P124
CN
III IN THE PADDOCK
BY MICHAEL SCOTT
Q
uestions asked at par-
ties, number nine: "Do
bike grand prix racers
get paid millions like F1 driv-
ers?" My reply's been the same
for years.
Racing is like rock music.
Those who make it big make
it very big. Riches beyond
avarice. Think Rolling Stones.
Or the rolling Stoner—in spite of
his, Casey Stoner's early retire-
ment aged just 27. (A rather
different kind of "27 Club" from
that in pop.)
But there are hordes of su-
perbly talented musicians who
end up starving in lonely gar-
rets. Or doing the dish washing.
Talent by itself is not enough.
It's even more the case—even
less room at the top—in bike
racing. In spite of successful
commercialization, and in spite
of the continuing redistribu-
tion of wealth initiated by IRTA
in the 1990s (currently aimed
at giving independent teams
financial stability), there are
many, many more good riders
struggling to make ends meet
than there are buying luxury
homes in Andorra.
Oh boy, it's not as bad as
it used to be. I recall talking
in the paddock in Austria to
TALENT VERSUS THE POVERTY GAP
