Some would say that for the efforts made over three weeks and compared to the emoluments of football players, these gains are ultimately low.
But with more than half a million euros in his pocket, Tadej Pogacar, winner of his second Tour de France in less than a year, however well funded his bank account in July.
While a bonus of 2,288,450 euros was distributed on this edition, in total, UAE Team Emirates, its team, won 619,580 euros. In particular, Pogacar won the 500,000 euros promised to the final winner but also three times the 11,000 euros paid to the first of each stage. The jackpot climbs quickly if we add the 25,000 euros for his best climber's jersey, 20,000 euros for that of the best youngster or even 7,000 euros (14 x 500) for his days spent in yellow.
UAE finished far ahead of the three following teams.
The Jumbo which relied on another Slovenian, Primoz Roglic, won 359,520 euros, in particular thanks to the surprise second place in the general classification of its young spare leader, Jonas Vingegaard.
But also with the help of the three stage victories (including that of this Sunday on the Champs-Élysées) of his Belgian talent Wout Van Aert.
Without forgetting the victory of the fifteenth stage in Andorra of the American Sepp Kuss.
An abyssal abyss with small teams
Bahrain, whose hotel was raided for a doping case, won the team classification and three stages to complete the podium of winnings with 170,310 euros. Even if she raised her arms five times at the finish line with Alaphilippe and especially Cavendish, who won the green jersey, the Deceuninck finished at the foot of the podium with 149,690 euros.
At the bottom of the ranking, we find the Qhubeka team, the least well paid, which left with 11,650 euros, or an average of 1,456 euros for each rider present at the start of Brest.
She had to deal with the forfeit of her leader Fabio Aru and three withdrawals during the race.
However, the gains have increased over the years, following the professionalization of cycling.
For example, in 1994, the final winner won "only" the equivalent of 304,000 euros.
Read also Tour de France: the peloton, the wheel of fortune and the extreme disparity in the wages of runners
However, this edition also rewarded riders, originally less expected and known than Pogacar, the outgoing winner. Very often escaped (he spent 20% of the Grande Boucle outside the peloton), four times in the top 10 of the stages, for his first Tour, Franck Bonnamour brought back a large part of the 39,190 euros of his Breton BB Hotels team. The Côtes-d'Armor runner was elected super-combative and pocketed 20,000 euros for this distinction.
To which must be added all the different bonuses during intermediate sprints (1,500 euros for the first, 1,000 euros for the second and 500 euros for the third) or even the passages to the summits of hills and passes.
Significant sums, as France TV consultant Laurent Jalabert likes to repeat, for "the pot that the riders of each team share at the end of the Tour".
Christopher Froome, four-time winner of the Tour, gave him a hoot this year.
But he still won an unexpected prize: that of the most polite rider on the Tour.
Might not be a yellow jersey, but my Mum would be proud 🥲
Thank you @LeTour 💛 # TDF2021 https://t.co/PSdrDNtEMT
- Chris Froome (@chrisfroome) July 18, 2021
