First, a warning. The "State of the Sport Survey" does not contain a list of the names of the stars and their income. It consists of a statistical approximation of the income of professional mountain bikers. So there are a lot of figures involved. Anyone who doesn't find this exciting should stop reading this report here at the latest.

For two years, riders who had finished in the top 40 in a World Cup race (cross country, downhill), an Enduro World Series competition or a top-level slopestyle/freeride competition were sent a questionnaire. They provided their details anonymously. The highest number of responses came from downhill and enduro pros (137 in total), followed by 39 cross-country specialists and 21 slopestylers. 61 % of all respondents were men. Further information on the respondents can be found in the charts.

Now let's get down to the nitty-gritty, namely the money that the pros may or may not earn. 21% are not paid for their world-class performances, a quarter earn 5,000 dollars or less per year and 51% earn no more than 20,000 dollars. At the other end of the scale, a third of the professionals surveyed earn at least 40,000 dollars a year, while 10% earn 100,000 or more. The income distribution is most unequal in the Downhill World Cup, where 46.7 % earn a maximum of 5000 dollars a year, compared to 20 % with 40000 to over 250000 dollars. The most balanced is the field of cross-country specialists, where 40% collect at least 40,000 dollars a year, compared to 20% with 0 to 20,000 dollars.

Unfair differences

Women also earn less than men in the MTB pro circuit: half of all female athletes are in the 10000 - 20000 income category or higher. For their colleagues, the median income (half earn as much or more, the other half earn less) is 10000 - 20000 dollars. For almost all women, the end of the line is reached at 100,000 dollars, while at least 15% of men earn at least that much or significantly more.

It should be emphasized that all these figures are self-declarations; no bank transfers or tax returns were checked. It is also interesting to see how the respondents rate their income. 43 % think that their services are not fairly remunerated. 29 % consider their remuneration to be fair. The rest answered the question with neither yes nor no.

Further details: STATE OF THE SPORT SURVEY, Pinkbike