Pogacar reportedly highest-paid rider in peloton with new UAE Team Emirates €6 million deal

Two-time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogačar is reportedly the highest earner in the professional peloton following his new contract extension with UAE Team Emirates which will see him stay at the team to the end of the 2027 season.

The Slovenian, who turns 23 next month, now reportedly earns a yearly salary on €6 million (£5.1 million) per year at the Emirati team, according to a report by La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Pogačar's deal – excluding any potential future bonus payments – will see him earn €36 million (£30.7 million) by the time his contract expires in six years' time.

The contract likely takes him beyond other high earners, four-time Tour de France champion Chris Froome (Israel Start-Up Nation), and three-time world champion Peter Sagan, who recently signed with Team TotalEnergies for 2022 and 2023.

Last year, a report by L'Equipe suggested that Froome took home €4.5 million (£3.8 million) per year while Sagan was the highest earner in the peloton at €5 million (£4.3 million) at Bora-Hansgrohe, though Cyclingnews understood that his real salary there was €5.5 million (£4.7 million) per year.

Pogačar's 2021 season so far has seen him rack up 12 wins, including three stages of the Tour de France and the yellow jersey – plus the mountain and young rider classifications. Earlier in the year, he picked up wins at the UAE Tour, Tirreno-Adriatico and the Tour of Slovenia, as well as winning his first Monument after beating Julian Alaphilippe to victory at Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

He's set to return to racing at the Bretagne Classic-Ouest France on August 29 before taking on the UEC European Road Championships in Trentino on September 12. He'll also represent Slovenia at the World Road Championships in Flanders at the end of September before closing out his season at Il Lombardia on October 9.

Pogačar was set to race the Vuelta a España following the Tour and his silver medal in the Tokyo Olympics road race but opted against riding the Spanish Grand Tour to instead focus on a rainbow jersey bid in Belgium.

"I'm back on the bike after a few amazing weeks," Pogačar said two weeks ago. 

"A little rest after Tokyo. With the team, we decided not to ride the Vuelta unfortunately. For sure I'll be back pretty soon in Spain in the Vuelta."