How much $$$ a por can get?

s1ngletrack · Nov 2, 2004

I'd imagine millions for guys like Gracia and Lopes - and much, much, much less for the other 99.99999%

dexterq20 · Nov 2, 2004

s1ngletrack said:
I'd imagine millions for guys like Gracia and Lopes

Hmmm... not likely. That sounds like a pretty gross over-estimate to me. I'd guess something around $200,000 a year at most for guys like Gracia and Lopes.

RideND · Nov 2, 2004

He has huge forearms.

Curb Hucker · Nov 2, 2004

dexterq20 said:
Hmmm... not likely. That sounds like a pretty gross over-estimate to me. I'd guess something around $200,000 a year at most for guys like Gracia and Lopes.

yes that number is closer

s1ngletrack · Nov 2, 2004

With endorsements and all of that? And, actually, I should've thought my answer out better - I should have said "I imagine they are millionaires, and the rest are dirt poor." (or working other jobs too)

I didn't think in terms of yearly earnings.

leprechaun · Nov 2, 2004

iheard he was rallyin all ove Les Gets in his new Hummer!
How many Hummers do you think there are in France? Probably not many(unless Sari is around)

neaky:
Cedric is the most marketable guy-from red bull to world cups he is the man.I would guess 150-250,000.

Mani_UT · Nov 2, 2004

leprechaun said:
iheard he was rallyin all ove Les Gets in his new Hummer!
How many Hummers do you think there are in France? .

Quite a few actually especially in Paris!!
Yeah France got posers too

He should have stuck to his Cayenne instead of getting that POS

Scurry · Nov 2, 2004

I would think cedric makes the most of everyone, everyone tyhinks hes a cool guy and he is a damn good, and versitle, rider.

dhtahoe · Nov 2, 2004

dexterq20 said:
Hmmm... not likely. That sounds like a pretty gross over-estimate to me. I'd guess something around $200,000 a year at most for guys like Gracia and Lopes.

Lopes gets around 80k!!!!!! It's not the 90's anymore.

a FEW others get from 10-30k!!!!!

The average joe SPENDS around 10-20k...........no money here.

mobius · Nov 2, 2004

My understanding is few pros make 6 figures or close to that but im just guessing.

ZJChaser · Nov 2, 2004

hmm..wonder where lopes got the $$ for his house then..its pretty nice and not in a "cheap" area. Mut have some other sources of income. or its from the $$ that was made a while ago.

JRogers · Nov 2, 2004

ZJChaser said:
hmm..wonder where lopes got the $$ for his house then..its pretty nice and not in a "cheap" area. Mut have some other sources of income. or its from the $$ that was made a while ago.

Remember a few things: he is only a one discipline athlete now (for the most part, excluding the odd DH and STXC race). He used to be a top competitor in DH and DS, back when the money was bigger and he was on what was one of the biggest teams (Mongoose, then Volvo-Cannondale I think). Now, money is tighter and he basically does one event (hey, no prize money at a norba anyways, so who cares!). Also, some of his past bling might be from BMX days.

s1ngletrack · Nov 2, 2004

What about cash coming in from all of the endorsments these guys have? Obviously they aren't going to make boatloads of money riding for their primary sponsors (C-Dale, GT) - but isn't that just a small part of what they make overall?

GiantRider · Nov 2, 2004

s1ngletrack said:
What about cash coming in from all of the endorsments these guys have? Obviously they aren't going to make boatloads of money riding for their primary sponsors (C-Dale, GT) - but isn't that just a small part of what they make overall?

You hit it on the dot, most pros make many times more on endorsments than their main sponser pays them.

bikenweed · Nov 3, 2004

I think we can all agree that the pro's don't do it for the money. If you wanna get rich, find just about any other sport. Even the pro fishermen make way more than the top MTB pros. I wonder how much Dave Mirra makes....

sod8 · Nov 3, 2004

In some recent magazine I believe Shaums March made something like a $100,000 (could be wrong about this figure) when he signed with Schwinn way back when. Things have changed dramatically in a short period of time.

TheInedibleHulk · Nov 3, 2004

bikenweed said:
I think we can all agree that the pro's don't do it for the money. If you wanna get rich, find just about any other sport. Even the pro fishermen make way more than the top MTB pros. I wonder how much Dave Mirra makes....

ALOT, I saw his cribs episode, you dont live there and drive that sh1t if youre not making at least a million. He probably makes as much as the best mountain bikers just with his comp winnings. Plus when you have a video game, shoe sponsor, ect, Im sure youre pretty well set.

thaflyinfatman · Nov 3, 2004

In a lot of ways it's cool that money isn't the driving factor - everyone does it cos they love it, and the sport is still actually a sport.

