Cadel Evans yesterday became the first Australian to win the Tour de France, and he "now stands to earn tens of millions of dollars in sponsorship and marketing deals,” according to Stephanie Gardiner of the MELBOURNE WEEKLY PORT PHILLIP. Sports management experts are “predicting he will attract a huge range of lucrative sponsorship and marketing offers.” Univ. of Technology professor Daryl Adair said that Evans “could be used to boost the profile of cycling in Australia and help the government promote health and fitness.” Adair added that “with his ‘clean cut image,’ Evans might also be a good fit as the face of health supplements or men's grooming products” (MELBOURNEWEEKLYPORTPHILLIP.com.au, 7/25). In Sydney, Rupert Guinness writes Evans' win “could lift his market value" more than US$1.1M a year to around US$5.7M. Jason Bakker, Evans' agent, “believes that Evans's value to potential sponsors in Australia could increase ‘by about 500 per cent … if not more.’” Guinness notes Evans’ “portfolio of personal sponsorships in Australia is minimal.” He “recently agreed to a sponsorship with the property website realestate.com.au and also has a sponsorship arrangement with Ernst&Young” (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 7/25).
