When Peter Sagan sprinted across the finish line in the iconic Roubaix velodrome on Sunday after conquering Paris-Roubaix, he added the name of one of the biggest races to his already lengthy list of victories – and with it a significant financial prize.
The 28-year-old Bora-Hansgrohe rider netted €30,000 (£26,160) for victory after six hours of riding in the gruelling 257-kilometre race that famously takes in just over 54 kilometres of rough cobbled roads in northern France.
Sagan's €30,000 winner's earnings are part of a total prize pot of €91,000 for the race, which sees financial rewards handed out to the top 20 riders.
Swiss rider Silvan Dillier (Ag2r La Mondiale) received €22,000 (£19,189) for placing second, with Niki Terpstra (Quick-Step Floors) getting €15,000 (£13,083) for third spot.
>>> ‘I got to the velodrome and the gates were closed’: The extraordinary story of the final finisher from Paris-Roubaix
Looking down to the bottom of the list of prize money, Heinrich Haussler (Bahrain-Merida) received €500 for placing 20th.
However, Paris-Roubaix cost Sagan and Dillier some money too. According to the Paris-Roubaix post-race jury report, the riders were both fined 1000 Swiss Francs (£739 or €848) for taking 'unauthorised refreshment' during the final 20km, which is against the UCI's race regulations.
The biggest race on the calendar - the three-week Tour de France – has a total prize pot of €2,287,650 (£2 million). The overall winner receives €500,000 (£436,000).
As with the majority of sporting events, the money generated from winning doesn't just end with the prize money. The exposure for the individual rider and team in winning a prestigious event will help attract sponsorship and endorsements. Plus Sagan may also receive a winner's bonus from the team, a sum which usually remains confidential.
The real value of winning Paris-Roubaix will significantly exceed €30,000.
However, it's all small change compared to the prize money awarded in other sports. The men's singles winner at the Wimbledon tennis tournament in 2017 netted £2,200,000, and the winner of the 2018 Masters golf took home £1,405,542. The Ferrari Formula 1 team earned an estimated, eye-watering sum of £180 million in 2017.
Paris-Roubaix 2018 prize money and who won it
1. Peter Sagan (Svk) Bora-Hansgrohe, €30,000
2. Silvan Dillier (Sui) Ag2r La Mondiale, €22,000
3. Niki Terpstra (Ned) Quick-Step Floors, €15,000
4. Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing, €7,500
5. Jasper Stuyven (Bel) Trek-Segafredo, €3,200
6. Sep Vanmarcke (Bel) EF Education First-Drapac, €1,700
7. Nils Politt (Ger) Katusha-Alpecin, €1,500
8. Taylor Phinney (USA) EF Education First-Drapac, €1,300
9. Zdenek Stybar (Cze) Quick-Step Floors, €1,200
10. Jens Debusschere (Bel) Lotto-Soudal, €1,100
11. Mike Teunissen (Ned) Team Sunweb, €1,000
12. Oliver Naesen (Bel) Ag2r La Mondiale, €900
13. Wout van Aert (Bel) Veranda's Willems-Crelan, €800
14. Jelle Wallays (Bel) Lotto-Soudal, €700
15. Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Quick-Step Floors, €600
16. Amund Grondahl Jansen (Nor) LottoNL-Jumbo, €500
17. John Degenkolb (Ger) Trek-Segafredo, €500
18. Marco Marcato (Ira) UAE-Team Emirates, €500
19. Dylan van Baarle (Ned) Team Sky, €500
20. Heinrich Haussler (Aus) Bahrain-Merida, €500