Threepointtwo · Nov 3, 2004

Mani_UT said:
Quite a few actually especially in Paris!!
Yeah France got posers too
He should have stuck to his Cayenne instead of getting that POS

I thought all the cool frenchies drove German station wagons.

Kornphlake · Nov 3, 2004

I don't think there are enough mountain biking pros who make enough for the title pro racer to be considered an occupation. I'm guessing that if Lopes has a mansion in Bel-Air it's because he knows how to manage his money, not because mongoose is giving him money by the truck load.

dhtahoe · Nov 3, 2004

ZJChaser said:
hmm..wonder where lopes got the $$ for his house then..its pretty nice and not in a "cheap" area. Mut have some other sources of income. or its from the $$ that was made a while ago.

He bought his house when things were a little better. He is making under half of what he made just a few years ago. Things as a pro DH rider are Baaaaaaddddddddd!!!

Jeremy R · Nov 3, 2004

Kornphlake said:
I don't think there are enough mountain biking pros who make enough for the title pro racer to be considered an occupation.

No doubt, for the select few that make a good living at it, Cedric, Lopes, EC etc..., most of them do not get anything.
For example, your 8th fastest Norba DHer or your 8th fastest MTX rider, does not even get a salary. That's not an occupation, it is a travesty.
Any random fatazz double AA baseball player batting 8th in the lineup makes more than some of the top MTB racers. You have to be in it for the love.
Its no different than you average amatuer who sinks the very little money that he does have into the sport, because he loves it.
And as far as Mirra, he probaly makes more than all mountain bikers added together. X-games built him a fortune.

Transcend · Nov 3, 2004

Cedric and lopes are indeed the 2 most highly paid riders on the circuit. That doesn't mean much of course, in a market where you can score the work of a fast aussies for about $5K + expenses...

Most of Lopes' money came from shrewd investments (hello oakley and krispy kreme!). His actual racing salary is closer to what your average pediatrician makes.

EC was the highest paid pro the last few years, due to a LONG contract he signed in the 90s. From what i understand, it was in the 6 figure area.

neversummersnow · Nov 3, 2004

Cycling in general is cyclical. I'm not saying to wait around for the money but it will return again...to the point where if you are an okay pro you'll be taken care of. (who knows, 4-8 years)

dan-o · Nov 3, 2004

I doubt the industry will ever return to the madness that ruled the US MTB scene during the 90's (huge salaries, big rig support trucks etc). The costs simply didn't result in increased sales. At this stage in the game, manufacturers sponsor race programs for pretty much the same reason pros race for peanuts: they are passionate about bike racing.

Things are different in europe where cycling can draw crowds and is established in the cultures. Your average american could care less about bike racing as evidenced by the weak spectator (ie. non racer/family/friends) turn outs at nationals.

JRogers · Nov 3, 2004

dan-o said:
Things are different in europe where cycling can draw crowds and is established in the cultures. Your average american could care less about bike racing as evidenced by the weak spectator (ie. non racer/family/friends) turn outs at nationals.

And it's not like the spectators that do go to races are spending mad dough there. I went to Sandpoint this summer just to watch and spent a total (besides gas and food, none of which was bought at the venue) of about 60 bucks, 10 on parking and about 50 on tires from Kenda.

Tully · Nov 3, 2004

I heard in makes around 30k/year from his factory ride, and all the rest, totalling a few 100k, is from endorsements and winnings. Sounds reasonable to me.

heikkihall · Nov 3, 2004

I made $40 dollars at a race once.

Spunger · Nov 3, 2004

Dave Mirra and the other top Dirt Jump/Park riders do make very good money. Think about who sponsors them. Lee dungeree's, slim jim, he's got his own video game marketed on every platform (pc, xbox, playstation, gamecube) so he's hitting every market.

Pro MTB riders have big named sponsor too, it's just a different sport. I'm sure DH would get kids intrests if it didn't cost so much to be in the sport. Dave Mirra and those guys show you what they can do on their what, $600 BMX bike? You look at jersey's of riders and see all the sponsors and you'd think they make a ton of money but truth of the matter is they get a load of free products to test and use, plus travel expenses to go around the world to ride. I'd take $30-50k a year with everything else paid for. If my bikes, parts, trips, races, and hotels/food was all paid for how much more do you need?

Lopes and the BMX crowd cashed in during their BMX days and into MTB. When it was big in the 90's they got their money and bought in when it was the right time. How inflation has been now I don't think you'd see Lopes or EC with what they have now.

