Team GB cyclists among richest Olympians, analysis reveals
Three cyclists made the top five of the Team GB Olympics rich list, but the list shows the stark disparity between men's and women's earnings
Sir Bradley Wiggins, Mark Cavendish and Chris Froome are all in the top five highest earning British Olympians, according to research into athletes’ fortunes.
The three cyclists have fortunes thought to be in excess of £10 million each, but they are all behind tennis player Andy Murray.
The twice Wimbledon champion and double gold medal winner is at the top of Team GB’s rich list with a net worth said to be in the region of £62m.
Gold medal winning golfer Justin Rose is in at second with a wealth of £33m, before the trio of cyclists round out the top five.
The analysis from The Sunday Times Rich List [£] reports Sir Bradley’s fortune at £13m, Cavendish’s at £12m and Froome’s at £10m.
The three cyclists count four Tour de France overall victories and 39 stage wins between them, on top of the 11 Olympic medals they’ve gained.
Riders who ride solely on the track with a focus on the Olympic Games, such as six-time gold medal winner Jason Kenny, will have amassed much smaller fortunes. Kenny, in particular, keeps a fairly low profile between competitions.
However, there is no direct scale between Olympic success and personal earnings, which are far more dictated by the athlete’s gender and their activities outside of the Games.
Laura Trott, four time gold medallist and Britain’s most successful female Olympian – in any sport – is said to have a net worth of £700,000. A sizeable fortune for most of us, but proportionately down on her male compatriots.
Lower wages on the road for the women’s peloton mean financial rewards are lower for riders like Trott.