Salaries in pro cycling

[theyoungest]

he signed new contract,if i remember correctly it was around 20k euro per month

20.000 per month... that's 240.000 in a year. Are you sure?

 

[Michele]

I dont know but I've known ex pro bikes to be sold in shops before. Whether its strictly "allowed" is another question.

At the end of the year the bikes usually are sold directly by the team or the bike's brand (which got them back).

 

[LaFlorecita]

he signed new contract,if i remember correctly it was around 20k euro per month

... That is next to nothing... 240.000 per year...

 

[LaFlorecita]

20.000 per month... that's 240.000 in a year. Are you sure?

Maybe he means 200.000 per month.

 

[saganftw]

no i meant 20k base salary per month

when they signed the contract they didnt know he would turn out to be top 5 cyclist in the world

im pretty sure his next deal will be over 1M per year,maybe even close to 2M

 

[Kopuliak]

he signed new contract,if i remember correctly it was around 20k euro per month

btw he just got a new mercedes from mercedes company,some marketing stuff

I believe it can be true ... even in hockey future all star players are not making big millions in few early seasons in A-team .... also he may have some bonuses for wins/points achieved.
Well, at least he'll save some money if he doesn't need buy new car : )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JG8DgwDsqhA

 

[Cancellator]

If you think about it... 20.000 euros a moth is not bad at all. I mean, as a pro you don't have to pay for your food or rent a great part of the year right? You can very easily save 10k a month which adds up to a TON of money. And he got an ugly Mercedes van on top of it all!

 

[Volderke]

I heard that a neo-pro riding for pro team makes about $30,000 US a year. I guess this is not bad if you are 18, 19 years old and skipping school to ride bikes.

Don't forget they don't have time to study, their bodies can be finished because of doping/riding at 40, and they still have to make a living after the time they are cycling (think about the black hole).

Good point. It's also fairly very expensive infrastructure wise, with putting up barriers, security staff, obtaining road permits, and helicopter cams, road cams, all in real time transmission (fixed wing aircraft) are very expensive compared to stadiums/arenas where all that stuff is essentially permanently attached equipment.

Interesting. But stadiums also have to be maintained. And unfortunately, while the road for cycling is paid by taxpayer's money for transport, the stadiums over here in Europe are paid by taxpayer's money just for entertainment. And they can get away with asking money for watching a game, in a building that we already have paid, to see soccer players who are severely OVERpaid. Soon enough (think about Box hill and the olympics), we will be paying for cycling, too.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

If you think about it... 20.000 euros a moth is not bad at all. I mean, as a pro you don't have to pay for your food or rent a great part of the year right? You can very easily save 10k a month which adds up to a TON of money. And he got an ugly Mercedes van on top of it all!

Yes, people who travel with work save money by not having a home...

 

[Arnout]

Don't forget they don't have time to study, their bodies can be finished because of doping/riding at 40, and they still have to make a living after the time they are cycling (think about the black hole).

I've never understood this. Sure, it will be harder for them to study, but in for example Orbea, the feeder time of Euskaltel, nearly everyone studies, and if they get to Euskaltel they try to finish their study as well.

 

[ElChingon]

Is it allowed to sell stuff from your 'work'?

I dont, i just steal it and keep it for myself.

Never short of paper clips or staples in my house

I dont know but I've known ex pro bikes to be sold in shops before. Whether its strictly "allowed" is another question.

We have all heard of even Teams selling bikes on E-Bay

I remember the first time I saw Floyd, it was at a local Bike swap meet, Mercury had just folded so he was there to sell his schwag. He set his booth up and I was close by so keep peeking over for something cool to be brought out. Then bam, a carbon climbing ubber light wheelset, I went over to ask the price (this was before the masses were even allowed in to buy). He looked the wheelset over and then said no I'm keeping these and put them back in the car. Dammit!!! (my response) he just laughed and said I like them not sure why I brought them. So yes you can sell your team crap as you like, assuming you got your hands on it before they knew you did.

Every year after New Years day you see regular schmoo's riding in Pro team kits from the previous year and other nick nacks. Well in my neck of the woods at any rate.

 

[Carlo Algatrensig]

We have all heard of even Teams selling bikes on E-Bay

I remember the first time I saw Floyd, it was at a local Bike swap meet, Mercury had just folded so he was there to sell his schwag. He set his booth up and I was close by so keep peeking over for something cool to be brought out. Then bam, a carbon climbing ubber light wheelset, I went over to ask the price (this was before the masses were even allowed in to buy). He looked the wheelset over and then said no I'm keeping these and put them back in the car. Dammit!!! (my response) he just laughed and said I like them not sure why I brought them. So yes you can sell your team crap as you like, assuming you got your hands on it before they knew you did.

Every year after New Years day you see regular schmoo's riding in Pro team kits from the previous year and other nick nacks. Well in my neck of the woods at any rate.

I think in that case it was slightly different as the team folded. I remember reading an interview a few years back with Erik Zabel where he said that when he wanted to keep one of the bikes he'd ridden when winning a Tour Green Jersey he had to buy it of the manufacturer at the end of the season.

