Tadej Poga?ar gets paid more than Tour de France foe Jonas Vingegaard, training buddy Mathieu van der Poel … and the rest of the entire WorldTour peloton.

La Gazzetta dello Sport estimated this week that Poga?ar gets paid €6.0 million ($6.5 million USD) per year, making him the highest earner in pro road cycling.

Next on Gazzetta’s pay-podium is Primož Rogli? at €4.5 million ($4.9 million USD), and Vingegaard at €4.0 million ($4.4 million USD).

Van der Poel and his arch-nemesis Wout van Aert round out the top-5, with Remco Evenepoel a half-million behind in sixth.

Also read: Poga?ar wants to win it all in 2024

Poga?ar has been reported as the highest earner in pro cycling for several years.

UAE Emirates’ centrepiece topped the WorldTour rankings every year since 2021 and brings sponsor-pleasing charisma both on and off the bike.

The 25-year-old’s current deal with UAE Emirates stretches through 2027, meaning he’s got a cool €24 million coming his way, all before his 30th birthday.

Intriguingly, three riders from Ineos Grenadiers fill out the top-10 of Gazzetta’s ranking, though Geraint Thomas isn’t one of them.

Tom Pidcock, Egan Bernal, and Carlos Rodríguez are reported to be the best paid by the petrochemical-backed sleeping giant.

Another notable missing name from Gazzetta’s estimates alongside “G” Thomas?

Chris Froome.

The four-time Tour de France champion was reported to earn around €5.5 million in 2022. The 38-year-old has now been out of the winner’s circle for a half-decade and suffered the wrath of his Israel-Premier Tech boss Sylvan Adams a handful of times through the recent months.

Road cycling’s top earners, per Gazzetta dello Sport:

1. Tadej Poga?ar (UAE Emirates): €6.0 million / $6.5 million USD
2. Primož Rogli? (Bora-Hansgrohe): €4.5 million / $4.9 million USD
3. Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike): €4.0 million / $4.4 million USD
4. Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck): €4.0 million / $4.4 million USD
5. Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike): €3.5 million / $3.8 million USD
6. Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step): €2.8 million / $3.1 million USD
7. Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers): €2.7 million / $2.9 million USD
8. Adam Yates (UAE Emirates): €2.7 million / $2.9 million USD
9. Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers): €2.5 million / $2.7 million USD
10. Carlos Rodríguez (Ineos Grenadiers): €2.5 million / $2.7 million USD

Unaccounted sponsors dollars, from Lamborghini through Red Bull

La Gazzetta‘s report Wednesday is based purely on team salary, and does not include the wealth of appearance fees, sponsorships, and prize monies earned by these WorldTour topping stars.

The value of Pidcock and Van Aert’s affiliation with Red Bull is likely to be substantial, and the energy drink supplier could have a serious influence on the rider market when it saddles up with Bora-Hansgrohe in coming years.

Meanwhile, Poga?ar boasts lucrative personal affiliations with DMT Shoes, MET helmets, Enervit nutrition, and many more.

“No rider in my career has had such a strong appeal to brands,” Poga?ar’s agent Alex Carera told Gazzetta. “In cycling, Tadej Poga?ar can be seen as the most universal, the most versatile, the one with the greatest communicative reach.”

Also read: MVDP gets a Lamborghini

Other more unusual partnerships in the pro peloton include Evenepoel’s role with Pizza Hut and Van der Poel’s ambassadorial status with Lamborghini Antwerp.

Vingegaard doesn’t boast such an array of side-hustles, but will have earned more than €500,000 in prize monies at the Tour de France alone.