earnings

[The Hitch]

This thread is kind og dissapointing. Compared to other athletes cyclists don't make allot of money. And if you reflect how deep riders have to dig in themselves in competition compared to other sports it really doesn't make much sense that they earn so little.

You never see a footballer suffer like a cyclist in order to score a victory. But I guess it all comes down to commercial interests of course, which is why things are the way they are.

If you take Hushovd as an example who someone stated earned 1 mill euro a year. That's the salary he nets from his team. Surely he must have other incomes from TV-appearances, commercials and private sponsors? Or is private sponsors simply not a big factor in cycling? I understand the nameless helpers of the peloton wouldn't have this opportunity, but the bigger names I would guess has many other factors in their actual salary.

Mate. Our top guy (contador) does a crap gangster pose for a specialised bike seat.

Farrar did a transitions lenses ad that relies on being shown a million times more than it does on having Tyler.

Pozzato went naked for Sidi cycling shoes.

If this is the best these guys can get, I dont see how any cyclists are getting too much money from any advertising. Except maybe Lance with his (what am i on? im on my bike) Nike advert.

Your right its sad how little our guys get. I always feel that endurance athletes get way too little recognition,


If i had been David Arroyo i would have puked. To have 3 stages - Monte Grappa, then the ZONCOLAN the and then the Kronplatz, of pure hell and pain, ( and if i may add, each one far more exciting then any formula 1 race i ever saw) and then see that the whole media is actually more interested that Fernando Alonso has flown in by private helicopter to take a picture on the top. How sad

 

[ferryman]

No idea about salary figures but I doubt I would keep up with an off season Sunday cake run with the guys living in Monaco

 

[BotanyBay]

If the Wall Street Journal and the German Journalists get their way all pro cyclists will be getting unemployment checks. Simply because they hate cycling.

I think you underestimate the appetite that Fortune 1000 companies have for inexpensive media and press hits. Cycling is the best deal (still) by far.

 

[BotanyBay]

Floyd's book shed some light on the situation. He made $0-20k as a domestic pro, and he made a whopping $60k at USPS to help haul Lance up the hills.

Just like most other pro sports, most people don't make very much.

 

[flicker]

Mate. Our top guy (contador) does a crap gangster pose for a specialised bike seat.

Farrar did a transitions lenses ad that relies on being shown a million times more than it does on having Tyler.

Pozzato went naked for Sidi cycling shoes.

If this is the best these guys can get, I dont see how any cyclists are getting too much money from any advertising. Except maybe Lance with his (what am i on? im on my bike) Nike advert.

Your right its sad how little our guys get. I always feel that endurance athletes get way too little recognition,


If i had been David Arroyo i would have puked. To have 3 stages - Monte Grappa, then the ZONCOLAN the and then the Kronplatz, of pure hell and pain, ( and if i may add, each one far more exciting then any formula 1 race i ever saw) and then see that the whole media is actually more interested that Fernando Alonso has flown in by private helicopter to take a picture on the top. How sad

Cycling is an emotional mental thing, you and I appreciate it, Federico Fellini, various popes, Putan, Salvador Dali, George Hincapis gorgeous wife, Buennel, various other cinemetographers, truly an under appreciated sport, no worries mate that is one of the many beauties about cycling.

Get this one, Wright brothers sold less then 200 bicycles with there bicycle shop, built their







Wright Flyer for less then 1400 dollars 23,000 dollars US today. Look what they have done for our society!!!!!

 

[Izzy eviel]

What about expenses? All this plane travel, training camps, relocation's etc, do they get expenses covered by the team? Must come to thousands of euros every year.

 

[flatclimb]

What about expenses? All this plane travel, training camps, relocation's etc, do they get expenses covered by the team? Must come to thousands of euros every year.

Yes I'm sure, like any other profession where traveling is key it just is included with the teams budget.

Makes me sad though what a NFL player makes just by being overweight and blocking somebody. Their job is to be a human wall for goodness sake. Then you see someone pulling on their bars so hard putting all their weight into the peddles and you hear "And we'll be right back (after 5 minutes of commercials).....And we're back, looks like they're all still in pain....(Boring)...Oh look at the nice scenery!"

Cyclists are so under appreciated I want to throw up ha.

 

[Wiggins_fan]

Mate. Our top guy (contador) does a crap gangster pose for a specialised bike seat.

Farrar did a transitions lenses ad that relies on being shown a million times more than it does on having Tyler.

Pozzato went naked for Sidi cycling shoes.

If this is the best these guys can get, I dont see how any cyclists are getting too much money from any advertising. Except maybe Lance with his (what am i on? im on my bike) Nike advert.

Your right its sad how little our guys get. I always feel that endurance athletes get way too little recognition,


If i had been David Arroyo i would have puked. To have 3 stages - Monte Grappa, then the ZONCOLAN the and then the Kronplatz, of pure hell and pain, ( and if i may add, each one far more exciting then any formula 1 race i ever saw) and then see that the whole media is actually more interested that Fernando Alonso has flown in by private helicopter to take a picture on the top. How sad

That Tyler commercial, I can remember every word of it.

