Tour de France
Glory, greenbacks go to a select few

By Mark Akins
Seattle Times staff

BERNARD PAPON / AP Lance Armstrong, right, is among the top athletes in the United States when it comes to endorsements.

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The gap in earning power between a cycling superstar and a lowly domestique is wider than a 90-minute deficit in the Tour de France.

A select few, like Lance Armstrong, strike gold on the roads of Europe. "Lance Incorporated" has big-name sponsors like Subaru, Nike and Coca-Cola and will rake in $16.5 million in endorsements this year, according to reports. Sports Illustrated estimated that in endorsement earnings, Armstrong trails only Tiger Woods, LeBron James and Andre Agassi among U.S. athletes.

German rival Jan Ullrich's endorsement deals aren't as lucrative, but his three-year contract with T-Mobile is worth more than $2.5 million per year.

Meanwhile, back in the peloton, many riders make as little as $20,000 per year. That's one reason sprints to the finish line for bonuses are so hotly contested.

A stage winner collects 7,620 euros ($9,328), but riders finishing after 120th place get only 381 euros, according to tourdefrancenews.com.

The trick is to get on a winning team.

Floyd Landis, U.S. Postal Service support rider, nearly tripled his 2002 salary of $60,000 by working for Armstrong. The Tour champion's first prize of 400,000 euros traditionally is split among teammates, and on top of that Armstrong writes huge bonus checks for the team grunts.

Don't worry. Lance can afford it.

Mark Akins: 206-464-8994 or makins@seattletimes.com

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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