The mainstream French press might have headlines about the woes of the Euro currency this morning but nobody’s going to turn down a truckload of money, whether they’re Greek citizens or Belgian cyclists.
Below is a list of prizes earned so far during the race. As you can see, Omega-Pharma Lotto have struck the jackpot thanks to Philippe Gilbert’s consistent riding, and Garmin-Cervélo’s efforts with Thor Hushovd have had a similar effect.
For me the list correlates quite closely with the visibility of a team during the race. I’ve barely seen Liquigas-Cannondale in the race, their lime green clothing is normally hi-viz but they’ve not been in a breakaway or in the mix for a stage win so far, although Euskaltel and Astana have been trying.
Some teams might not agree but it’s more common in sport to see “a winner takes all scenario” with a few running off with all the prizes. But note Europcar sit in 10th place and still have a fair haul.
Of course there are some things money can’t buy. Nobody is aiming for the money, a stage win or a day in yellow offers rewards than go well beyond the cash prize. Plus you can’t buy a Crédit Lyonnais lion.
For a full breakdown of the cash prizes, see a previous post.
Informative, thanks.
I am always impressed with your ability to source the most apt of pictures.
As always I enjoy and appreciate your good work.
I reckon Liquigas will stay in the shadows for a few more days then 9 men in green will magically appear at the front at the bottom of the Plateau de Beille. Basso in yellow by the end of the day!
Thanks for all the trivia-geek info you post – naughty lists, prizes, rules and regulations. It’s great. And I think anonymous in the first week of a grand tour is just fine if you’re going for the overall. Keep yourself out of trouble and save your energy.
Comparing this to this post from Cycling Tips on team budgets makes for an interesting picture of which teams provide the most value and which are underperforming.
http://www.cyclingtipsblog.com/2011/07/le-tour-diary-stage-8-team-budgets/
Garmin comes out looking great while Katusha looks awful.
HTC-High Road are probably more motivated than most – the TdF prizemoney may end up being their new co-sponsor….. 😉
Hi
do you know how the spoils are distributed within the teams? riders only? or staff included?
Kd: staff get a share. Teams have formulas and usually the riders get a bigger share but the staff do get some too.
thnx, it sounds like lot less if you have to dived prices between riders & Staff. Say riders get double payment compared to the staff, and double numbers of staff to riders (9 riders 18 staff?), Lotto guys get €1000 each so far and liguigas a verry modest €50 each….