How much do the Pro's earn?
 

I was curious as to how much the professional cyclist earn and I found this
http://www.cyclingtipsblog.com/2010/...cyclists-make/ and thought I would share.

Basically if you are a nobody on a team then you earn next to nothing.

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.

Interesting article... thanks. I suspect that the riders, like pro athletes in high risk or contact sports in the US, come primarily from "working class" backgrounds.

Tough way to make a living.

"Rich people Sport, performed by the poor"

I think most of us here would gladly do it for free, if we had the talent. Am I wrong?

I believe the TDF winner gets over 1.5 Million US. Lance made $50,000+ as his base as a first year pro. I raced in Europe in 1961. Top racers there got $4000 if they were a top pro. I got nothing unless I won. I won a stage in Holland and won $200. I got my Army pay and a free bike of my choice up to $300
EddyR

Yes. Give up life as you know it and be as masochistic as possible, being paid according to how much you can suffer? No thanks.

+1 :thumb:

I remember reading an article where the huge salary descrepancy between Lance and EVERYONE ELSE was sorta why some people weren't fans in Europe. He was in the millions back when teams' entire budgets were about the same or less.

I also also read somewhere that team budgets are sorta like Major League Baseball, where RadioShack and a couple others are like The Yankees, and everyone else is a fraction of theirs.

But I get facts messed up, so possibly none of this is correct.

Here's an interesting one from earlier this year: http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/liqu...fer-for-nibali

Astana was willing to pay Liquigas 3 million Euro to get Nibali, then pay Nibali 1.5 million a year for 2 years. So that's what a Vuelta win, 2 Giro podiums, and a bright future will get you. That's chump change compared to the other major sports.

Buy more of the sponsors stuff. Maybe some money will trickle down to those poor bastards.

Hahahahahahahahahaha.

That's a good one.

There is a UCI pay scale that stipulates the minimum for two or three different levels of professionals.

Another thing to consider is that some European countries have a extremely high income tax rate for those making big money compared to the United States.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tax_rates_of_Europe

Also, cycling, unlike most professional sports, makes zero euros in attendance fees. The NBA can draw 20,000 fans a night at probably 100 dollars (or more) per fan.

yes lol.

You also have to take into account that their meals, lodging, medical, and just about everything else is paid for while they are riding on the tours. I don't know about everyone else, but not having to pay my own medical and food, even for a month at a time, would be a huge bonus and I would factor that into my pay.

I wonder what they think when they hear of American baseball players getting 23 million a year who are on IR because they sprained a toe.

Probably, "I should have chosen a different sport."

OK, found what I was trying to remember when this thread started:
http://gofrance.about.com/od/tourdef...defrance_2.htm
Keep in mind, this article is from the 2006 Tour de France, but I remember a more recent article that had similar numbers.

"TV viewers: the Tour de France TV coverage draws 4 million viewers during the three weeks of the stages, according to Amaury Sport Organization. For the climactic finale in Paris, 5.3 million people tune in."

And here's a website with Nielsen data for perspective:
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/200...further/29635/

-Leno averaged 4.31 milion viewers (keep in mind this is 5 days per week, EVERY WEEK OF THE YEAR)
-Dancing with the Stars is 17 to 18 million for EACH episode.

Cycling isn't quite the big deal people try to make it seem. How much would you pay to watch an accountant do taxes? They're professionals too.

I like cycling, but it really isn't THAT entertaining to watch, and therefore, the athletes shouldn't expect those kinds of salaries. It REALLY ISN'T "bigger than The Super Bowl in Europe." Myth.

Seems like you have answered your own question.
And please, use the search function.

Maybe he wasn't so much asking a question as he was simply making a contributory statement. Maybe he doesn't need your damn advice.

Gotcha.
Only thing is, everything mentioned has already been mentioned... a lot, and a simple search can bring it up.
But I may have spoken too soon here, there might be NEW information someone might contribute. Perhaps due to a new UCI rule or something or other. Im going to bookmark this thread an see what comes up. :thumb: