Sources

Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step) opened the 2026 Giro d'Italia by winning Stage 1 (Nessebar → Burgas, 8 May) and Stage 3 (Plovdiv → Sofia, 10 May), then finished 3rd on Stage 6 (Paestum → Naples, 14 May).

Davide Ballerini won Stage 6 of the 2026 Giro d'Italia, Paestum → Naples (141 km), on 14 May 2026. PCS lists him 1st with 80 PCS points and 180 UCI points awarded.

Jasper Stuyven finished 2nd on Stage 6 of the 2026 Giro d'Italia, Paestum → Naples (141 km), on 14 May 2026, behind Ballerini. PCS awards 50 PCS points and 130 UCI points for the runner-up spot.

Igor Arrieta won stage 5 of the 2026 Giro d'Italia, a 203km rain-soaked stage from Praia a Mare to Potenza, edging Afonso Eulálio in the final hundred metres after both riders crashed in the closing kilometres. Arrieta's biggest career victory; the win came after a 60km-plus solo attack from the breakaway. Eulálio took the maglia rosa.

Mads Pedersen reportedly has a lifetime contract with Lidl-Trek per ProCyclingStats. He has raced for the team (originally Trek-Segafredo) since 2017.

João Almeida extended his contract with UAE Team Emirates-XRG through the end of 2028.

Mauro Schmid is leaving Team Jayco AlUla at the end of 2026 to join Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling on a three-year deal (2027-2029) reportedly worth around €2 million per year, joining Tom Pidcock at Ivan Glasenberg's project. This is a substantial bump from his 2026 Jayco salary; 2026 earnings are unaffected.

Jonas Vingegaard signed a long-term contract extension with Team Jumbo-Visma running through the end of 2027.

Mathieu van der Poel signed a contract extension with Alpecin-Deceuninck running through the end of 2028.

ProCyclingStats lists Jonas Vingegaard on the Team Visma | Lease a Bike roster through 2028, implying a contract extension beyond the previously-reported 2027 end date.

Wout van Aert reportedly has a lifetime contract with Team Visma | Lease a Bike per ProCyclingStats. He has raced for the team (originally Jumbo-Visma) since 2019.

Egan Bernal signed a contract extension with INEOS Grenadiers running through the end of 2026.

Mauro Schmid signed a three-year deal with Team Jayco AlUla starting in 2024 and running through the end of 2026.

Evenepoel set to become cycling's second-highest earner with Red Bull deal: €6-8M/year through 2029. Pogačar €8-12M, Vingegaard €4.5-5.5M, Van Aert/MvdP €4-4.5M. Most WT pros earn €250-400K, domestiques under €150K.

Ben Healy signed a contract extension with EF Education–EasyPost through 2029, ending months of contract uncertainty.

Isaac del Toro signed a record contract extension with UAE Team Emirates running through the end of 2029.

Tadej Pogačar and UAE Team Emirates agree to long-term contract extension running through 2030.

NSN Cycling Team's 2026 budget is reported at €22 million per Sportune. The team's overall enterprise valuation is reported at €34 million. NSN is a Spanish-Swiss WorldTour outfit co-founded by Andrés Iniesta (Never Say Never) and Swiss investment firm Stoneweg, racing under a Swiss flag and operating from Spain.

Tadej Pogačar's salary is estimated at around €8 million per season — the highest in pro cycling — per Cycling Up To Date reporting on the UAE Team Emirates budget and Paul Seixas transfer pursuit.

Decathlon CMA CGM Team's 2026 budget is estimated to be around €40 million, a significant increase from prior years that strengthens their hand in retaining Paul Seixas against UAE Team Emirates - XRG's interest.

Paul Seixas, 19, has two seasons of contract remaining at Decathlon CMA CGM Team but is being pursued by UAE Team Emirates - XRG. Decathlon manager Dominique Serieys says the team is targeting a long-term extension that could run beyond 2030, towards 2035. Negotiations are paused until after the spring classics, with Seixas' value rising rapidly. His future from 2028 onwards remains open.

UAE Team Emirates - XRG operates with a budget of somewhere between €55 and €60 million per season, per Cycling Up To Date reporting on the Paul Seixas transfer pursuit.

Adam Yates earns €2.7 million at UAE Team Emirates-XRG in 2026.

Lidl-Trek operates around €45 million annually, alongside Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe and INEOS Grenadiers, per La Gazzetta dello Sport reporting cited by Cycling Magazine.

World champion Mathieu van der Poel earns €4 million at Alpecin-Premier Tech, tied for fourth among the highest-paid cyclists in 2026.

Remco Evenepoel earns €6.6 million per year at Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe following his 2026 transfer from Soudal Quick-Step, ranking him second globally.

