Anyone know where to find (online) info on what the top pros in the US and Europe are getting paid by their teams (i.e. not including prize money, endorsements, etc.)?

Just curious how they compare to other sports.

Lance's book "It's not about the Bike" reveals some of his salaries with different teams. I do not recall if he split out endoursements. I recall USPS was paying him 1 mil which was less than Cofidis' 2 mil. Please correct if you have the book handy.

i read in last months Pro Cycling magazine that the median wage is around $26 an hour, six hour days...but that sounds too low

In Lance book it was stated that his contract with Cofidis was 2.5mio for 2 years, after cancer he was proposed by the same team for only 180000/year (plus bonuses for ICU points) and than accept Postal for 215000/year.

Millar has admitted that after winning a world title his salry has been increased to 800000/year.

Anyone know where to find (online) info on what the top pros in the US and Europe are getting paid by their teams (i.e. not including prize money, endorsements, etc.)?

Just curious how they compare to other sports.

My sense is that team leaders get somewhere between 500,000 and 2,000,000 Euros per year. Given that some of the smaller pro teams have budgets of less than 5million Euros, that does not leave a lot of money for everyone (riders, staff, etc.) on the team. There is a big drop between the team leaders and stars and the domestiques. My recollection is that Aitor Gonzales was making 50,000 or 60,000 Euros per year prior to his winning the Vuelta in 2002.

Googled the question and came up with:

http://www.bike.com/template.asp?date=4%2F26%2F2004&lsectionnumber=4
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/03_26/b3839046.htm (Lance had a base of $4 mil in 2003)
http://www.washtimes.com/business/20030628-104419-4024r.htm (Great article!)
Forbes list Lance at $19 mil last year.