L’Equipe publishes list of highest paid male cyclists in the peloton

On Tuesday the French sports news outlet L’Equipe published a list of what is says is the top-15 highest paid male cyclists in the peloton based on annual salary. There are a few surprises, but that five of the 15 are INEOS riders isn’t one of them.

Number one on L’Equipe’s list is Peter Sagan, hauling in $7.6 million Canadian dollars a year, or five million Euros. Chris Froome, although making approximately C$750,000 less than the Slovakian, still makes very good money, which is why it might be difficult for another team to sign him mid-season.

After Froome come INEOS’s other Tour de France winners, Geraint Thomas and Egan Bernal. Jumbo-Visma is the only team with more than one rider on the list, with Primož Roglič and Tom Dumoulin doing very well for themselves.

Two surprises in the top-10 are Fabio Aru and Michal Kwiatkowski. Aru hasn’t won anything for UAE-Emirates since joining in the 2018, and his Grand Tour glory years of 2014 and 2015 seem a long way away. The Italian needed angioplasty surgery last season to correct a constriction of the iliac artery. Kwiatkowski, once world champion and winner of Milan-San Remo, Strade Bianche and Amstel Gold, is now the peloton’s wealthiest workhorse.

Nairo Quintana is the only ProTeam rider on the list, the 2014 Giro d’Italia and 2017 Vuelta a España winner taking home 2.8 million Canadian dollars per season. Elia Viviani is the only sprinter on the list.

1. Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) C$7,609,476
2. Chris Froome (Team Ineos) C$6,848,528
3. Geraint Thomas (Team Ineos) C$5,326,633
4. Egan Bernal (Team Ineos) C$4,109,117
5. Fabio Aru (UAE Team Emirates) C$3,956,927
6. Michał Kwiatkowski (Team Ineos) C$3,804,738
7. Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck–Quick-Step) C$3,500,359
8. Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) C$3,348,169
9. Vincenzo Nibali (Trek-Segafredo) C$3,195,980
10. Richard Carapaz (Team Ineos) C$3,195,980
11. Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) C$3,043,790
12. Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) C$3,043,790
13. Nairo Quintana (Arkèa-Samsic) C$2,891,601
14. Elia Viviani (Cofidis) C$2,891,601
15. Tom Dumoulin (Jumbo-Visma) C$2,739,411