Two-time Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard earns €5 million at Team Visma | Lease a Bike, ranking him third globally.

Visma-Lease a Bike operates near €50 million annually, per La Gazzetta dello Sport reporting cited by Cycling Magazine.

Wout van Aert earns €4 million at Team Visma | Lease a Bike, tied for fourth among the highest-paid cyclists in 2026.

La Gazzetta dello Sport reports Tadej Pogačar earns approximately €8 million per year. His UAE contract reportedly carries a €200 million buyout clause.

Egan Bernal earns €2.5 million at INEOS Grenadiers in 2026.

INEOS Grenadiers operates around €45 million annually, per La Gazzetta dello Sport reporting cited by Cycling Magazine.

UAE Team Emirates – XRG operates near €50 million annually, per La Gazzetta dello Sport reporting cited by Cycling Magazine.

Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) is the highest-paid cyclist of 2026 at an estimated €8 million per year.

Primož Roglič earns €4 million at Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, tied for fourth among the highest-paid cyclists in 2026. His late-2023 transfer from Jumbo-Visma was one of the biggest moves of the decade.

Carlos Rodríguez earns €2.5 million at INEOS Grenadiers in 2026.

Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe operates around €45 million annually, per La Gazzetta dello Sport reporting cited by Cycling Magazine.

Domestique Cycling "Top 10 highest paid professional cyclists in 2026" lists Egan Bernal at €2.5M/yr at INEOS Grenadiers.

Confidential PwC report prepared for UCI working group: average WorldTour team budget grew 40% from 2021-2024 (€20M → €28M). 5-6 superteams capture most of the growth. UCI working group is exploring a budget cap.

Domestique Cycling "Top 10 highest paid professional cyclists in 2026" lists Carlos Rodríguez at €2.5M/yr at INEOS Grenadiers.

Domestique Cycling "Top 10 highest paid professional cyclists in 2026" lists Adam Yates at €2.7M/yr at UAE Team Emirates-XRG.

Velo (Outside, late 2025) describes Oscar Onley's INEOS Grenadiers contract as "low seven figures" (~€3M/yr) following one of the largest buyouts in cycling history.

Cyclingnews (2025) reports Juan Ayuso's five-year deal at Lidl-Trek from 2026 at approximately €3M/yr, with a €10M buyout paid to UAE Team Emirates-XRG to release him early.

Cyclingnews (Aug 2025) reports Jonathan Milan's contract extension at Lidl-Trek through 2029 at upwards of €1M/yr (~€1.2M midpoint).

Giulio Ciccone committed to Lidl-Trek through at least the end of 2029, per Ciro Scognamiglio of La Gazzetta dello Sport as relayed by Cycling Up To Date. Part of Lidl-Trek's strategy to lock in their core after Mads Pedersen's lifetime extension earlier in 2025.

Jonathan Milan committed to Lidl-Trek through at least the end of 2029, per Ciro Scognamiglio of La Gazzetta dello Sport as relayed by Cycling Up To Date. Part of Lidl-Trek's strategy to lock in their core after Mads Pedersen's lifetime extension earlier in 2025.

Velo (Outside, mid-2025) reports Matteo Jorgenson's Visma-Lease a Bike extension through 2029 at approximately €1M/yr.

Calcio e Finanza (May 30, 2025) reports Jonas Vingegaard's Visma-Lease a Bike salary in the €4–5M range. Midpoint estimate €4.5M.

Calcio e Finanza (May 30, 2025) reports Primož Roglič's Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe salary in the €4–4.5M range. Midpoint estimate €4.25M.

Richard Carapaz is placed in Benson's Grand Tour podium band of €1.8M-€2M+ per season (May 28, 2025 Substack) based on a string of recent GT GC top-3 finishes (Giro 2nd 2022, TDF 3rd 2021, Giro 3rd 2025). Derived placement — Benson does not list Carapaz by name, but his pedigree directly matches the tier's defining criterion. Recency rule cleanly satisfied (most recent podium 2025, UCI rank 35, 1796 points).

Daniel Benson (May 28, 2025 Substack) places Kasper Asgreen in the Classics Winner pay tier of €1.5M-€2M per season, alongside Stuyven, Kwiatkowski, Bettiol, and Mohorič. Tier ranges sourced from conversations with WorldTour team managers and rider agents.

Mattias Skjelmose is placed in Benson's Grand Tour 6-10th band of €1M-€1.5M per season (May 28, 2025 Substack) based on his Tour de France 8th-place finish in 2024 plus career pattern of week-long stage race success at Lidl-Trek. Derived placement — Benson does not list Skjelmose by name. Recency rule satisfied: recent GT top-10 + currently elite role (UCI rank 23, 2259 points, 979 in 2025). Young (25) Lidl-Trek's projected long-term GC option behind Ciccone.

