{"id":145887,"date":"2025-09-18T18:54:16","date_gmt":"2025-09-18T18:54:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/145887\/"},"modified":"2025-09-18T18:54:16","modified_gmt":"2025-09-18T18:54:16","slug":"low-wages-high-expenses-and-questionable-conditions-the-unstable-finances-of-continental-racing-in-mens-cycling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/145887\/","title":{"rendered":"Low wages, high expenses and questionable conditions \u2013 the unstable finances of Continental racing in men’s cycling"},"content":{"rendered":"

There has never been a better time to become rich from cycling, with an estimated 65 millionaires<\/a> racing the world\u2019s biggest races. But away from the heights of the Grand Tours and the Monuments are 178 third-division men\u2019s UCI Continental teams, stacked full of riders trying to work their way up the ladder and veterans looking to extend their careers, all riding races with next to little fanfare. Million-Euro contracts are not a pipedream, but an impossibility \u2013 many of them essentially pay to race.<\/p>\n

Cyclingnews has spoken with managers, riders and agents across the globe to understand the working conditions of male Continental riders in 2025. The third-tier is the breeding ground of many young talents \u2013 17 professional teams now have their own Continental teams which operate as development squads \u2013 but there remains an overriding sense of desperate athletes, many of them students or working part-time jobs, being preyed upon, sucked into the trap of being promised a world that doesn\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cSo many teams say that they have plans to be a [second-tier] ProTeam, but most of it is nonsense,\u201d said one rider who wished to remain anonymous. \u201cIt comes from people who seem like legitimate businessmen, giving their speech to young riders who haven\u2019t had the life lessons to know anything different. I often feel like riders are exploited for the love of sport and sold a dream that isn\u2019t a reality. It\u2019s really unfair.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bound by the rules<\/p>\n

There are 91 registered Continental teams across Europe in 2025, with traditional cycling nations France (12) and Italy (10) boasting the most. Riders on third-tier teams will occasionally rub shoulders with riders from professional teams in lesser-ranked events, but they are not allowed to compete in WorldTour races \u2013 it\u2019s for this reason that some races, like the Tour of Britain, have never applied for WorldTour status as then it would exclude the host country\u2019s Continental teams.<\/p>\n

Unlike with WorldTeam and ProTeam squads that are registered with the UCI, all Continental teams are regulated by their national federations. What that means is that they are bound by the rules of their respective countries, as opposed to the UCI. And that explains why wages and conditions vary greatly depending on the country.<\/p>\n

In most Western European countries \u2013 the heartlands of cycling \u2013 there is a minimum wage that Continental teams have to pay their riders, as set by each national federation. In France, where riders are treated as professionals and not amateurs, the minimum salary in 2024 was \u20ac25,000<\/a>; and in Belgium, it\u2019s \u20ac24,674 for full-time riders<\/a>, and \u20ac12,337 for riders under-25, students or those deemed as part-time employees. Not all federations make that amount publicly available, but Cyclingnews has been told that the figure in the Netherlands, which has eight teams, is \u20ac600 per month, and in Italy it\u2019s closer to \u20ac300.<\/p>\n

Of the several sources that Cyclingnews spoke to, the consensus was that riders on European Continental teams outside of France and Belgium are generally paid between \u20ac11,000 and \u20ac22,000 a year, with the mean salary being somewhere around \u20ac14-15,000. Development teams, which have grown in popularity and tend to scoop up the best young talent, will pay less \u2013 often not much more than \u20ac12,000.<\/p>\n

\n

\"LA\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n

French and Belgian Continental riders have some of the highest minimum salaries<\/p>\n