I'm not really familiar with the media you're describing though in the case of David Arroyo. Thor Hushovd, being Norway's definitive cycling favorite gets allot of media portrayal. I have a feeling his name on products are worth millions. He is often mentioned in the most popular TV channel's sport news, talk show appearances and so on. And when he races the commentators goes on about Thor for about 50% of the time. I'm not even kidding.

Like Lance he knows how to profit from his sport. They can enjoy the comfort of a private boat under Monaco's sun in the off-season..

Hopefully guys like Arroyo can do so in the future as well.
He deserves it!

 

[Deagol]

......endurance athletes get way too little recognition,

good point. I think you are right.
I wonder why that is.....

 

[flatclimb]

Cycling needs to build around their athletes like the NHL has. Look at Sidney Crosby, he's been in the public eye since before he became a professional. Now every kid who can shoot a puck wants to be Crosby and loves the Penguins.

That would increase wages eventually throughout the profession? Or is cycling only marketable to those who can afford it? Like those with career jobs and credit cards.

I guess you wouldn't make all that much revenue through fans? Compared to a baseball game where each ticket costs X amount. Watching cycling you just need an old cycling hat with the beak flipped up and a dopestrong t-shirt.

 

[laziali]

Depends. With Frank Schleck are you talking before or after "taxation"

By taxation do you mean... taxation?

yep taxation

Brilliant! Best posts of the year for mine

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

why would wages in cycling need to increase?? it's more that wages in other sports need to decrease.

 

[El Pistolero]

Mate. Our top guy (contador) does a crap gangster pose for a specialised bike seat.

Farrar did a transitions lenses ad that relies on being shown a million times more than it does on having Tyler.

Pozzato went naked for Sidi cycling shoes.

If this is the best these guys can get, I dont see how any cyclists are getting too much money from any advertising. Except maybe Lance with his (what am i on? im on my bike) Nike advert.

Your right its sad how little our guys get. I always feel that endurance athletes get way too little recognition,


If i had been David Arroyo i would have puked. To have 3 stages - Monte Grappa, then the ZONCOLAN the and then the Kronplatz, of pure hell and pain, ( and if i may add, each one far more exciting then any formula 1 race i ever saw) and then see that the whole media is actually more interested that Fernando Alonso has flown in by private helicopter to take a picture on the top. How sad

Gilbert is in a flemish commercial on tv for some newspaper.

 

[craig1985]

Alberto Contador's wages would be the equivalent of what Cristiano Ronaldo would earn in 6 months

I read an article a few years ago that stated that teams like CSC (at the time of writing, which was in late 2006/early2007) paid their neo-pros more then the minimum wage. Whether that still happens now, I don't know. I also recall an Gianni Savio's column in Pro Cycling Magazine, that he was approached by two riders at the end of last year and were more or less offering to ride for next to nothing, and Savio in his own words, told them that if they had to offer to ride for nothing, then they are not good enough in the first place.

If Mark Renshaw is on less then 200k a year, then he is getting shafted by HTC.

 

[LastRide]

That Tyler commercial, I can remember every word of it.

I'm not really familiar with the media you're describing though in the case of David Arroyo. Thor Hushovd, being Norway's definitive cycling favorite gets allot of media portrayal. I have a feeling his name on products are worth millions. He is often mentioned in the most popular TV channel's sport news, talk show appearances and so on. And when he races the commentators goes on about Thor for about 50% of the time. I'm not even kidding.

Like Lance he knows how to profit from his sport. They can enjoy the comfort of a private boat under Monaco's sun in the off-season..

Hopefully guys like Arroyo can do so in the future as well.
He deserves it!

Yeah after 10 years at the top of the sprinting world (professional) Koichi NAKANO is selling wigs on Japanese television.

He is probably still poking every young women between Nagasaki and Sapporo based on his fame.. can you put a price on that sh!t?

 

[avanti]

I read somewhere that Greg Lemond and his contracts manager were responsible for teams having to give contracts to riders.

I know on pro-rider (female) who gets paid a nice salary plus she gets income from advertising and from being a guest speaker. I also know a pro-MTB rider who does very well riding mostly in North America.

 

[Fester]

http://tinyurl.com/34kk2f7

There's your answer.

I'd say on continental teams the story is quite different, depending on the regulations each national federation has in place. I'd imagine it to be a "living wage".

The UCI's figures also seem exorborant and I don't believe them.

 

[kurtinsc]

Yes I'm sure, like any other profession where traveling is key it just is included with the teams budget.

Makes me sad though what a NFL player makes just by being overweight and blocking somebody. Their job is to be a human wall for goodness sake. Then you see someone pulling on their bars so hard putting all their weight into the peddles and you hear "And we'll be right back (after 5 minutes of commercials).....And we're back, looks like they're all still in pain....(Boring)...Oh look at the nice scenery!"

