From €25,000 to €600,000: Paula Blasi transfer reveals huge shift in women’s cycling

When García joined Movistar in 2018, her annual salary was €25,000. The figure was recently revealed by Andreu Canals, her former coach and the former president of the Balearic Cycling Federation, who was involved in negotiating the agreement.

Fast forward to 2027 and the same Spanish team is preparing to welcome Blasi on a contract reportedly worth more than €600,000 per season.

According to Spanish newspaper MARCA, the 23-year-old will earn over 24 times the amount García received nine years earlier, underlining the remarkable financial evolution taking place at the highest level of women's cycling.

It is not a like-for-like comparison. García and Blasi arrived at Movistar at different stages of their careers, but the scale of the difference shows how far salaries at the top end of the women's peloton have moved.

Blasi's arrival represents Movistar's most significant investment in its women's programme.

The reigning Vuelta Femenina champion has signed a three-year agreement running from 2027 until the end of 2029, bringing her time with UAE Team ADQ to an early conclusion.

MARCA has reported that Movistar will also pay €85,000 to secure her release from her existing contract with the Emirati team.

The financial commitment follows a spectacular 2026 campaign in which Blasi established herself as one of the most exciting talents in the women's peloton.

Victory at the Amstel Gold Race provided an early indication of her potential, but her breakthrough reached another level at La Vuelta Femenina, where she overturned an 18-second deficit to Anna van der Breggen on the Angliru to claim the overall title.

She subsequently added further stage race success and finished fifth at the Tour de France Femmes, confirming her ability to compete among the world's leading riders.

Those performances made her one of the most attractive names on the transfer market, with several major teams interested in securing her signature.

Despite the substantial salary Movistar are reportedly offering, Blasi has indicated that money was not the deciding factor behind her move.

"I turned down a much bigger contract to race where I wanted," she told MARCA during the World Championships.

Instead, the opportunity to race for a Spanish team and develop alongside riders such as Marlen Reusser and Liane Lippert helped convince her to make the move.

"I'm at a point in my sporting career where I needed to take a different step and look for a team that believed in me, supported my goals and was as ambitious as I am," Blasi explained following the announcement.

The salary figures also highlight the significant financial changes within women's cycling. According to UCI data reported by Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad, the average annual salary in the Women's WorldTour reached €85,000 in 2024, with a median of €65,000.

More recent estimates published by Cyclingnews suggest that many established Women's WorldTour riders earn between €80,000 and €100,000 per season, although no updated official average has been made public.

Minimum salaries have also increased substantially. When the Women's WorldTour introduced its minimum salary in 2020, riders employed by teams were guaranteed €15,000 annually. That figure rose to €35,000 in 2024 and €38,000 in 2025, remaining unchanged for 2026.

Against that backdrop, Blasi's reported salary of more than €600,000 stands out. Her contract would be worth over seven times the Women's WorldTour average recorded in 2024 and almost 16 times the current minimum salary.

The rise in minimum salaries shows that the sport's financial growth extends beyond its biggest names. But Blasi's deal reveals how much further teams are now willing to go to secure a rider capable of winning the biggest races.

And in Blasi's case, Movistar have made it clear just how highly they value her.