Daniel Benson (May 28, 2025 Substack) places Matej Mohorič in the Classics Winner pay tier of €1.5M-€2M per season, with the explicit note that as a key figure at Bahrain Victorious he will retain a strong contract despite a quieter recent results window.

Daniel Martínez is placed in Benson's Grand Tour podium band of €1.8M-€2M+ per season (May 28, 2025 Substack) based on his Giro d'Italia 2024 2nd-place finish. Derived placement — Benson does not list Martínez by name. Recency rule satisfied: recent GT podium + currently competitive role at Red Bull-BORA (UCI rank 135, 666 points).

Daniel Benson (May 28, 2025 Substack) names Sam Welsford as one of the successful sprinters in the €1M-€2M middle ground of the Best-of-the-rest sprinter tier (full band: €500K-€2M).

Dylan van Baarle is tentatively placed in Benson's Classics Winner band of €1.5M-€2M per season (May 28, 2025 Substack) based on his Paris-Roubaix 2022 victory — a derived placement, not a direct Benson citation. Recency rule applies: result is recent enough (4 years) but current role is declining (UCI rank 526, 2025 UCI points only 56), so realized pay likely sits well below the band. Low confidence reflects this band-vs-realized-pay gap.

Le Mag du Cyclisme (May 28, 2025) reports Isaac del Toro's UAE Team Emirates 2025 salary at ~€800K, with an expected rise toward €1–2M following his post-Giro contract talks.

Antonio Tiberi is placed in Benson's Grand Tour 6-10th band of €1M-€1.5M per season (May 28, 2025 Substack) based on his Giro d'Italia 5th-place finish in 2024 as Bahrain Victorious's GC project. Derived placement — Benson does not list Tiberi by name. Recency rule satisfied: very recent GT top-10 + currently elite role (UCI rank 39, 925 points in 2025). Young (24) and likely trending upward in next contract cycle.

Daniel Benson (May 28, 2025 Substack) places Jai Hindley in the Grand Tour podium band of €1.8M-€2M+ per season, alongside the Yates brothers, Mas, Kuss, Ayuso, Carlos Rodríguez, Almeida, and Tao Geoghegan Hart. Hindley won the 2022 Giro overall, so his pedigree is directly aligned with Benson's tier criterion (career GT top-3).

Daniel Benson (May 28, 2025 Substack) places Enric Mas in the Grand Tour podium tier of €1.8M-€2M+ per season, alongside the Yates brothers, Kuss, Ayuso, Carlos Rodríguez, Almeida, Hindley, and Tao Geoghegan Hart. Benson nicknames this 'the Enric Mas price range.'

Daniel Benson (May 28, 2025 Substack) explicitly names Esteban Chaves alongside Jack Haig as riders 'paid for previous success but haven't quite delivered in recent years for personal results' in the Mountain super-domestique tier of €700K-€1.3M per season.

Daniel Benson (May 28, 2025 Substack) places Mikel Landa in the GT rider 6-10th tier of €1M-€1.5M per season, noting he stretches between super-domestique and GT leader status alongside Kelderman.

Daniel Benson (May 28, 2025 Substack) places Jasper Stuyven in the Classics Winner pay tier of €1.5M-€2M per season, alongside Asgreen, Kwiatkowski, Bettiol, and Mohorič. Tier ranges sourced from conversations with WorldTour team managers and rider agents.

Damiano Caruso is tentatively placed in Benson's Grand Tour podium band of €1.8M-€2M+ per season (May 28, 2025 Substack) based on his Giro d'Italia 2021 2nd-place finish. Derived placement — Benson does not list Caruso by name. Result sits at the edge of the 5-year recency window. Currently competitive (UCI rank 98) but late career (age 38) and 2025 UCI points modest (60), so realized pay likely sits below the band — the rider's actual role at Bahrain Victorious has shifted toward super-domestique. Low confidence reflects the band-vs-realized-pay gap.

Daniel Benson (May 28, 2025 Substack) places Sergio Higuita in the Grand Tour 6-10th band of €1M-€1.5M per season: 'Sergio Higuita was probably on this wage when he was at Red Bull.' Has since moved to XDS Astana — realized pay at new team likely lower per Benson's general pattern, but band placement reflects his career trajectory.

Daniel Benson (May 28, 2025 Substack) explicitly names Hugh Carthy in the Grand Tour 6-10th band of €1M-€1.5M per season: 'Hugh Carthy and Jack Haig are within this ballpark too, as they signed big contracts just after their Vuelta success.' (Carthy was Vuelta 3rd 2020.) Named-in-tier placement — realized 2026 pay may sit below the band given his thin recent results.

