Does anyone know the average/typical salary of female pro cyclists for good domestic teams like Webcor, Columbia High Road, Tibco, etc?
I am guessing there will be a bit of a range but typical would be - all equipment and gear is free or on loan( bikes have to be given back at the end of the year, say). Some base salary - to cover basic costs and a small bonus for performance. All in all my guess is that it’s pretty meager and some may keep full or part-time jobs going. Few make money.
I’m not sure there really is such a thing as a ‘typical’ salary, in that the amount riders receive varies so widely. Indeed, many of the domestic women don’t receive any salary at all; just schwag and travel expenses.
For a point of reference, had my wife been willing to sacrifice her goals on the track to race full-time on the road for another squad, she probably would have been paid the mythical $12k (<- rec.bicycles.racing reference) on top of the above. On the road, she was good enough to, e.g., place in the top 10 in bigger stages races (e.g., Coupe de Monde in Montreal), take a flyer going into the last round-about at Philly, etc., but she wasn’t a threat to win such races.
Yep, My guess is 5-10 make a living at it, including salary, individual sponsership, and prize winnings. For the rest its a hobby that is subsidised. Even for thpse making a living at it my guess is most could be making more doing something else.
Styrrell
Even for thpse making a living at it my guess is most could be making more doing something else.
My wife finished 15th in the GC at the Fitchburg Stage Race last year racing Pro/1/2. She raced independant, and she talked to some of the girls on the “Pro” teams and there was not much money involved at all. She “Made” more from triathlon in a good year and that’s not much - maybe rent for a month or two if you are lucky!! Indeed, it’s just a hobby that they happen to be very good at.
Reportedly, Genevieve Jeanson was making $200 000 Cdn dollars per year when she was riding for Rona. I have a good friend that rode with Jeanson with Rona and with Saturn prior to that. Although she never shared the exact details of her contract, I have a fairly good idea that she was in the 50k$ range. Certainly a lot more than 12k for sure. But that’s for a Olympic caliber cyclist that won a few North-American races.
Francois in Montreal
I’d believe that, basically 10% or less than a similarly accomplished male pro. At the time Jeanson was one of the top three best womens road cyclists in the world.
Styrrell