Between salary, bonuses, royalties, and merchandising, the Slovenian cashed in during 2025 to lead a new generation of global stars in cycling’s big money era.
Tadej Pogačar wins more than anyone else and earns more than anyone else. (Photo: Chris Auld/Velo)
Updated October 15, 2025 11:31AM
Tadej Pogačar isn’t just cycling’s 21st-century GOAT, he’s also drawing an eight-figure pay packet that’s Forbes rich-list worthy.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Pogačar’s compensation across his 2025 season could top 12 million euros, or about $14 million.
The Italian sports daily revealed some interesting details about bonuses and royalties that confirm earlier reporting from Velo that makes Pogačar’s best-paid cyclist.
After his historic 2024 treble — winning the Giro d’Italia, Tour de France, and world championships — UAE Emirates-XRG penned its superstar through 2030 with the most lucrative deal in cycling history that includes an eye-popping €200 million buyout clause.
The new contract is reportedly worth €8 million per season — a €2 million pump from his previous salary — and worth an estimated €50 million in total.
It also comes sweetened with performance bonuses for big wins, La Gazzetta reported.
The bonuses include €1 million for a Tour victory, €500,000 for the Giro or Vuelta, and €250,000 for worlds. Other wins, such as the monuments and one-week stage races, do not include bonus incentives.
In 2025, Pogačar pocketed around €1.25 million in bonuses, slightly less than the €1.75 million haul from his triple-crown year, after adding another Tour de France and world title to his résumé, La Gazzetta reported.
‘Every year the Pogačar brand doubles’
Pogačar is always at the center of attention. (Photo: Gruber Images/Velo)
The Italian sports daily also estimated that Pogačar is quickly growing into a sponsorship juggernaut that is earning him up to €2 million annually in extra income beyond his UAE salary.
And that number is increasing by the season.
Managed by A&J All Sports, Pogačar’s personal brand portfolio now includes Colnago, DMT, Met, Continental, Enervit, Jana, Plume, MyWhoosh, and the Slovenian Tourist Office.
Those names might not be global mega-brands, but together they underscore Pogačar’s growing sponsorship appeal.
Merchandising is also booming on the tailwinds of the Pogačar phenomenon, which includes the increasing profile of his personal brand.
His official website sells merchandise that includes the styled “TP” logo on T-shirts, jerseys, coffee mugs, socks, books, key rings, and other products, with proceeds supporting the Tadej Pogačar Foundation and a Slovenian youth academy.
According to Pogacar’s manager Alex Carera, sales keep ticking up the more Pogačar keeps winning.
“Three years ago, the personal logo was almost a whim,” Carera told La Gazzetta. “Today, it’s a fundamental part of Tadej’s image value. Every year, the Pogačar brand doubles in worth compared to the previous one.”
La Gazzetta reported that Pogačar also receives royalties on sales of such products as the limited-edition Colnago bikes (€17,000 each) and a slice of the Pissei race wear line that generates sales worth €30 million annually.
With the rise of $50 million-plus-budget super teams, Pogačar’s financial bonanza also reveals how more money than ever is flowing into the upper tiers of pro cycling.
Though much of that windfall remains concentrated among a handful of top winners, elite male stars like Pogačar, Remco Evenepoel, and Jonas Vingegaard now command salaries and multi-year contracts that would have been unthinkable a decade ago.
Pogačar’s international profile keeps rising
Pogačar’s contract is packed with performance incentives. (Photo: Gruber Images/Velo)
Between salary, bonuses, royalties, appearance fees, and other income, Pogačar earned about €12 million in 2025.
And next year, Carrera says it’ll be more.
That’s the most any cyclist has earned since Lance Armstrong reeled in an estimated $30 million per year in salary and sponsorship deals with brands like Nike and Subaru before his USADA downfall.
Armstrong was the rare pro cyclist who truly broke into the mainstream. Pogačar could be heading in that direction.
Pogačar is starting to pop up in more international events. For example, in mid-November, he will be the special guest at the Esports World Championships in Abu Dhabi.
In 2025, Pogačar was nominated for the 2025 Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award alongside such sports icons as Carlos Alcaraz, Armand Duplantis, Leon Marchand, and Max Verstappen (pole-vaulter Duplantis won).
Cycling still trails the financial firepower of U.S. major leagues or European football, but today’s elite riders are finally earning seven-figure salaries commiserate with their suffering and sacrifice on the road.
So far, no one’s leveraged that better than the Slovenian slugger.
At just 27, he looks to have at least five more seasons at the top to continue to amass his growing personal fortune.