The business of winning: inside Tadej Pogacar’s €12 million season
He wins so often it barely surprises anyone anymore. Tadej Pogačar has turned dominance into routine, collecting trophies, jerseys and headlines wherever he rides. The Slovenian from UAE Team Emirates has just completed another remarkable season, and La Gazzetta dello Sport has revealed the financial figures behind it.
Favourite us on Google
According to the Italian newspaper, Pogačar’s current contract with UAE Team Emirates came into full effect in 2024, following his Giro, Tour and World Championship triumphs the previous year. The deal is worth €8 million annually until 2030, when he will be 32, and includes a €200 million buyout clause.
It also carries performance bonuses of €1 million for the Tour de France, €500,000 for the Giro and Vuelta, and €250,000 for the Worlds. His wins in France and at the Worlds earned him about €1.25 million in bonuses, while seven one-day victories, including three Monuments, and two stage race titles added prestige more than pay.
Off the bike, Pogačar’s commercial reach is growing just as quickly. Managed by A&J All Sports, he works with nine partners: Colnago, DMT, MET, Continental, Enervit, Jana, Plume, the Slovenian Tourism Board and MyWhoosh. Together they bring in around €2 million per year, with new deals expected to double that figure.
Pogačar is selective about his collaborations and keeps his marketing commitments to the quieter months of the year. For example, in November he will appear as guest of honour at the Esports World Championships in Abu Dhabi.
The most dynamic part of his rise is his personal brand.
“Three years ago, his personal logo was almost a novelty. Today it’s a core part of his brand value. Every year, the Pogačar brand doubles in worth,” says his manager Alex Carera. Merchandise sales reached €1 million this year, twice as much as last season.
Royalties from his race gear line with Pissei go to the Tadej Pogačar Foundation, which supports cancer research and funds a youth cycling academy for 200 Slovenian children. Limited-edition Colnago bikes, 300 units priced at €17,000 each, sold out instantly, along with apparel and collectibles on his online store.
Taken together, his salary, bonuses, sponsorships and merchandising make Pogačar cycling’s first true global brand athlete since Lance Armstrong. At the height of his career in 2005, Armstrong earned around $28 million, driven largely by his landmark deal with Nike.
Two decades later, Pogačar is working his way toward that same realm, a rider whose influence is beginning to stretch beyond the sport itself.
Join our WhatsApp service
Be first to know. Subscribe to Domestique on WhatsApp for free and stay up to date with all the latest from the world of cycling.
