Wednesday, July 3, 2024

Economics of Tour de France

Wheels of Happiness

It is shrouded in secrecy.  But caravans consisting of trucks advertising their goods and giving out promo items, spend up to $600,000 to join the caravan.  The caravan might be a km long and take 30- minutes to finish.  

A team can spend up to $20M for the tour:  bike, team vehicles, riders salaries.

LCL pays $4 -10M for so that their name is in the yellow jersey.

Revenues of TDF ranges from $50 - $100M.  Big deal eh?



  • 34 staff members (mechanics, drivers, sports doctors, nutritionists)
  • 55 bikes (6 per rider), at ~$13k each
  • 80 spare wheels, 82 spare cassettes, and 57 spare chains
  • 4,360 energy gels and bars + 3,300 water bottles
  • 40 bottles of massage cream
  • 100 rolls of bar tape (changed every 4 days)
  • 5 air purifiers, 9 AC units, and 9 dehumidifiers

All in, today’s top-level cycling teams can easily exceed a $20m annua

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