New UCI president David Lappartient with 2014 Worlds winner Michał Kwiatkowski on the start line (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)

The minimum wage for WorldTour and Pro Continental riders is set to rise in 2018 for the first time in five years. According to a joint agreement published recently by the UCI, the base salary for WorldTour riders will rise by almost 2,000 euros per year, while for Pro Continental riders it will be 605 euros more per year.

Despite general inflation, the official minimum wage has not changed since 2013, when it was set at 36,000 euros for established WorldTour riders and 32,250 euros for those racing at the Pro Continental level. Neo-pros in the WorldTour were guaranteed a minimum of 29,370 euros, while Pro Continental neo-pros would get at least 25,300 euros.

Neo-pros are defined as riders who join a "UCI WorldTeam or UCI Professional Continental Team for the first time no later than during his twenty-fifth year".

From January 2018, neo-pros will get at least 25,806 euros at Pro Continental level and 30,839 euros at WorldTour. Their more senior counterparts will be entitled to a minimum salary of 30,855 euros at Pro Continental and 38,115 euros if they ride for a WorldTour squad.

The new agreement has laid out increases of two per cent in 2019 and then a further two per cent in 2020. A new agreement will be discussed for after the 2020 season, but if the parties involved cannot come to a new deal then the amounts set out for 2020 will remain in force until such time as it is replaced.

The minimum wage only covers WorldTour and Pro Continental teams and, as of now, still does not secure a minimum wage for the women's peloton, which is treated under the same regulations as men's Continental teams.

Minimum wage has been a hot topic on the women's side of the sport and was part of recently ousted UCI President Brian Cookson's manifesto when he stood for election in 2013, but it did not come to fruition.

The updated joint agreement has been approved by both the Professional Cyclists Association (CPA) and the International Association of Professional Cycling Groups (AIGCP).