It’s one of the most demanding endurance sports there is, but if you manage to become one of the world’s top cyclists then great riches await.
While the prize money on offer doesn’t match the likes of tennis or golf, Tadej Pogacars still earned around £500K from winning of the Tour de France last year.
Add in money-spinning advertising and sponsorship deals, personal appearances and shrewd investments, and these road racing heroes can become fabulously wealthy.
Here are the 11 richest cyclists in the world in 2025, according to CelebrityNetWorth.
5. Jan Ullrich - $20 million
In 1997 Jan Ullrich became the first German to win the Tour de France, leading to a cycling boom in his homeland. Other titles in a glittering career included gold and silver medals in the 2000 Sydney Olympics and the 1999 Vuelta a España. In 2012 he was found guilty of doping and was retroactively banned from August 2011, with all results since May 2005 voided. He later admitted to using performance enhancing drugs. Despite this, he's worth around $20 million. | Getty Images
6. Eddy Merckx - $20 million
Belgian cyclist Eddy Merckx is quite simply the most successful rider in the history of his sport - winning five Tours de France, five Giros d'Italia, a Vuelta a España, all five Monuments, three World Championships, and every major one-day race other than Paris–Tours. Never suspected of cheating, it seems slightly unfair that he's 'only' worth around $20 million. | Getty Images
7. Alberto Contador - £17 million
Spain's Alberto Contador is another cyclist who has won all three Grand Tours at least once and only the second to win all three twice - triumphing in two Tours de France two Giros d'Italia and three Vueltas a España three times. He has also won the Vélo d'Or a record four times and, while suspected, has never been found guilty of doping. His success has earned him an estimated £17 million. | AFP via Getty Images
8. Tadej Pogacar - $15 million
The red hot favourite for the Tour de France, Slovenian rider Tadej Pogacar, is the richest cyclist in the current pelton. He has a current salary of around $9 million, thanks to winning three Tours de France in 2020, 2021 and 2024 (with the 2025 title almost certainly also in the bag). Expect him to speedily rise up this list as he has plenty more years of big bucks ahead - he's under contract with the filthy rich UAE Team Emirates until 2030, with the contract said to be worth around $50 million. With the rest of that money still to come, his current fortune is conservatively estiamted at around $15 million. | AFP via Getty Images