Defending Tour de France champion Tadej Pogačar was the favorite to win this year’s race going in, and with just a few days remaining, he is on track to claim his fourth general classification victory. But the winner’s prize hasn’t budged since he first won the event in 2020.
In fact, the world’s most famous cycling race has increased its cash reward by just 25% in the past 20 years. The event boosted its top prize only twice in that span—from €400,000 to €450,000 in 2006 and then from €450,000 to €500,000 in 2016 ($580,000 based on current exchange rates).
The Tour’s stagnant purse contrasts several other sporting events which proudly release a statement annually announcing the largest prize pool of all-time. The most prestigious golf tournament, the Masters, has increased the payout accompanying the green jacket from $1.26 million in 2005 to $4.2 million in 2025 (+233%). Wimbledon’s winner’s prize is up an even greater 376% from two decades ago. The World Series of Poker top prize hasn’t increased much in recent years but is nonetheless up 567% since 2000.
Even a much lower-profile event, such as the PDC World Darts Championship, has eclipsed the Tour de France with a top prize of £500,000 ($670,000 based on current exchange rates). That’s a 733% increase over 2005, and greater than the money currently awarded by the Tour.
The minimum salary in the NFL, with its nearly 2,000 players, is $840,000 for the upcoming season. MLB’s is $760,000 this year.
It’s not just the winner’s prize of the Tour de France that stacks up unfavorably versus other sports, but the payouts down the line as well. Riders who finish 20th or lower in the general classification receive only €1,000 for participating.
One reason for the lack of purse growth is an absence of competition. Whereas the Tour de France has no other comparable cycling race, tennis and golf majors feel pressure to stay roughly in line with their peer tournaments. Those sports also now have additional motivation to push their prize money upward due to a competing tour in golf and lucrative exhibition events throughout the year in tennis.
The main reason, however, is that prize money doesn’t account for the majority of cyclers’ earnings like it does for other “individual” sports. Bikers are paid salaries by their teams—those wages often make up the bulk of the teams’ budgets. Reports have pegged Pogačar’s salary, for instance, at more than $9 million per year.
Athletes can also rake in hefty earnings from personal sponsors, which for Pogacar include software company Plume and shoe brand DMT. Although winning the Tour de France may not lead to a huge payout directly to the cyclist, riding at the front of the pack and emerging as the champion certainly increases sponsor visibility.
