For three weeks this July, the best cyclists from around the globe will participate at the 2019 Tour de France, stretching the boundaries of what a human body can do on a bike over a span of three weeks. The Tour de France is one of the Grand Tour events, and it’s the biggest bike race in the world, though, the sum of the prizes given out at the conclusion of the competition seemingly does not do enough justice to the several levels of punishment which await all the riders vying for the first place. The total purse for the Tour de France is set at €2.3 million or just $2,620,976. For a better understanding of how relatively meager that amount is compared to other top sporting events, just consider the fact that Rafael Nadal, on his winnings alone from the recently concluded 2019 French Open, could pay all the riders who will pedal at this year’s Tour De France. Still, it’s better than working at WalMart.
There aren’t a lot of sporting events in the world that could top the hellish condition and challenge that the Tour de France offers to its competitors. Riders are expected to complete 21 grueling stages, each testing the limits of human capabilities. It takes supreme physical conditioning to be competitive in this race, but it probably takes more from the mental fortitude of humans willing to subject themselves in this kind of contest. If it sounds like we’re describing the Tour de France as though it’s torture, it’s probably because it is, albeit one that gives eternal glory to its (honest) winners.
And what will the 2019 Tour de France winner make? The answer is €500,000 or the equivalent of $569,777. That doesn’t sound a lot when thinking of the financial payoff for having to survive 21 stages of the Tour, let alone top everybody on the field, but then again, the prestige and the honor that come along with triumphing at the Tour de France are priceless.
The purse for the 2019 Tour de France is exactly the same as the breakdown of the prize money in last year’s edition of the race when Geraint Thomas Thomas won the title. Tom Dumoulin came in second to get the €200,000 prize for the runner-up, while Chris Froome rounded out the podium finishers by placing third for a still cool sum of €100,000.
