*According to this salary top 20 list, Peter Sagan is the best paid rider in the world on €5 million per year*

French newspaper L'Équipe has compiled a list of the top 20 salaries in the pro peloton with Peter Sagan of Bora-hansgrohe coming out on top with €5 million per year.

His large salary is paid for by a combination of his team and Specialized; the relationship making it possible for Bora-hansgrohe to afford to sign him back in 2017.

While Sagan is top, the Team Ineos duo of Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas round out the top three; on €4.5m and €3.5 respectively.

Thomas ensured he got a very large salary bump as he was coming to the end of his contract in 2018 and did not sign a new one before the Tour de France, which he went on to win.

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After Froome and Thomas, their team mate and current Tour champion Egan Bernal is next on the list; already making €2.7 million per year despite being aged just 23 years old.

Incredibly it is Fabio Aru who sits in fifth place in charts; the Italian rider earning €2.7 million per year. He was Vuelta champion in 2015 and has twice finished in the top three in Giro but since being signed by his current team, UAE Team Emirates, in 2018 he has been a flop due to injury.

Mikel Kwiatkowski (Team Ineos) rounds out the top six; the super domestique, and former world champion, paid €2.5m. He hasn't won a race for two years.

Many pro riders also have significant win bonus clauses in their contracts. However, this list relates to basic salary only.