Minimum wages in the 22 of the 27 European Union member states who have one range from \u20ac551 per month in Bulgaria to \u20ac2,704 in Luxembourg. The Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and France \u2013 countries with a combined total of 35 Continental teams \u2013 all have minimum monthly salaries between \u20ac1,802 and \u20ac2,193. Typical Continental cycling wages, then, are clearly inferior.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t too long ago that top riders in Portugal \u2013 home to a thriving domestic scene, including the Volta a Portugal which is sometimes referred to as the \u2018fourth Grand Tour\u2019 \u2013 could command wages of between \u20ac60,000 and \u20ac70,000. Similarly, at the height of the UK scene between 2015 and 2019, the biggest names were said to be pocketing up to \u00a350,000 a year, roughly the equivalent of \u20ac70,000 back then.<\/p>\n

Those extraordinary amounts are partly to blame for the collapse of domestic UK racing, with the number of British Conti teams reducing from seven to zero. \u201cThat destroyed the British scene,\u201d commented one rider who rode in the UK at the time. \u201cThey blew their budgets, and it wasn\u2019t sustainable.\u201d<\/p>\n

One thing that hasn\u2019t changed from a decade ago is that younger riders on teams not affiliated to professional outfits often race without being remunerated. \u201cIn Estonia, the minimum salary is around \u20ac800 a month, but in our team we have many youngsters who don’t receive a salary,\u201d said Mihkel R\u00e4im, of Quick Pro Team.<\/p>\n

The 32-year-old has been racing mostly for Continental teams for the past 12 years, though he did ride in the WorldTour for Israel Start-Up Nation in 2020. \u201cThere is no rule we have to pay them, and they agree to that. They get expenses paid, of course, so we give them a bike, a place to live if they need it, food and prize money. This is the deal for most young riders on European teams.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some things are covered, other things are not<\/p>\n

Expenses: Some things are covered, other things are not. British rider Harrison Wood, who spent two years at Cofidis until his release last season, is racing for one of Portugal\u2019s nine Conti teams this year, Anicolor-Tien 21.<\/p>\n

The 25-year-old earns around \u20ac12,000 a year, a minimum wage that \u201cfour to five riders on all the Portuguese teams will be getting,\u201d he said. Highlighting just how tight finances are, though, Wood has had to secure three sponsors for the team to participate in the Tour of Britain.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe lost a main sponsor at the start of the year, so we haven\u2019t got the budget we anticipated,\u201d he said. \u201cWithout the sponsors I got for the Tour of Britain, we wouldn\u2019t have been able to make it to the start line.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wood always has his expenses covered when with the team, but he has to pay his own way to races \u2013 a policy that is common among most teams. On some teams, riders are given a set fee each month, often around \u20ac500, to cover their expenses. If there\u2019s a shortfall, they have to pay it themselves.<\/p>\n

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\"Picture\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: SWpix.com (t\/a Photography Hub Ltd))<\/p>\n

Anicolor-Tien 21 and Wood did make it to the start line of the Tour of Britain Men<\/p>\n

Many riders report issues with delayed wages or being reimbursed for expenses, and it\u2019s not uncommon for money to be paid to a rider from different bank accounts, as teams scramble around to find the necessary amount.<\/p>\n

One rider, who did not wish to be named, said that they had a \u201cpile of receipts from this year of what the team owes me, plus prize money from races, but I have no idea when \u2013 or if \u2013 it\u2019ll ever get paid.\u201d<\/p>\n

South African rider Callum Ormiston rode for the now-defunct Global 6 United team in 2023 and 2024. The team, which was first registered in New Zealand and then Luxembourg, had a number of serious financial problems, leading riders like Ormiston to seek out additional sources of income.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t get paid at all by Global 6, so had to find personal sponsors throughout the year,\u201d he said. \u201cI had my flights paid for the year and hotels at races thanks to the organisers, but that was it. The rest of the travel I covered myself, and I bought my own food if we needed stuff. I only stayed because the calendar was good.\u201d<\/p>\n

‘Word is spreading that there is good money to be made from racing in China’<\/p>\n