Daniel Benson (May 28, 2025 Substack) notes Olav Kooij is moving to Decathlon for more than the ~€3M Philipsen earns at Alpecin, placing him at the top of the World-class sprinter tier of €2.5M-€3.5M per season.

Daniel Benson (May 28, 2025 Substack) places Michał Kwiatkowski in the Classics Winner pay tier of €1.5M-€2M per season, alongside Stuyven, Asgreen, Bettiol, and Mohorič.

Ben O'Connor is placed in Benson's Grand Tour podium band of €1.8M-€2M+ per season (May 28, 2025 Substack) based on his Vuelta a España 2024 2nd-place finish. Derived placement — Benson does not list O'Connor by name. Recency rule satisfied: recent GT podium + still-competitive role (UCI rank 75, 1034 points, 244 in 2025).

Daniel Benson (May 28, 2025 Substack) groups Tim Merlier in the €2M+ World-class sprinter conversation alongside Jonathan Milan, with the tier defined at €2.5M-€3.5M per season.

Daniel Benson (May 28, 2025 Substack) places Tao Geoghegan Hart in the Grand Tour podium tier of €1.8M-€2M+ per season, alongside the Yates brothers, Mas, Kuss, Ayuso, Carlos Rodríguez, Almeida, and Hindley.

Daniel Benson (May 28, 2025 Substack) names Jack Haig among the riders 'paid for previous success but haven't quite delivered in recent years for personal results' in the Mountain super-domestique tier of €700K-€1.3M per season.

Felix Gall is placed in Benson's Grand Tour 6-10th band of €1M-€1.5M per season (May 28, 2025 Substack) based on his career pattern of GT top-10 finishes (notably TDF 8th 2023). Derived placement — Benson does not list Gall by name. Recency rule satisfied: currently elite role (UCI rank 19, 2438 points, 453 in 2025) as Decathlon's GC leader. Note: GT 6-10 placings aren't tracked in Race Results (Wikipedia scrape only captured GT winners) — placement based on cycling-knowledge inference, not query.

Daniel Benson (May 28, 2025 Substack) explicitly identifies Brandon McNulty at the top end of the Mountain super-domestique tier of €700K-€1.3M per season at UAE Team Emirates-XRG. Benson cites a 'UAE Team Emirates-XRG effect' that drives premium pay for climbing domestiques.

Florian Lipowitz is placed in Benson's Grand Tour podium band of €1.8M-€2M+ per season (May 28, 2025 Substack) based on his Tour de France 2025 3rd-place finish. Derived placement — Benson does not list Lipowitz by name (likely because the May 2025 article predates his TDF podium). Recency rule strongly satisfied: very recent result + currently elite role (UCI rank 11, 3104 points). Realized pay likely near or above the band's top end given trajectory; could trend toward Superstar tier in next contract cycle.

Daniel Benson (May 28, 2025 Substack) reports Jasper Philipsen as the best-paid sprinter in the world, earning around €3 million per season at Alpecin-Deceuninck. This is a named-figure citation, not just a tier-band placement.

Daniel Benson (May 28, 2025 Substack) names Kaden Groves in the €1M-€2M middle ground of the Best-of-the-rest sprinter tier (full band: €500K-€2M), alongside Groenewegen and Welsford.

Daniel Benson (May 28, 2025 Substack) places Wilco Kelderman in the GT rider 6-10th tier of €1M-€1.5M per season, alongside Mikel Landa and Louis Meintjes (in his prime). Benson notes Kelderman stretches between super-domestique and GT leader status.

Daniel Benson (May 28, 2025 Substack) places Sepp Kuss in the Grand Tour podium tier of €1.8M-€2M+ per season. Tier members can race as GT super-domestiques or take their own podium shots at a point in the season.

Daniel Benson (May 28, 2025 Substack) explicitly names Danny van Poppel at the top end (~€800K) of the Top-tier final lead-out tier of €400K-€800K per season. This is a named-figure citation, not just a tier-band placement.

Cyclingnews' "Cycling's rich list" (Apr 30, 2025) places Mads Pedersen in the ~€2.3–2.8M annual base bracket at Lidl-Trek. Midpoint estimate €2.5M.

Cyclingnews' "Cycling's rich list" (Apr 30, 2025) reports João Almeida at ~€2.5M annual base with a heavy bonus structure at UAE Team Emirates-XRG.

Mauro Schmid is leaving Team Jayco AlUla at the end of the season, having signed a major deal with Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling for the next three seasons. Sources have repeatedly told us all spring that Jayco AlUla were keen to retain the Swiss rider, but Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling came in with an offer of around 2 million euros a year.