What do MTB pros earn in racing?

The fact that the E-MTB world champion Nicole Göldi The Swiss athlete told our author Christian Penning during this year's World Championships in Les Gets, France, that times are not always golden. Göldi had to scrape together 5,000 francs via crowdfunding so that she could prepare ideally for the 2022 season. Mind you, Göldi had already won her first world championship title. Hard to believe, but true.

Annual salary of MTB pros: 21% get no money at all

An anonymous survey of 200 professional bikers conducted by the American MTB portal Pinkbike shows that only around half of professional bikers are convinced by the Racing can live. Only riders who had placed in at least the top 40 of the highest racing series were allowed to take part. 21 per cent of the professionals surveyed stated that they did not earn any money at all from the sport. However, this does not include budgets for travelling, food, fees and mechanics.

The best salaries are earned in the disciplines of cross country, with an average of 30,000 to 40,000 dollars, and slopestyle (40,000 to 50,000 dollars) - this is where the annual salary of professional racers is the highest. The two-tier society is most pronounced in the enduro and downhill disciplines. A quarter of enduro riders earn less than 5,000 euros per year, and almost half of downhill riders.

Top stars earn half a million - or more

Of course, there are also a handful of top earners - top stars whose fame extends beyond the sport of MTB. Thanks to sponsors from outside the industry, they can earn up to 500,000 dollars a year or even more. Spheres for which Nicole Göldi would probably have to win a few more world championship titles.