From €25,000 to more than €600,000 - Women’s cycling’s huge financial leap in nine years clear from blockbuster transfer

Cycling
Paula Blasi at Strade Bianche Donne 2026
In 2018, Andreu Canals negotiated an annual salary of €25,000 for Mavi García at Movistar. The figure, recalled by the former president of the Balearic Cycling Federation and García’s first coach, puts a number on the transformation women’s cycling has undergone in recent years.
The difference between the two contracts exceeds €575,000 a year. Blasi’s salary will be more than 24 times what García earned in that deal, although the two individual agreements reflect different stages in their respective careers and a market that has evolved considerably. Movistar has committed to the Catalan rider on a three-season contract through the end of 2029, highlighting the level of investment leading figures in the women’s peloton can now command.
The same team will bring Paula Blasi on board in 2027 on a salary that, according to Marca, will exceed €600,000 per season. The timeline requires some clarification: nine years will separate García’s contract signing from Blasi’s arrival, while eight years will have passed between the negotiations and the announcement of Blasi’s signing. That span shows how the financial terms available to some of the best riders have changed. Today, they can secure deals that would have been unthinkable for many professionals less than a decade ago.
The growth of women’s cycling has been reflected in more professional teams, greater media attention for races and the emergence of new stars capable of attracting investment.
These two contracts offer a concrete measure of that progress, though they cannot be used to extrapolate salary growth across the entire peloton. The highest salaries show what the market can offer certain stars, but they do not, by themselves, describe the financial reality for all professional women cyclists.
Paula Blasi
Paula Blasi

Blasi, a long-term investment for Movistar

Paula Blasi will join Movistar after a season in which she has achieved top-level results. The Catalan rider has won the Amstel Gold Race and La Vuelta Femenina, and finished fifth at the Tour de France. That record strengthens her standing as one of Spain’s most promising riders and helps explain the scale of the deal that will keep her with the team for three seasons.
Her signing is also an investment in the future. With her contract running through the end of 2029, Movistar has secured the services of a rider who has already shown she can compete for major victories and still has room to develop.
The length of the deal provides stability as the team plans her sporting goals and supports her long-term career within a structure aiming to establish itself among the leading forces in women’s cycling.

€600,000 salary reflects growing market

The annual salary of more than €600,000, according to MARCA, reflects how the market values riders who combine results, potential and the ability to compete in the calendar’s biggest races. It is not simply a reward for past success, but also an investment in a rider who could become one of a team’s sporting pillars over several seasons.
The comparison with Mavi García puts that change into perspective without suggesting the two riders are directly comparable. In 2018, the €25,000 Canals negotiated for the Mallorcan rider reflected the financial terms of the time.
Nine years later, Blasi’s move to Movistar shines a light on a market offering its leading riders very different opportunities. Two contracts, two generations and the same team illustrate the evolution of a sport that has gained ground, visibility and investment.
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