Top 10 highest paid professional cyclists in 2026

What are the salaries of the world’s top male cyclists in 2026? From Tour de France winners to Monument specialists, the biggest stars in the peloton are now earning several million euros per season.

Exact salaries in professional cycling are rarely made public, meaning the figures below should be treated as estimates based on reports from media, agents and other sources within the sport. The amounts refer to estimated annual base salaries and do not include performance bonuses, prize money or income from personal sponsors.

No surprise here. Tadej Pogačar remains the highest paid male cyclist in the world in 2026.

The Slovenian is estimated to earn around €8.4 million per year from UAE Team Emirates-XRG, putting him comfortably clear of the rest of the peloton.

His base salary is only part of the picture. Pogačar can earn significant performance bonuses for winning the biggest races in the world, while his commercial portfolio has continued to expand.

According to recent reports, Pogačar has partnerships with brands including Colnago, DMT, MET, Continental, Enervit, MyWhoosh, Richard Mille, Whoop and KuCoin, as well as the Slovenian Tourism Board.

La Gazzetta dello Sport estimated his personal sponsorship income at around €2.5 million per year in 2026, with merchandising providing another source of revenue.

It means Pogačar's total annual earnings can be considerably higher than his already substantial team salary.

Remco Evenepoel also sits firmly among the highest paid riders in professional cycling following his move to Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe for the 2026 season.

The Belgian is estimated to earn around €6 million per year, although reported figures vary between sources.

Evenepoel's value extends well beyond his results. An Olympic champion, multiple world champion and Grand Tour winner, he is one of the most marketable riders in the sport and entered his prime years as one of the biggest names on the transfer market.

His move to Red Bull therefore represented much more than a normal team transfer, with the German squad building part of its Grand Tour ambitions around the Belgian.

Jonas Vingegaard remains one of the best paid riders in the peloton at Team Visma | Lease a Bike.

The two time Tour de France winner is estimated to earn around €5 million per season.

Vingegaard has spent much of his career with Visma and developed from a relatively unknown signing into one of the leading Grand Tour riders of his generation.

His salary reflects that transformation, although even one of Pogačar's biggest Tour de France rivals remains some distance behind the Slovenian when it comes to reported base salary.

Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert also remain among cycling's biggest earners.

Van der Poel is estimated to earn around €4 million per year from Alpecin-Premier Tech. His value to the team extends across road racing, cyclocross and the commercial exposure generated by one of the most recognisable riders in the sport.

Van Aert is also reported to earn around €4 million at Team Visma | Lease a Bike.

The Belgian signed a unique agreement with Visma in 2024 that effectively keeps him with the team for the remainder of his professional career. His programme combines the Classics, Grand Tours and cyclocross, while his profile makes him one of the team's most commercially important riders.

Primož Roglič completes the group of riders earning around €4 million per season. The Slovenian joined Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe ahead of the 2024 season after leaving Jumbo-Visma, with the move significantly increasing his salary. His current contract runs until the end of 2026, with his future beyond this season yet to be confirmed.

The rest of the top 10 features Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech, around €3.2 million), Juan Ayuso (Lidl-Trek, around €3 million), Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5), around €2.7 million) and Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates-XRG, around €2.7 million).

Just below cycling’s top earners is a tier made up of key lieutenants in Grand Tours, accomplished one-day specialists and experienced stage racers. Riders in this bracket often combine leadership duties in smaller races with support roles in the biggest events. Contracts here can range from around €1 million to €2 million a year, with some trusted domestiques approaching the seven-figure mark. Established road captains and dependable all-rounders in this group typically earn between €450,000 and €700,000 per season, depending on their role and results.

The precise order should be treated with caution. Unlike sports such as the NBA or NFL, professional cycling does not maintain a public database of rider contracts and salaries.

The difference between cycling's superstars and the rest of the WorldTour peloton remains enormous.

UCI salary data reported in 2026 showed that employed male WorldTour riders earned an average of approximately €384,000, while the median salary was considerably lower at around €216,000.

For riders classified as self employed, the reported average was approximately €654,000, with a median of around €350,000.

The median figures are particularly important when looking at professional cycling salaries. A relatively small group of riders earning several million euros per year pushes the average considerably higher.

As a result, the salary of a typical WorldTour professional is much lower than the earnings of riders such as Pogačar, Evenepoel and Vingegaard might suggest.

Many domestiques are taking home less than €150,000, according to sources close to Velo.

WorldTour riders earned a minimum of €42,000 a year in 2025, enough for newcomers to cover basic expenses.

For 2026, UCI WorldTour men's cyclists will earn a minimum of around €44,150 (employed) or €72,404 (self-employed), while Women's WorldTour minimums rise to €38,000 (employed) or €62,320 (self-employed),

Sources: Gazzetta dello Sport, Velo, Grand Fondo Guide, Statista, Calcio e Finanza, Total Velo, Het Laatste Nieuws, cyclistshub