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Cadel Evans<\/a><\/p>\n A quick chat with the 2011 Tour de France winner.<\/p>\n Cadel Evans (right) with Mapei’s general manager of Australian operations, Marco De Santis.<\/p>\n For the first time since its inception, the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race is getting a title sponsor. After being a \u201cpremium partner\u201d of ‘Cadel\u2019s Race’ since the first edition back in 2015, Mapei \u2013 \u201cone of the world\u2019s leading manufacturers of chemical products for the building industry\u201d \u2013 is set to get top billing in 2026.<\/p>\n Sponsorship announcements aren’t normally all that relevant or interesting to the average cycling fan, but in this case, Mapei isn\u2019t just some random brand slapping its name on an existing event. Rather, Mapei is a brand with a long and storied history in cycling, having run one of the most successful teams of the 1990s (with some of the greatest kits of that era, too).<\/p>\n Of the 10 years it sponsored a professional road team, Mapei (known as Mapei-QuickStep in its final form) took out the UCI’s team ranking on eight occasions. Among the riders winning big in Mapei colours over the years: Tony Rominger, Johan Museeuw, Frank Vandenbroucke, Tom Steels, Paolo Bettini, Oscar Freire, and many more.<\/p>\n Cadel Evans, too, has close ties with Mapei. He raced with the team in its final year \u2013 2002 \u2013 but who better to explain that relationship than the man himself, winner of the 2011 Tour de France, and the man whose name is attached to the race Mapei is now title sponsor of.<\/p>\n In the following conversation with Escape Evans spoke about his links with Mapei, the brand joining as title sponsor for the 10th edition of the 2026 Mapei Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, and about what he\u2019s been up to lately.\u00a0<\/p>\n Matt de Neef: So tell me about Mapei coming on board as title sponsor of your race. What led to that?<\/p>\n Cadel Evans: Mapei was not only a personal sponsor or partner of mine in my own career, but they were the very first partner to the race, actually, when we were starting with the first race back in 2015. That their level raises to being title sponsor of the race, it’s a big deal for the race, but on a personal level, to have the name Mapei associated with the Great Ocean Road Race is something that I feel gives us more credibility.<\/p>\n MdN: So for those that aren’t familiar with your journey, in particular the early stages of your career, can you talk a bit more about how Mapei was involved and your relationship with them?<\/p>\n CE: I was just reflecting on it myself just leading into today, and Aldo Sassi, who was head of what was then the Mapei-QuickStep team in 2001 approached me \u2013 I was still mountain biking then \u2013 asking me if I’d like to join the team to develop as a Grand Tour rider. And of course, at that point in my career, it was great timing and I did join that team. I went and joined the Mapei team in 2002 and rode the Giro d’Italia with Mapei and that was the start of my association with Mapei, 23 years ago.<\/p>\n This post is for paying subscribers only Already have an account? Sign in<\/a><\/p>\n Did we do a good job with this story?<\/p>\n \n \ud83d\udc4dYep![\"Matt](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Matt-de-Neef-150x150.jpg\")
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