How Much Do Mountain Bikers Make In Prize Money?

How much do the world’s best mountain bikers make for winning the biggest events?

UCI World Cups

The UCI World Cup is one of the most prestigious series in mountain biking, but the prize money might surprise you. For a single World Cup win in 2025, the winner takes home around $4,000. World Champs pays the most of any individual race

The biggest payout from the UCI comes from winning the overall World Cup title, which nets the champion about $10,500. While this might sound like a decent sum, it’s worth noting that when adjusted for inflation, UCI prize money has actually decreased since the 1990s. This is particularly surprising considering the UCI is reportedly bringing in record revenues from sponsorships and media rights.

Red Bull Events: Where the Big Money Is

When it comes to mountain biking events with bigger payouts, Red Bull takes the lead. Winning a Red Bull Hardline race—known for its insane technical difficulty and massive features—earns the victor $15,000. But the real jackpot in mountain biking is Red Bull Rampage, the sport’s most iconic freeride event.

At Rampage, the winner walks away with $100,000 and offers $15,000 for second place and $10,000 for third. This makes Rampage the most lucrative event in the mountain biking world by a significant margin.

How Does Mountain Biking Compare to Other Sports?

While $100,000 for winning Rampage is impressive, it pales in comparison to prize money in other sports. For example:

• The Disc Golf Pro Tour Championship awards $300,000 to the winner.

• The PDC World Darts Championship winner pockets a whopping $600,000.

This raises the question: How is this possible when mountain biking is such a massive and visually spectacular sport?