Ormiston is now riding for The Hurricane & Thunder Cycling Team, one of 15 Continental teams in China. The country has a thriving and developing cycling scene, counting 13 UCI races and a strong domestic competition, the highlight being the China Pro Cycling League. \u201cThey\u2019re throwing money at the sport and it’s only going to keep on growing,\u201d Ormiston predicted.<\/p>\n

The situation in China for younger riders is similar to that in Europe: many will have their essential expenses covered, but won\u2019t receive payment for riding. Older, more experienced and better riders, however, will get paid between \u20ac1,000 and \u20ac4,000 a month. The best in China are earning more than the minimum salary of ProTeam riders, which is set at \u20ac35,392 for employed riders, and \u20ac58,043 for self-employed riders. It\u2019s little surprise that riders from across the globe are moving to China in increasing numbers.<\/p>\n

\u201cChina is super cheap \u2013 you can have a good meal for \u20ac1-\u20ac2 \u2013 so I\u2019m able to save most of my wages. Word is spreading that there is good money to be made from racing there,\u201d Ormiston said. \u201cThe racing is also really good \u2013 the Pro League is strong, and there\u2019s loads of UCI races. It\u2019s the first time I\u2019ve really felt like a professional rider.\u201d<\/p>\n

Prize money is also good. R\u00e4im and the Estonian-registered team Quick Pro have a Chinese backer and therefore race frequently in Asia. \u201cWe raced the Trans-Himalaya [in August] and you got $5,000 USD for a stage win, and $20,000 USD for winning the GC,\u201d R\u00e4im said. \u201cThat\u2019s way better in Europe, where you basically pay to race. If you win, you might get \u20ac800, but after tax, UCI fees, and splitting it with other riders, you might only get \u20ac100. which is honestly nothing nowadays in Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n

R\u00e4im cautions against the idea, though, of Chinese teams being willing to pay over the odds. \u201cThe prize money is good, and they have money to spend, but they don\u2019t waste it,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s not a paradise. Some guys are on \u20ac4,000 a month, but not many guys get that type of money. You get some riders who have been on ProTeams asking for minimum WorldTour salaries but they\u2019re not going to receive that.\u201d<\/p>\n

In total, there are 61 Continental teams in Asia and Oceania, with Japan (10) and South Korea (6) being the other hotspots. There are seven African teams and 19 teams in the Americas, but it is China that is making the biggest moves and attempting to take a slice of the European-dominated pie. \u201cI think in the next five years it\u2019s going to get even bigger,\u201d R\u00e4im said.<\/p>\n

Impressive racing calendar pitted against low wages<\/p>\n

As the 2025 season nears its completion and preparations for the next one start to begin, the outlook for riders on Continental teams in most countries, with the exception of France and Belgium where there are more stringent labour laws, is unlikely to differ too much.<\/p>\n

By agreeing to ride for third division teams, a rider is taking advantage of a potentially impressive racing calendar that pits them against professional riders, while accepting a life of low wages and very possibly even dipping into their own savings to get by. It\u2019s certainly not an existence that promises wealth.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re constantly battling to keep your head above the water, and it can have a serious mental toll on you,\u201d one rider said. \u201cFor many years, it was definitely costing me more than I was making.\u201d<\/p>\n

R\u00e4im would like to see the UCI enforce a ruling on each of its national federations to instigate a minimum salary policy, but he has little faith it\u2019d ever happen.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s unfair because we\u2019re in the same race, riding the same kilometres, and have the same risks as ProTeam or WorldTour guys. OK, one might be a superstar who is better, but a job is a job,\u201d he said. \u201cIt would be nice if one day all Conti guys got at least something, but I don\u2019t see it happening, not with the prices of everything going up. It\u2019s never been harder to run a Conti team.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There has never been a better time to become rich from cycling, with an estimated 65 millionaires racing…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":145888,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[4985,101,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-145887","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling","8":"tag-cycling","9":"tag-sports","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom","12":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145887","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=145887"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145887\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/145888"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=145887"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=145887"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=145887"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}