Key Highlights
- 💰 UAE Team Emirates leads all teams with a $67.95M budget for the 2025 Tour de France.
- 🔼 Red Bull–BORA–Hansgrohe saw a notable budget jump from $32.96M in 2023 to $35.21M in 2025.
- 📉 EF Education–EasyPost remains the only top-10 team below the $25M mark at just $24.19M.
Top 10 Tour de France Team Budgets in 2025 (USD)
| Rank | Team | 2025 Budget ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | UAE Team Emirates | 67.95 |
| 2 | Visma | Lease a Bike | 63.50 |
| 2 | Ineos Grenadiers | 63.50 |
| 4 | Lidl–Trek | 39.32 |
| 5 | Red Bull–BORA | 35.21 |
| 6 | Soudal Quick-Step | 32.75 |
| 7 | Bahrain Victorious | 31.51 |
| 8 | Movistar | 28.98 |
| 8 | AG2R | 28.98 |
| 10 | Team PostNL | 27.72 |
The 2025 Tour de France is a test of endurance, but it’s also a financial arms race. The biggest cycling teams pour tens of millions of dollars into rider salaries, equipment, logistics, and support staff to chase the yellow jersey. Below, we break down the top 10 biggest team budgets for this year’s Tour and what those numbers really mean for performance and expectations.
UAE Team Emirates leads the financial pack in 2025
With an estimated 2025 Tour de France budget of $67.95 million, UAE Team Emirates tops the list once again. The team’s financial strength reflects its commitment to dominance across both Grand Tours and key spring races. Their budget increased slightly from approximately $66.13 million in 2024, reinforcing the idea that this is a long-term project built around Tadej Pogačar,whose estimated salary is $8 million.
Pogačar is the most expensive rider in the peloton, and his supporting cast isn’t cheap either. UAE has built a team capable of protecting him in the flats, pacing him in the mountains, and competing in time trials. This kind of depth isn’t possible without elite funding. On top of that, the team’s investment in cutting-edge technology and nutrition programs adds to the cost—but also to their performance edge.
No other team combines talent, planning, and money quite like UAE right now. With Pogačar attempting to win his fourth Tour and defend his Giro-Tour double, every dollar is being spent with purpose. Visma | Lease a Bike and Ineos Grenadiers are trying to compete with their spending, but ultimately still trail by roughly $4.5 million.
Red Bull–BORA–Hansgrohe ramps up investment
One of the more interesting developments this year is the jump from Red Bull–BORA–Hansgrohe. Their budget climbs from $32.96 million in 2023 to $35.21 million in 2025. That’s a notable increase for a team that recently added Red Bull as a title sponsor, a move that clearly came with serious financial backing.
The team is expected to center its GC ambitions around Primož Roglič, who remains a major player in the Tour’s overall standings. That level of talent requires financial commitment in rider salary, and in support. Red Bull’s involvement also brings in deeper access to sports science, data analytics, and equipment upgrades.
Compared to the sport’s biggest spenders, BORA is still in the second tier. But the gap is shrinking. In the last five years, they’ve transformed from a wildcard team into a consistent podium threat, and 2025 looks like their most ambitious campaign yet.
EF Education–EasyPost remains an outlier in spending
At just $24.19 million, EF Education–EasyPost is the only team from the 2024 top 10 with a budget under $25 million. While they’ve always run lean, the gap between them and the top-tier budgets continues to widen. That forces the team to be more selective about its goals and creative with race strategy.
EF focuses on opportunistic stage wins, breakaway days, and publicity-grabbing moves. Their Tour squads often include aggressive riders who can shake up the race, even if they’re not threats for the overall GC. They’ve also leaned into sponsorship storytelling and media exposure, helping them remain visible despite a limited budget.
While the money doesn’t match the likes of UAE or Ineos, EF still has experienced staff and a proven ability to overachieve. But over three weeks, budget limitations often show up in the mountains and time trials where equipment and recovery support really matter. That said, they remain a fan favorite for a reason—EF races hard, races smart, and doesn’t play it safe.
Other Noteworthy Budget Insights
- Lidl–Trek has the highest budget outside the top three teams at $39.32M.
- Uno-X Mobility has the lowest team budget at $10.14M a whopping $57M less than the top teams.
Commentary
“When you look at the 2025 budgets, the split is obvious,” said Nick Raffoul, Head of News at SportsCasting.
“Three teams—UAE, Visma, and Ineos—are operating with over $60 million. Everyone else is $20–40 million behind. That changes how teams race. Lidl–Trek and BORA can still win stages and contend on a good day, but they’re not built to control a Grand Tour.
EF, with less than $25 million, has no choice but to go after breakaways and exposure. This is how the Tour works now. The top-tier teams fund deep support squads, specialists, and marginal gains systems. Mid-tier teams are managing what they have.
Budgets this wide create different goals before the race even starts.”
