The Tour de France represents the pinnacle of cycling and there are several riders competing this year who are paid a fortune, including a Team GB Olympic hero
Cycling fans won’t be shocked to learn that three-time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar is the sport’s top earner for 2025. But he’s not the only one raking money in as the peloton races towards Paris.
While cycling may not boast the same lucrative reputation as other mainstream sports, it’s clear that the very elite can earn a pretty penny. Take yellow jersey-wearer Pogacar, for example, who penned a new contract with UAE Team Emirates XRG in 2024 reportedly worth £7million per year.
That figure proves it’s not only on the track that the Slovenian, who crashed earlier on in this year’s Tour, tends to be miles ahead of the competition. Remco Evenepoel, the second-highest earner at the Tour de France, earns an annual salary of just £4.3m – nearly half of Pogacar’s earnings.
Yet, the Dutchman could have topped the list himself, having reportedly declined an £8.7m per year offer from Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe. Instead, he chose to stay with Soudal-Quick Step and received a more modest wage increase.
As for the Red Bull team, rider Primoz Roglic can take his bronze to the bank on a reported £3.9m salary. Pogacar’s compatriot was a latecomer to the sport, only turning pro at 23. But 12 years on, it’s safe to say he’s made up for lost time.
Joint fourth place goes to Jonas Vingegaard and Mathieu van der Poel, who are each believed to earn £3.5m per year on their current deals. Vingegaard, 28, was reportedly earning just £400,000 per annum when he clinched the first of his two Tour de France titles in 2022, but his value has soared since then.
Meanwhile, Alpecin-Deceuninck’s Van der Poel had to pull out of this year’s Tour after being diagnosed with pneumonia. The Dutchman was third in the green jersey standings when he withdrew, following the second rest day.
Wout van Aert and Brit Adam Yates are just outside the top five earners, bringing in £3m and £2.35m, respectively. Van Aert, who shares a fierce rivalry with compatriot Van der Poel, is hailed as one of cycling’s most versatile athletes due to his success across various disciplines.
The same can be said for Britain’s Tom Pidcock, one of the few on this list not currently competing in the Tour de France. Although he has previously represented Ineos Grenadiers in the competition, the Yorkshire-born double Olympic gold medallist in cross-country doesn’t seem likely to return anytime soon.
Pidcock, from Leeds, earns a solid £2.3m annually, similar to Ineos’ Egan Bernal, another notable absentee from the 2025 Tour. The 2019 Tour champion hasn’t yet returned to the top levels of the sport following serious injuries sustained in a training accident in Colombia three years ago.
Bernal reportedly earns £2.2m per year, the same as Grenadiers team-mate Carlos Rodriguez, who finished seventh in last year’s Tour and is hoping for better in 2025. The 24-year-old signed a new contract until 2027 a couple of years ago, evidence Grenadiers knew exactly the kind of talent they had on their hands early on.
Cycling’s top 10 highest-earning riders in 2025:
10. Carlos Rodriguez (£2.2m)
9. Egan Bernal (£2.2m)
8. Tom Pidcock (£2.3m)
7. Adam Yates (£2.35m)
6. Wout van Aert (£3m)
5. Mathieu van der Poel (£3.5m)
4. Jonas Vingegaard (£3.5m)
3. Primoz Roglic (£3.9m)
2. Remco Evenepoel (£4.3m)
1. Tadej Pogacar (£7m)
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