 

[DirtyWorks]

Kobe Bryant individually earns about 24 million before endorsements a year,

The deals tend to be kind of complicated with the topline number inflated by both sides to make the sport seem richer than it is. If a basketball player is actually getting $10 million a year, that's still a ton of money.

Cycling probably has the same inflation game for the bigger riders. My point being, take those numbers as a high, unlikely estimate.

 

[ElChingon]

I think in that case it was slightly different as the team folded. I remember reading an interview a few years back with Erik Zabel where he said that when he wanted to keep one of the bikes he'd ridden when winning a Tour Green Jersey he had to buy it of the manufacturer at the end of the season.

I'm sure the Team would give Erik his bike or an exact copy of his bike, as most manufactures keep the original in their company museum. Erik is said to have his own personal Zabel Bike Museum.

PS: Just because I told you one story of the year Mercury folder doesn't mean it didn't happen again in later years

 

[SafeBet]

The deals tend to be kind of complicated with the topline number inflated by both sides to make the sport seem richer than it is. If a basketball player is actually getting $10 million a year, that's still a ton of money.

Cycling probably has the same inflation game for the bigger riders. My point being, take those numbers as a high, unlikely estimate.

I don't know about cycling, but in basketball that's exactly his gross income.

Rookies have a minimum salary of $473,604 which increases up to $1,352,181 with 10+ years of experience.
So we're talking about different money.

 

[la.margna]

80% on average EUR 100k [range 50-150]
10% on average EUR 250k [range 150-300]
7.5% on average EUR 500k [range 300-750]
2.5% more than EUR 1m

Contador 3m to 3.5m p.a.
Cadel, Boonen, Spartacus, Gilbert 2.5m to 3m p.a.
Cav, Babyschleck, Squalo, Birillo, Scramponi, Amigo de Birillo, Hüshofd, Wiggo 1.5m to 2.5m

 

[graviT]

If you think about it... 20.000 euros a moth is not bad at all. I mean, as a pro you don't have to pay for your food or rent a great part of the year right?

Must be difficult to find a new apartment every few months.
Where do you think they store all their stuff when they travel?
Do their wife, kids and pets just disappear when they head to a race?

 

[Michele]

Must be difficult to find a new apartment every few months.
Where do you think they store all their stuff when they travel?

Usually they have their own house in their home country. In Sagan's case it wouldnt surprise me if he lives with his brother or/and with his parents.

Do their wife, kids and pets just disappear when they head to a race?

I guess Sagan isnt married nor kid so no problem.


Most of this topic is talking about WT's salaries but the "funny" part is about the Continental teams; I heard guys riding for some bike equipment, I heard guys riding for 0 (zero) euro and I heard of guys actually paying for riding as a pro.

 

[silverrocket]

Don't forget they don't have time to study, their bodies can be finished because of doping/riding at 40, and they still have to make a living after the time they are cycling (think about the black hole).


So what, they have to work past 40, just like the rest of us, and they have to switch careers, just like most of us do more than once in our lives. I don't understand this idea that pro athletes should get obscene amounts of money just because their careers are so short. Female gymnasts are over the hill by 25, so should we pay them all 50 million dollars/euros a year? How about child actors: career finished by puberty, so should we pay them a 100 million a year? How about infant models for clothes for newborns, whose careers are finished by the time they are 3-4 months old?

(There must be a stem cell joke in here somewhere)

 

[Cancellator]

Must be difficult to find a new apartment every few months.
Where do you think they store all their stuff when they travel?
Do their wife, kids and pets just disappear when they head to a race?

As Michele stated, we are talking about young riders here. Not guys with families etc. And anyway, the point about food/bills/... still stands.

 

[WindLessBreeze]

Whatever they might earn

Rabobank could never pay enough to the best, the most complete of them all: Marianne Vo$...........The Run' Capital of the world. >>>>>>>>>>>>>

 

[karlboss]

Does anyone have examples of rider salaries and total team salaries? For example I'm trying to get an idea of what BMC (or other team) spends on the stars vs the rest of the roster etc. For BMC it's not too hard to find some ballpark Evans, Gilbert, Phinney guesses, but the total is proving more difficult, or a rider like Kohler

 

[RHRH19861986]

Does anyone have examples of rider salaries and total team salaries? For example I'm trying to get an idea of what BMC (or other team) spends on the stars vs the rest of the roster etc. For BMC it's not too hard to find some ballpark Evans, Gilbert, Phinney guesses, but the total is proving more difficult, or a rider like Kohler

At the moment:

Evans, Gilbert: 1-3 millions a year
Phinney: 500.000 - 1.000.000 a year
Kohler: 100.000 - 500.000 a year

Highest salaries in WT cycling are 2,5 - 4,0 millions a year, lowest are 37,500 a year.

Total salaries: 3 - 15 millions a year, per WT team

 

[SKSemtex]

Good thread.

This money is nothing. Even if we take the bonuses to the consideration. BTW those bonuses even from Le Tour and especially from Le Tour are laughable. (we are talking about the third biggest sport event after all )

 

[janraaskalt]

Kohler: 100.000 - 500.000 a year

One can only hope it's closer to 100.000 that it is to 500.000.