←back to thread

Good money, no team tactics and cute dogs: the rise of pro cycling freelancers

(www.theguardian.com)
28 points PaulHoule | 1 comments | 22 Oct 24 02:53 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
Show context
propter_hoc ◴[22 Oct 24 03:59 UTC] No.41911063[source]▶
The difference, from the article, seems to be that the European teams are sponsored at the organization level, and pay the riders a salary, but the gravel riders are solo athletes, so they don't get a salary but can get sponsorships directly. Makes sense if you're up for the pressure of being an influencer.
replies(3): >>41911685 #>>41911867 #>>41912274 #
1. dmurray ◴[22 Oct 24 06:57 UTC] No.41911867[source]▶
And yet, the last rider interviewed characterizes it as a "more secure" line of work.

> I’m now making a lot more than I was on a factory team and feel more secure than ever. My salary is diversified across many brands, but if you’re on a team and they have a bad year, that has huge consequences.

Presumably this isn't true for everyone, and most low level domestiques are better off getting $60,000 a year from their team (more or less guaranteed - even if the contract is only for a year and there's some risk of bankruptcy) than rolling the dice on an Instagram/YouTube/TikTok career.