The Squinzi family received the Special Lifetime Achievement Award from Ernesto Colnago, a famous old racing bike manufacturer and UN World Bicycle Day Ambassador. The award was presented to the Squinzi family for excellence and leadership in promoting global cycling. The awards ceremony, part of events for UN World Bicycle Day, was held at the Ernesto Colnago Collection Museum at the famous Colnago workshop in Cambiago (Milan).

The award was presented to the Squinzi family because their direct involvement and commitment to cycling has helped raise world cycling to a higher level, making it a launch pad and contemporary business model for all teams and clubs. Ties with the world of cycling stem from a deep love of the sport on the part of first Rodolfo Squinzi, founder of Mapei, and then his son Giorgio. Mapei entered cycling in 1993 because it shared the sport’s underlying philosophy and values, and the following year the team was already at the top of the rankings.

The awards ceremony was attended by Veronica and Marco Squinzi, CEOs of Mapei, and Laura Squinzi, President of Mapei. "The history of our family and, therefore, of Mapei is inextricably tied to the world of cycling - so Veronica Squinzi announced -. Everything came from a great passion for the sport and the joy of sharing it with others and it has resulted in so much more. Mapei shares many ideals with cycling, such as perseverance, determination in taking on new challenges and team spirit. Even my father Giorgio's historic motto comes from the world of cycling. He used to say 'never stop pedalling' to encourage everyone to never give up. These ideals still define and guide us even now".

Thanks to the outstanding results attained over years of sponsorship - including 4 Road World Championships, 4 Individual World Cups, 1 Tour of Italy, 1 Tour of Spain and 5 Team World Cups - the Mapei brand has attained great popularity in Italy and around the world. Cycling has been a very important and effective means of communication that has also resulted in some very deep and lasting bonds being formed: it was Maestro Ernesto himself who supplied the bikes for the Mapei team from January 1994 until the 2002 season, its last in professional cycling. The museum now displays the bikes Ballerini and other great cyclists rode to victory.

Despite the professional team’s great venture drawing to a close, Mapei is still closely involved in cycling: since 2008, the company has been the Main Sponsor of the UCI - Union Cycliste Internationale Road World Championships and every year it sponsors the ‘Re Stelvio Mapei’, a famous cycling event organised by the U.S. Bormiese, as well as numerous other national and international competitions.

Its work in and contribution to sports research also continues at Mapei Sport Research Centre that was set up in 1996 to provide riders at Mapei professional cycling team with rational scientific support based on an ethically honest approach. Today, the Research Centre’s technical-scientific expertise of the highest level is available to athletes of all standards, both professionals and amateurs, so they can improve their performance with the help of personalised training programmes and biomechanical assessment tests.