The financial reality of World Cup racers, legendary trails, and the raw adrenaline of riders living the dream despite the challenges! LET'S SEND IT 👇
1145 words of pure stoke.
Read time: 4 min 20 seconds.
Photo of the Day
The trail ends, Alex doesn’t.
We can never get enough of this legendary booter!
📷 Dan Griffiths behind the lens.
Video of the Day
The locations are unreal, the riding’s unchained, and somehow it still feels like a meditation.
THE FRELSI reminds us that sometimes the biggest trick is finding peace between the berms.
Bring your brain, not just your brake finger.
⏰ Watch time - 5 min 34 sec
Bonus: Gap to nose bonk to sketchy drop to... yeah, we lost count.
Dylan Stark’s definition of “extra footage” is most riders’ (including ours) lifetime highlight reel.
⏰ Watch time - 2 min 04 sec
Send of the Day
Riding like the hospital bill's already paid.
How Much Do World Cup Riders Really Earn? Let’s Break It Down
Ever wonder how much World Cup racers earn? Yeah, so do they.
While footballers flaunt Lambos and tennis players cash six-figure checks for losing in the semis, mountain bikers are out here throwing themselves down cliffs for prize money that sometimes wouldn’t cover a bike box fee.
We’ve been poking around this dusty corner of the sport since 2021, trying to drag some rider salary data into the daylight.
Spoiler alert: it’s still murky, NDA-covered, and kinda grim.
But someone’s gotta ask the awkward money questions.
And so, once again, Pinkbike crunched the numbers from 118 top-tier World Cup pros to figure out who’s getting paid, who’s just scraping by, and who’s living on electrolyte drink mix and hopes.
Total Earnings Breakdown: The Salary Saga
- 22% of surveyed pros made less than $5K last year. Yep, less than your barista with a side hustle.
- 6% didn’t get paid at all. Zero. Zilch. Just vibes.
- 40% earned under $15K, and over half the pros (55%) pulled in less than $30K.
- Meanwhile, 26% hit over $75K, and 10% cracked the $150K mark. Just don’t ask how much a Formula One backmarker earns for parking a car in 17th.
But here’s the kicker: salary is only part of the story.
Brands can burn through $50K+ per rider per season just to get them around the world flights, vans, hotels, mechanics, race fees, and occasionally, pizza.
Some riders even take lower salaries just to land a factory ride and skip managing their own sponsors, contracts, and weird travel invoices from Austrian Air.
What Discipline Pays the Least? (Spoiler: It’s Enduro)
- Enduro: 50% of riders earned less than $10K.
- Downhill and XC: 50% are between $0 and $30K.
- Across all three, the modal income (fancy stats word for “most common”) is under $5K for enduro and DH. XC racers edge slightly higher into the $20K–$30K range.
On the flipside, top 10% of DH and XC pros are banking up to $500K+, with enduro’s upper crust peaking just below that.
Although oddly, nobody sat in the $250K–$500K bracket this year.
Either they rounded down or just ghosted the survey.
💼 Comparing the Numbers Year to Year
The $0–$10K crew dropped slightly this year to 38% (down from 47%), but still makes up the largest chunk.
The $10K–$50K bracket also shrank to under 30% for the first time.
Four years in, there’s still no rocket-ship trend line here.
Despite all the industry noise about growing the sport, prize purses and salaries haven’t made the same leap.
Where Does the Money Come From?
- 57% of surveyed pros live entirely off mountain biking.
- 27% earned nothing from the sport.
- The rest? They’ve got side hustles. Coaching, wrenching, flipping bikes, maybe running suspiciously successful Etsy shops.
Since 2021, the trend has split hard: more riders are either making a full income or absolutely none.
The squishy middle is thinning out fast.
🐣 First-Year Racers? Broke.
Of the 2024 World Cup rookies surveyed:
- 100% earned less than $10K, and
- 30% got a big fat zero.
Even second-year riders didn’t fare much better:
- 77% made less than $10K.
- One legend in their second season did pull $200K–$250K, proving miracles do happen.
If you want to make real money, survive at least four seasons.
That’s when earnings start creeping past $50K, and for the grizzled veterans (5+ years), the modal pay jumps to $75K–$100K.
Are Riders Happy With Their Pay?
Weirdly, yes. 51% think their salary is fair.
In 2021, that number was just 29%, so either pay’s improving… or riders are just emotionally numb now.
Why Do Riders Think They’re Underpaid?
Top five reasons racers gave:
- “I don't have a big enough social media following.” (58%)
- “My pay doesn’t match my skill level.” (42%)
- “My contract sucks.” (40%)
- “I haven’t had my breakout result yet.” (40%)
- “I don’t have the right connections.” (35%)
No one blamed their flat pedals (suspicious).
Unpacking the Financial Side of MTB Racing
Being a World Cup pro is less “millionaire athlete” and more “dirtbag with a passport.”
A few top riders are crushing it financially, but most are out here doing it for the love, the dream, and maybe a free pair of gloves.
Want to make a living racing bikes? It’s possible. But bring grit, a business brain, and probably a backup plan.
Dream Rides ❤️
When a bike looks this good, it’s hard not to appreciate it.
Revel’s closing shop, but their legacy will stay on the trails.
We wanna see it! Shoot us an email at editorial@thesenditdaily.com, and maybe your ride will be the next superstar.
Trail of the Day
Earth Circus - Whistler
One of the freshest acts in the Creekside lineup, Earth Circus is less “hold on for dear life” and more “let’s cruise and schmooze.”
Built by the trail wizards at Gravity Logic, this modern flow trail comes with a mellow grade, generous grade reversals (a.k.a. speed detox stations), and zero interest in roasting your rotors with brake bumps.
Think buttery berms, sneaky rollers that double as launchpads, and enough hidden side hits to make your trail bike feel like a dirt jumper.
It’s like a chill Sunday ride… if your Sunday ride had airtime and a backstage pass to Whistler’s fun zone.
Laugh of the Day
Where do we go from here? 😂
For the ❤️ of two wheels.
We write The Send It Daily Monday - Friday (we’re out riding on the weekends). We do not proofread our material before sending and did not get A’s in English.
Our mission is simple: To advocate and bring awareness to the athletes that Send It and the media teams that capture it.
If you’re looking to feature content on The Send It Daily, reach out to editorial@thesenditdaily.com.
For more information, visit us at thesenditdaily.com
