Cyclocross - Is it possible to make a living from Cross?

Latley cross seems to have grown quite a bit. Are the top guys like Powers trebon johnson making enough to make a living off cross? I'm sure the past few years the salaries have increased, although can't find anything about those online.

With worlds coming up in the US was thinking it must be getting a heck of a lot easier to make a living off of it.

I do not think there is enough interest in paying for Cyclocross as a spectator. You have to keep in mind that Cyclocross is a business in places like Belguim, France and the Netherlands where the spectators line up to pay a premium price for races available two or three times a week. We are still at club level racing in North America without the television coverage or the big money sponsership and I think there would be fewer fans if they had to pay $20.00 - $40.00 to watch mostly amateurs. Get Red Bull or Coors on board and the you may have some decent prize money. I have worked Cross events for years and it is hard enough to get peaple to come and watch for free.

Seems like it's a short list of guys (Powers, TJ, Trebon) who can make a living as essentially cross-only domestic racers. But they got to that point after years of summering in road or mtb racing.

I think most of the Belgie guys also augment their cross income with some amount of road or mtb over the summer. They have a huge advantage in the length of their cross season and how geographically compact it is. Just drive the camper the couple of hours to the next race. The U.S. guys are getting on planes every week.

At least Powers races road a bit in the summer. Not a ton, and it seems like less and less every year, but it's something. I'd guess even the top guys have some sort of supplemental income on top of racing. It may not be a 9-5 "job" but I'd bet they have to hustle a bit in order to live semi-comfortably.

TJ raced road during his peak fitness.

Seems like it's a short list of guys (Powers, TJ, Trebon) who can make a living as essentially cross-only domestic racers. But they got to that point after years of summering in road or mtb racing.


I don't know about the other two guys but I read that Mr. Jeremy Powers makes most of his coin racing in Europe. With the US season ending before the European season he hops a plane to make money there.

Top euro pro racers make significant bit of their income from the start money the promoters pay to stars as inducement for them to show up at their race. Somewhat of the opposite situation from racing in USA where the racers pay high entry fees for the privelige of competing for meager prize lists.