Cyclists are so under appreciated I want to throw up ha.

You have a very misquided view of NFL linemen.

You are looking at 6'5" men weighing over 300 pounds running a 40 yard dash in 5 seconds. They collide with another 300+ pound beast about 50 times a game (not to mention the practice collisions).

Cyclists ARE underappreciated... but playing on the offensive line is much more then just being a fat guy when you reach the higher levels of the sport.

 

[kurtinsc]

why would wages in cycling need to increase?? it's more that wages in other sports need to decrease.

I disagree strongly.

In any sport, the atheletes need to get at least half of what's left after other expenses. If in the NFL the owners of teams would make a billion dollars in profit after all their non-player salary expenses, then player salaries should be at least 500 million for that year.

If they aren't, then the atheletes are getting screwed.


It's about percentage, not total compensation. Why should the people we actually pay to watch get less so a billionare owner can get more? It's not going to be cheaper for us, it just means the players get a smaller cut. That's not right.

 

[flatclimb]

You have a very misquided view of NFL linemen.

You are looking at 6'5" men weighing over 300 pounds running a 40 yard dash in 5 seconds. They collide with another 300+ pound beast about 50 times a game (not to mention the practice collisions).

Cyclists ARE underappreciated... but playing on the offensive line is much more then just being a fat guy when you reach the higher levels of the sport.

Yes I'm sure competitive eaters also must be great athletes too then?

Humans should never be that size and be considered true athletes.

 

[the student]

Yes I'm sure competitive eaters also must be great athletes too then?

Humans should never be that size and be considered true athletes.

I have never been able to understand competitive eating but some of them arent fat at all...

i think the low wages in cycling support doping as well... because riders need that win to gain more salary and pay for their family and their mortgage... when one gets in trouble they might think doping is one of their options

 

[BotanyBay]

I read somewhere that Greg Lemond and his contracts manager were responsible for teams having to give contracts to riders.

I know on pro-rider (female) who gets paid a nice salary plus she gets income from advertising and from being a guest speaker. I also know a pro-MTB rider who does very well riding mostly in North America.

More significant than having a contract was having an agent to represent him. That's what changed it all.

 

[The Hitch]

I disagree strongly.

In any sport, the atheletes need to get at least half of what's left after other expenses. If in the NFL the owners of teams would make a billion dollars in profit after all their non-player salary expenses, then player salaries should be at least 500 million for that year.

If they aren't, then the atheletes are getting screwed.


It's about percentage, not total compensation. Why should the people we actually pay to watch get less so a billionare owner can get more? It's not going to be cheaper for us, it just means the players get a smaller cut. That's not right.

What other businesses treat their workers this fairly?

Why must it only be the rich and famous that should get a certain % of the companies earnings??

we live in a world where billions of peasants farmers and workers toil 12 hours a day to get scant profits. They usually get 0.001% of the sale of the products they waste their lives making.

But pro athletes who work barely a quarter of that, pursuing enjoyable sports which come with many other luxuries.

"NO!!!" you cry."Dont let them get a penny under that 10 million a year".

Now that, THAT right there, would be unfair

If 20 year olds playing sport feel their getting "screwed" by only getting 500 grand a year rather than 5 million, they can go choose alternate means of making a living.

 

[I Watch Cycling In July]

http://tinyurl.com/34kk2f7

There's your answer.

I'd say on continental teams the story is quite different, depending on the regulations each national federation has in place. I'd imagine it to be a "living wage".

The UCI's figures also seem exorborant and I don't believe them.

Thanks, I was about to look for that.

The UCI's figures have been audited by Ernst and Young and you don't believe them? With complex derivatives etc the auditors might get it wrong, but cycling team finances shouldn't be a challenge.

 

[kurtinsc]

What other businesses treat their workers this fairly?

Why must it only be the rich and famous that should get a certain % of the companies earnings??

we live in a world where billions of peasants farmers and workers toil 12 hours a day to get scant profits. They usually get 0.001% of the sale of the products they waste their lives making.

But pro athletes who work barely a quarter of that, pursuing enjoyable sports which come with many other luxuries.

"NO!!!" you cry."Dont let them get a penny under that 10 million a year".

Now that, THAT right there, would be unfair

If 20 year olds playing sport feel their getting "screwed" by only getting 500 grand a year rather than 5 million, they can go choose alternate means of making a living.

Methinks your blinded by jealousy.

The players are the product in professional athletics. Without the players, there is no money for the owners.

With most large service based industries, wages and salaries for employees make up the vast majority of expenses. Hospitals pay out between 50 and 65% of revenues to salaries, wages and benefits.

Yeah, the NFL makes a TON of money. But it's a service industry based primarily on the services of the players we watch. Their salaries SHOULD eat up the bulk of the revenue.