It’s one of the most gruelling sports there is, but if you manage to become one of the world’s top cyclists then you’ll not be worried about paying the monthly gas bill.
While the prize money on offer doesn’t match the likes of tennis or golf, Tadej Pogačar still earnt €500,000 for winning the Tour de France last year.
Unlike many sports, these competitors earn the majority of their cash from being paid a salary by their racing team - a figure they can then bolster with money-spinning advertising and sponsorship deals, personal appearances and shrewd investments.
Here are the top 10 highest paid cyclists in the world in 2025.
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1. Tadej Pogacar - €8 million
The red hot favourite for the Tour de France, Slovenian rider Tadej Pogacar, is the best paid cyclist in the world - with an salary of around €8 million. He's already won three - in 2020, 2021 and 2024. He's got plenty more years of big bucks ahead too - he's under contract with the filthy rich UAE Team Emirates until 2030. | AFP via Getty Images
2. Remco Evenepoel - €5 million
Belgian Remco Evenepoel has won a saddlebag-load of trophies, including two UCI world championships, an Olympic gold medal and a European championship. His victory in the 2022 Vuelta a Espana was the first Grand Tour win for a Belgian since 1978. Soudal-QuickStep are thought to pay him around €5 million a year. | AFP via Getty Images
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3. Primoz Roglic - €4.5 million
Slovenian cyclist Primoz Roglic has won five Grand Tours since turning professional at the relatively late age of 23 - a record tying four Vuelta a Espanas in 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2024, and the 2023 Giro d'Italia. Signing up to Red Bull-Bora-Hansgroe gave him a big pay rise, to about €4.5 million. | AFP via Getty Images
4. Jonas Vingegaard - €4 million
Danish racer Jonas Hansen won the 2022 and 2023 editions of the Tour de France and is the only person who stands a chance of beating Tadej Pogacar in this year's race. UCI WorldTeam Visma–Lease a Bike stump up around €4 million a year to keep him on their team. | AFP via Getty Images