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.
5. Mathieu van der Poel - €4 million
Also on a salary of around €4 million is Belgian-born Dutch professional cyclist Mathieu van der Poel, who rides for the UCI WorldTeam Alpecin–Deceuninck. One of the great all-rounders of the sport he competes in the cyclo-cross, mountain biking, gravel and road racing disciplines of the sport. He's bagged seven Cyclo-cross World Championships, one Gravel World Championship and one Road World Championship - becoming the only Men's World Champion in three different cycling disciplines. He's also a multiple stage-winner at the grand tours, and has claimed the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix three times each, and Milan–San Remo twice. | AFP via Getty Images
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6. Wout Van Aert - €3.5 million
Belgian pro rider Wout van Aert cycles in both road and cyclo-cross races for UCI WorldTeam Visma–Lease a Bike, who pay him around €3.5 million a year. He's a three-time UCI Cyclo-cross World Champions, has won nine stage victories at the Tour de France and claimed the Milan–San Remo title in 2020. | AFP via Getty Images
7. Adam Yates - €2.7 million
Adam Yates is the world's best-paid British cyclist - earning a salary of around €2.7 million from UCI WorldTeam UAE Team Emirates XRG. He came fourth in the 2016 Tour de France and has liften the 2021 Volta a Catalunya, 2023 Tour de Romandie and 2024 Tour de Suisse trophies. It's helped his bank balance that he's one of Tadej Pogacar's most trusted teammates. | AFP via Getty Images
8. Tom Pidcock - €2.6 million
Just behing Yates, with a salary of around €2.6 million, is fellow Brit Thomas Pidcock, who rides for the Swiss Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team. That's having taken a pay cut after leaving UCI WorldTeam Ineos Grenadiers at the end of 2024. His biggest successes have come in cross-country mountain biking, taking titles at the 2020 Summer Olympics, the 2022 European Championships, the 2023 World Championships, and the 2024 Summer Olympics. His best road race Monument finish was 2nd in Liège–Bastogne–Liège in 2023. | AFP via Getty Images