'As if Pogačar were riding for Cofidis': EF boss Vaughters calls for change in cycling

The question of a budget cap or salary cap in cycling has come up more and more in recent years, with teams allowed to spend only a set amount on their riders. Jonathan Vaughters, manager of the American EF Education-EasyPost team, is in favour. “Races are becoming too predictable.”

Vaughters was a guest on his own team’s Cycling Performance Podcast, where he discussed the idea of a cap. “I don’t know whether Pogačar’s dominance is really good for the sport, but it is interesting to look at how it could be,” he begins.

“In Strade Bianche, you know every year where Pogačar is going to attack,” he says. “Now imagine his team could not control things and after his attack he still had to bring back a breakaway of 40 riders. Then it would become interesting again.”

In American sports such as the NBA and NFL, such a cap has existed for a long time. “Pogačar could still earn his 10 million euros a year, but the rest of the team would have to do it on the minimum. It would be as if Pogačar were riding for Cofidis,” the American continued.

“Then we would have an interesting race and I would once again be curious to see who wins. Right now you have the strongest rider, who then rides for the strongest team. That makes it too predictable. You want a sport that is not like that: one where you do not know who is going to win until the very last moment.”