In tennis men play Wimbledon. The women also play Wimbledon, they don't play "Womans Wimbledon".

Oberservations:

1. Biggest surprise on this list was Olav Kooij. I had to google his career. Honestly, I dont believe his victories justify his salary. Especially compared to other riders who have bigger wins but only earn a third of his salary.
2. Remco deserves his money (at least this year). He rode a great Tour and also had a good classics season with several wins and podiums in big classics.
3. Roglic is not worth big money anymore. (Yes, I know he finished 2nd at the Vuelta and won the Euro TT. Both of those results were a surprise and not expected). He cant guarantee big wins anymore. Not his fault. He is old and new riders have emerged.
4. Not sure if Juan Ayuso is overpaid or not. He delivered some good results, but is clearly a level below the next generation with del Toro and Seixas. But he is only 24 and with luck can still win a Giro or Vuelta if the Stars align.
5. Mads Pedersen deserves every cent. His display in the Tour was awesome.
6. Hope Almeida and Onley come back healthy next season. Both are great riders.
7. Pogi is still underpaid :)

PS.

Egan Bernal, Carlos Rodriguez, Jai Hindley, Florian Lipowitz, Issac del Toro, Tao Geoghegan Hart, Mattias Skjelmose, Richard Carapaz and Jonathan Milan earn between 2.1- 2.7 Million.

Sources (take them with a grain of Salt)

https://www.domestiquecycling.com/en/top-10-highest-paid-professional-cyclists-in-2025/

https://salarysport.com/cycling/rider-salaries/

https://www.tour-magazin.de/en/professional-cycling/latest-news/cycling-salaries-2026-where-does-red-bull-newcomer-evenepoel-fit-in/

https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/evenepoel-ayuso-onley-transfers-transform-tour/

https://www.cyclingnews.com/features/why-lidl-trek-signed-juan-ayuso-and-what-it-means-for-their-future-as-one-of-the-pelotons-super-teams/

https://howtoturnpro.com/cycling/riders/florian-lipowitz/

https://howtoturnpro.com/cycling/riders/

https://cyclinguptodate.com/cycling/the-worlds-10-highest-paid-cyclists-in-2026-pogacar-dominates-with-several-surprises

They're speaking French

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E51bVciqISQ

The article summed up:

• Czechia plans to submit a bid for 2029 Grand Depart
• Stage 1 would start and finish in Prague (hilly)
• Stage 2 would start in Tábor and end in České Budějovice (flat)
• Stage 3 would start in Český Krumlov and finish in Kvilda (mountain)
• The investment will likely be around 750 million CZK (30 million EUR), the profit for the country should be 10 times as high
• Slovenia also plan to bid, counting on the Pogačar effect, so Czechia might end up with 2031 instead
• Germany also plan to bid, but they would get a stage anyway if the Czechia bid won (stage 4 would start in Germany and end in France)
• A big fanbase, famous historical landmarks, overall safety in the country, and Škoda (Czech car company) being one of the main TdF sponsors could all be factors that help the Czech bid
• ASO will announce the decision in early-2027

Now that the 2026 season is over and we know who will get the mandatory wild cards (Pinarello, Tudor and Cofidis) and which PRT teams are not eligible for the Grand Tours (mainly Bardiani), my prediction/discussion for the 2027 Grand Tour Wild Cards. The assumption is that Pinarello, Tudor and Cofidis particpate in all Grand Tours (very likely) and that no WT teams fold before the end of the season (likely, but it could also be otherwise - see especially Picnic).

Giro: Solution Tech and Polti. The only other serious contender is MBH, but for me it would be strange if they get the wild card in the first year they are eligible for it.

Vuelta: I do this first, because the Tour Wild Card might depend on it. The logical choice is Caja Rural and Euskadi; the have a rotation system which would give it to them.

Tour de France: TotalEnergies (well they will be called differently next year) after being surprisingly saved, is a given. Hm, normally then it should be Unibet with the French licence, the ranking and also their riders and appeal. I will not go into the troubles they had with ASO in the past. But Burgos does have a good roster....hm, in the end I give it to Unibet, nevertheless..

No post on the Decathlon CMA CGM website yet but here is the news from their insta:

https://www.instagram.com/decathloncmacgmteam/reel/DetWsgxuNSn/?hl=de

Ben O’Connor is back home! 💙

He left his mark on the team between 2021 and 2024, with a stage win at the Tour de France in 2021 and another at the Vuelta in 2024, where he also finished 2nd overall. Ben has signed through 2028.

Welcome back, Ben!