Anything where the sport can be televised (X-games, olympics, ESPN) those athletes are going to make more $$$ than the underground unknown riders. Hell look at X-games, and you see skaters that use to just be on shoe sponsorships and on their board company tapes now in the X-games because they know they can cash in. So they pick up a board sponsor, clothes, shoes and they're set. It's a good life for a while but I couldn't imagine doing that my entire life. But for a few years it'd be fun.

Brian Peterson · Nov 3, 2004

Here is one more thing... A gold at the X Games is worth at least $25,000.... Not to mention additional money from sponsors and endorsements..

Brian

snowskilz · Nov 3, 2004

I am friends with a pro snowboarder and know of a few pro skateboarders and they make serious $$$. Lets say their is a pro contest and the the purse for 1st is 10k, well the person who wins usually makes about 2x that from their sponsors for winning the one contest
Heres the way it works
Sponsor A pays out at 1x the purse
sponsor B pays out at .5x the purse
Sponsor C pays out at .25x the purse
Sponsor D pays out at .25x the purse
So this pro just walked away making 30k for one contest.

Now if that pro wins the X Games he buys himself an Audi TT

If mtn biking works the same way which i think it does then pros could make lots o cash.

Media endorsements are another big money maker, my friend who is a pro gets paid by everyone of his sponsor everytime he has a magazine shot. and 2x that everytime he gets a cover shot(which he hasnt had one yet)

thaflyinfatman · Nov 3, 2004

Jeremy R said:
No doubt, for the select few that make a good living at it, Cedric, Lopes, EC etc..., most of them do not get anything.
For example, your 8th fastest Norba DHer or your 8th fastest MTX rider, does not even get a salary. That's not an occupation, it is a travesty.
Any random fatazz double AA baseball player batting 8th in the lineup makes more than some of the top MTB racers. You have to be in it for the love.
Its no different than you average amatuer who sinks the very little money that he does have into the sport, because he loves it.
And as far as Mirra, he probaly makes more than all mountain bikers added together. X-games built him a fortune.

IMO there's just too many "pros". There's only a select handful who are widely known and fast enough to really be competitive for the win in Norbas or WCs, so it's not really a surprise (or a "travesty") that only a handful make money.

You have to remember that this is a SPORT. We do it for fun, not because it has any real practical applications outside recreation (yeah ok, some cheap commuter bikes now have disc brakes - woohoo). Why people *should* be paid (especially as highly as some sportsmen are) for having fun, I'm not really sure. I suppose if they're a major part of a company's R+D then fair enough, but meh.

neversummersnow · Nov 3, 2004

heikkihall said:
I made $40 dollars at a race once.

well i made 8 dollars once

ThePriceSeliger · Nov 3, 2004

I almost won money in a race, but then I didn't... does that count?

mental · Nov 3, 2004

I've got you all beat in the $$$ department!

The first race I ever attended was a snow cross affair and I took home $400 for the win! Being as it was a small race at a very out of the way venue, I figured it would only get better!

It's been downhill ever since!

I won more at that one race than I have in the 6 years following!

ioscope · Nov 3, 2004

I think I'll just get a REAL JOB. Until racing is back on tv and you can get an imitation DH bike to all those impressionable kids out there.

MTB is an old man sport.

Old men are wise.
They know not to waste their dough.

Bike companies make less money because of their thrifty
customers!

Jeremy R · Nov 3, 2004

thaflyinfatman said:
IMO there's just too many "pros". There's only a select handful who are widely known and fast enough to really be competitive for the win in Norbas or WCs, so it's not really a surprise (or a "travesty") that only a handful make money.

You have to remember that this is a SPORT. We do it for fun, not because it has any real practical applications outside recreation (yeah ok, some cheap commuter bikes now have disc brakes - woohoo). Why people *should* be paid (especially as highly as some sportsmen are) for having fun, I'm not really sure. I suppose if they're a major part of a company's R+D then fair enough, but meh.

Um, still don't know why you quoted me, unless you just wanted to quote the word "travesty." It is bitchin' after all. :blah:

But you basically just said the same thing I said.
Only a select few get paid, and it is nothing some kid should aspire to for an "occupation." Ride your bike because you love to and race it for the same reason.
I do think the very top pros should get paid though. Seeing them ride in person is amazing and they should be able to make a living, even a small one, by being at the top of a sport, even a $hittily marketed one.

RAcErX336 · Nov 4, 2004

In Motocross, alot of times a sponsor will do alittle bit more than just money to get you to ride for them. Kawasaki bought James Stewart some land and built him and his family a nice house on it with a SX and MX track. THat was before he was on their factory teem, just sort of as a deal to say we want yoiu to ride for us when you turn 16. Fox also does alot of things for their riders and that could explain Lopes' house.

How much $$$ a por can get?

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