 2 million euros seem little for a cyclist of his tremendous quality who does not hesitate to sacrifice his own performance for work for the team.
9. Mathieu van der Poel – 2 million euros
Mathieu van der Poel, whose contract with Alpecin-Deceuninck dates from 2021 and will extend until 2025, is quoted at figures similar to those of his archrival Wout van Aert. A figure that also seems low for a cyclist who has been able to adding two Monuments, San Remo and Roubaix, and two World Championships, road and cyclocross, during the recent season, in addition to emerging during the Tour as a fantastic thrower for his teammate Philipsen. However, the long contracts that are becoming more and more popular in cycling produce paradoxes such as Van der Poel having a non-exceptional salary and others who have been performing for several seasons with much lower performance maintaining a higher cachet.
10. Remco Evenepoel – 2 million euros
It is curious to find a former world champion, absolute dominator of the last two seasons and with a Vuelta a España under his belt, closing the Top 10 of the highest paid cyclists in the world. A contract that Remco Evenepoel signed in mid-2021 in a season that was being average after the terrifying fall he suffered during the 2020 edition of Il Lombardía. In fact, these contained figures have been one of the reasons why INEOS Grenadiers has been trying to acquire his services for the last two seasons. However, Remco himself, even disavowing his father, also his representative, has always maintained loyalty to Soudal-QuickStep, stating that he would fulfill a contract that extends until the end of 2026.
Top 10 Cyclists who earn the most money
Tadej Pogacar – 6 million euros
Tom Pidcock – €4 million
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
Mathieu van der Poel – 2 million euros
Remco Evenepoel – 2 million euros