Peter Sagan and Chris Froome still top-paid male riders but Geraint Thomas is not far behind, according to reports

Peter Sagan and Chris Froome remain cycling’s highest paid stars, according to reports, but Welshman Geraint Thomas is not far behind.

French newspaper L’Equipe has compiled a list of the 15-top paid riders from the men’s WorldTour peloton and there are a few surprises in there.

Former three-time world champion Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) holds the top spot with €5 million (£4.4 million), while seven-time Grand Tour winner Froome (Team Ineos) is not far behind on €4.5 million (£4 million).

But perhaps more surprising is third place in the ranking, Geraint Thomas who is on €3.5million (£3.1 million) if the reports are to be believed.

Thomas has built up an impressive palmarès during his 11 years with Team Ineos (formerly Team Sky), but his crowning achievement was a surprise victory in the 2018 Tour de France, which was quickly followed by a new three-year contract with the British WorldTour team.

Rising superstar and 2019 Tour de France winner Egan Bernal (Team Ineos) is the fourth biggest earner, according to L’Equipe with an estimated €2.7million income.

Other riders earning more than €2 million include Fabio Aru (UAE Team Emirates), Michał Kwiatkowski (Team Ineos), Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck – Quick-Step) and Vincenzo Nibali (Trek-Segafredo).

Slightly lower down the list, Nairo Quintana is now believed to be the 13th highest earning rider in the world, now on €1.9 million after his switch from Movistar to ProTeam Arkéa-Samsic.

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Winner of the 2017 Giro d’Italia, Tom Dumoulin is also surprisingly low on the list, with an estimated salary of €1.9 million with Jumbo-Visma, slightly less than his new team-mate and Vuelta a España winner Primož Roglič, who makes an estimated €2 million.

Cycling's highest paid riders, according to L'Equipe 

1. Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe), €5 million

2. Chris Froome (Team Ineos), €4.5 million

3. Geraint Thomas (Team Ineos) €3.5 million

4. Egan Bernal (Team Ineos) €2.7million

5. Fabio Aru (UAE Team Emirates), €2.6 million

6. Michał Kwiatkowski (Team Ineos) , €2.5 million

7. Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck – Quick-Step) €2.3 million

8. Alejandro Valverde (Movistar), €2.2 million

9. Vincenzo Nibali (Trek-Segafredo), €2.1 million

10. Richard Carapaz ( Team Ineos), €2.1 million

11. Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ), €2 million

12. Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma), €2 million

13. Nairo Quintana (Arkèa-Samsic) €1.9 million

14. Elia Viviani (Cofidis), €1.9 million

15. Tom Dumoulin (Jumbo-Visma), €1.8 million