One of the things I love about cycling is that it's often a poor man's sport. Europe certainly isn't a third-world region, but a lot of riders' parents weren't too well off, and we often hear stories of pros saving up money to buy their first bike as a kid. It has some of the same allure as boxing cause of a lot of the "rags to riches" stories, and the sheer amount of dedication required to make it big. Perhaps fame and glory more so than "riches", but it beats working on the family farm.