What a first pro contract pays

Updated 30 October 2026 · every figure is sourced below

The legal minimum for a first WorldTour contract is €35,721 a year for an employed rider and €58,582 for a self-employed one. Most riders signing their first WorldTour deal get well above that. Our estimates put the median first WorldTour contract at about €165,000 a year (howtoturnpro salary guide). At ProTeam level, young riders sit much closer to the floor.

All figures are gross, before tax and social charges.

The floor: the neo-pro minimum

The minimum salaries come from the joint agreement between the riders' union (CPA) and the teams' association (AIGCP). They only apply to WorldTeams and ProTeams (CPA joint agreement). For 2026 they were frozen at their 2025 level (Velora).

Sources: CPA joint agreement, Velora, our guide From Continental team to WorldTour.

Who counts as a neo-pro? A rider in his first two seasons on a WorldTeam or ProTeam contract, who joins at 25 or younger (Velora). From the third season, the higher minimum applies.

Employed or self-employed? The self-employed minimum is about 64% higher because the rider pays his own social security and insurance out of it (howtoturnpro salary guide). In the UCI's 2024 figures, 57% of WorldTour riders were self-employed. A higher gross figure does not mean more money in your pocket.

What riders actually sign

The floor is not the market. Three numbers give the range.

• Our estimate for a first WorldTour contract: a median of about €165,000 a year. Half of all riders on a first WorldTour contract sit between €126,000 and €202,000 (howtoturnpro salary guide). These are model estimates, not reported salaries. First contracts are rarely made public, so they rest on less evidence than our other figures.
• The top of the market: Cyclingnews put the best neo-pro deals, for riders who win the Tour de l'Avenir or a world title, at €150,000 to €500,000 a year, and reported some above that (Cyclingnews).
• ProTeams: our estimated median salary for ProTeam riders aged 18 to 22 is about €33,000 (howtoturnpro salary guide). That is close to the ProTeam minimum.

So the gap between a WorldTeam and a ProTeam is much bigger than the minimums suggest.

First contracts can be long, and the next one can be worth much more

First contracts are often multi-year deals. Two examples:

• Jesper Stiansen moves up from Tudor's development team to its ProTeam in 2027 on a contract through 2029 (Tudor Pro Cycling).
• Paul Seixas is on his first WorldTour contract with Decathlon. It runs to the end of 2027. The Inner Ring noted that spring 2026 was when his deal from 2028 would be negotiated (The Inner Ring).

A first contract is priced on what a rider has done so far. If he breaks through, the next contract can be worth many times more. Lenny Martinez was reported to earn about €200,000 at Groupama-FDJ, his first WorldTour team. His move to Bahrain Victorious was reported at about €2.5 million a year (Sportune, citing RMC Sport). That figure is disputed: Martinez later called it wrong in L'Équipe, and other reports put his pay at €400,000 to €500,000 (our page on Martinez). Even the lower figure is a big jump, and a rare one.

The length works both ways. A long first contract gives security. It can also lock a fast-improving rider into a low salary.

What else is in the contract

The salary is only one line. Agents usually negotiate salary, length, bonuses, equipment, insurance and how the team's sponsors may use the rider (Cyclingnews).

The Cyclists' Alliance, a riders' union, advises riders to check for break clauses, a fixed date on which only the team can end the contract. It also warns that vague wording leads to disputes (The Cyclists' Alliance).

Two rules from the joint agreement protect every new pro. Contracts end on 31 December, and a trial period is not allowed (CPA joint agreement).

If you use an agent, the agent is paid by you, usually 5 to 7% of the fixed salary. More in our guide From Continental team to WorldTour.

Questions to ask before you sign

• Employed or self-employed? If self-employed, who pays your social security, insurance and pension, and how much is left?
• Gross or net? Every figure in a contract is gross unless it says otherwise.
• How long? Ask what happens if you break through in year one.
• Bonuses and prize money. How are they shared, and when are they paid?
• Break clauses. Can the team end the contract early, and on what date?
• Equipment, travel and housing. What does the team pay, and what do you pay?
• Insurance. Health, accident and income cover if you are injured.

For how riders reach this point, see Turning pro in 2027 and Development teams in 2026.

Sources

• CPA and AIGCP: Joint agreement
• Velora: What is the minimum salary for a WorldTour pro cyclist? and Minimum salary freeze set for 2026
• Cyclingnews: Millionaires and minimum wage and Transfer mechanics, part 2: agents
• Tudor Pro Cycling: A Talent Days graduate: Jesper Stiansen joins the pro team in 2027
• The Inner Ring: Paul Seixas contract future
• Sportune: Lenny Martinez, salary and contract with Bahrain Victorious (French)
• The Cyclists' Alliance: 8 things to consider when negotiating your contract
• Our estimates: How much do pro cyclists earn? (model estimates, method on our methodology page)

Know a figure here that is wrong or out of date? Tell us.