July 21 (Bloomberg) -- Cedric Vasseur may have gotten out of professional cycling at just the right time.

Doping scandals have reduced the salaries of Tour de France riders by as much as one-third since he retired last year. Some will earn as little as 30,000 euros ($47,397) in 2008, he said.

``That's not enough,'' said Vasseur, 37, now president of the riders' union, Cyclistes Professionnels Associes. ``The Tour de France riders are like artists giving a concert: They give enjoyment to people, but they aren't treated like artists.''

Ordinary riders are bearing the brunt of the drug probes and suspensions that have prompted sponsors, including Deutsche Telekom AG, to withdraw about $40 million of financial backing. Race leader Michael Rasmussen was pulled out of last year's race for missing doping tests. Four more riders tested positive.

Because they cover as much as 35,000 kilometers (21,752 miles) in racing and training each year, according to Vasseur, some Tour de France riders are paid as little as 1.38 euros per mile pedaled. Some 180 riders started the 3,500-kilometer race that began two weeks ago and ends July 27 in Paris.

While top Tour riders like race leader Frank Schleck earn as much as 500,000 euros, the average cyclist's salary has dropped by about 30 percent to 70,000 euros since last year, said Daniel Malbranque, general secretary of the riders' union.

``Only a handful will make a lot of money,'' said Pat McQuaid, president of cycling's ruling body, Union Cycliste Internationale. ``For the rest, it's a challenge, a dream; having said that, it needs to be a career, too.''

Same Distance

As pay for unheralded cyclists slides, the suffering on the Tour de France remains the same. Competitors ride as much as six hours a day for three weeks.

Pedro Horrillo, who rode his second Tour de France last year, said on some days he was so tired he went to bed as soon as he got to the team hotel after completing a stage.

``If it's a tough day you have to suffer like nothing else,'' Horrillo, 33, said in an e-mail. ``You have to carry on'' whether you're tired or sick. ``You can earn a decent living, if you have a certain amount of luck,'' he added.

Horillo, who isn't competing in this year's race, declined to discuss his salary.

The most poorly paid riders are known as ``domestiques,'' or servants in French. They do the grunt work for team leaders: shielding them from wind, bringing them water bottles and sometime even giving them their bikes.

Less Than Tennis

Their incomes so far in 2008 are about 10 times less than the $178,000 in prize money 100th-ranked Vince Spadea earned to date on the men's tennis tour. Major League Baseball players in the U.S. earn at least $390,000 a year.

``Cycling is losing momentum compared to other sports because of its image problem,'' said Theo de Rooy, who quit managing the Rabobank team last year after Rasmussen was ejected. The squad is sponsored by Dutch bank Rabobank Groep NV.

Bob Stapleton, manager of Team Columbia, is targeting younger riders after his squad's budget was cut in half because Deutsche Telekom's T-Mobile unit ended its $18 million support of the team last year because of doping scandals.

``Our mission is a bit different: We're seeking to develop young talent,'' Stapleton said. ``We want riders in the team who love the sport. If they want to take their money and run, then we're not interested.''

He declined to discuss the salaries of the team's riders.

Extra Pay

Cyclists do have opportunities to supplement their salaries. De Rooy says an ordinary Rabobank rider can make more than 100,000 euros a year with bonuses and appearance money from one-day races.

``It's not a bad living,'' he said.

Vasseur, who boosted his earnings last year by winning a Tour de France stage, agreed that riding has its benefits. He didn't say how much he earned from cycling.

``You get little satisfactions,'' Vasseur said. ``People recognize you, and you forget all the pain on the road.''

There's no let-up in doping scandals this year.

The Saunier Duval team withdrew July 17 after rider Riccardo Ricco tested positive for erythropoietin, or EPO, a stamina-building drug. Ricco had won two stages. The team said it suspended Ricco and withdrew from the race so its sponsors wouldn't be hurt. It also fired rider Leonardo Piepoli for breaking the team's ethics code. It didn't provide more details.

Saunier Duval is a French heating equipment company.

Spanish riders Manuel Beltran of Liquigas and Barloworld's Moises Duenas also tested positive for EPO, their teams said. Beltran was quoted in sports newspaper Marca as saying it wasn't possible he'd tested positive. Duenas couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

Only after doping is banished will the wages of riders pick up again, Vasseur said.

``The last few years nobody has believed in what riders were doing,'' Vasseur said. ``When they start believing again, the money will come back.''

To contact the reporter on this story: Alex Duff in the Madrid newsroom at at aduff4@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: July 20, 2008 18:01 EDT