Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar ‘lands record breaking cycling salary’ – with world champion’s deal including stunning £167m release clause

Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar will reportedly receive a record breaking salary in cycling after extending his contract with UAE Team Emirates.

The 26-year-old, who was already the best paid cyclist in the world, has agreed a new contract with the team which will run until 2030.

Pogacar has been rewarded for his continued success, with the star having won three Tour de France titles to date in his career.

This year the Slovenian became the first rider since Marco Pantani in 1998 to win the Tour and Giro d’Italia in the same season.

He then became just the third to achieve the triple crown – after Ireland’s Stephen Roche and Belgian great Eddy Merckx – by winning the world title in September.

The world champion will reportedly earn €50million (£41.6m) during his six-year deal

According to the Gazzetta Dello Sport, Pogacar will receive €50million (£41.6m) over his six-year deal.

The figure comprises of a £7m per season salary plus bonuses, representing a sizeable increase from his existing £5m-a-year deal.

Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel and two-time Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard are the next highest earners in cycling, with the pair reportedly earning €5m (£4.1m) per season.

Pogacar’s latest deal compares favourably to Premier League stars, where the average annual wage is reportedly around £3m.

‘I am extremely proud to be extending my time here at UAE Team Emirates,’ Pogacar said when extending his deal.

‘This team has been my home now the last five years and I truly can’t imagine myself anywhere else. 

‘The best moments of my career have come at UAE Team Emirates and that is a testament to all of the staff, management, teammates, and partners who all allow me to perform at the highest level. I’m really excited for the future. 

‘This team gives me the best chance at fighting for wins and that is exactly what I aim to do.’

Pogacar had a stunning 2024 season as be became the third man to complete the triple crown

The UAE Team Emirates star’s contract reportedly contains a staggering £167m release clause

According to Gazzette Dello Sport, the UAE Team Emirates have doubled the release clause in Pogacar’s contract to make it virtually impossible for the star to leave before 2030.

The new release clause has reportedly been set at a staggering £167m.

‘Simply, Tadej is not on the market, he doesn’t want to leave, he’s part of this country,’ UAE Emirates team principal Mauro Gianetti told the Italian newspaper.

‘What he’s doing for Abu Dhabi is worth much more than the races he wins, and Pogacar is proud of it, it creates enthusiasm: there are children who cry when they receive a selfie of him, there’s a nation that has discovered the bike and rides it, there’s a very strong bond with the royal family. 

‘Cycling has become the national sport.’