Remco Evenepoel has described Tour de France rival Tadej Pogacar as “unbeatable” and being “on another planet” to the rest of the peloton after a sensational performance in the Pyrenees over the weekend.
Pogacar followed up his solo triumph 23 hours earlier by brushing off his opposition to win Stage 15 by 68 seconds on Sunday extending his lead over Visma-Lease a Bike's Jonas Vingegaard to more than three minutes.
The UAE team Emirates superstar is now in pole position to secure a third title while also becoming the first man since Marco Pantani in 1998 to complete a Giro-Tour double.
Pogacar left reigning champion Vingegaard in his wake to claim his 14th stage win, meaning he went into Monday's rest day with spirits high.
“I haven't won it yet, and I won't believe I've won it until I cross the line in the lead at Nice on the final day. But I think I finally cracked him,” the Slovenian said of his Danish opponent.
In response, Vingegaard insisted all was not lost and that the previous campaigns have shown Pogacar is fallible.
“We have seen these past two years that Pogacar is capable of a bad day, maybe that will happen for a third year,” said the 2022 and 2023 race winner. "I won't give up. I believe I can still win and I will do everything I can.”
But Soudal-Quick Step rider Evenepoel, who is now five minutes 19 seconds behind Pogacar in third place, believes it will take a miraculous turnaround for Vingegaard to overturn the lead.
“I think they’re struggling to understand that Tadej is unbeatable,” Evenepoel said of Vingegaard and his team. “He’s on another planet this year. He’s had a perfect year. For me, he’s the best in the world.”
With six days of racing now left, Pogacar's teammate Joao Almeida – who sits fourth in the standings – admitted the team will be riding more conservatively going into the third and final week.
“Definitely. We have a really good gap, we don’t have to attack any more, and we can just follow the wheel,” said the Portuguese.
“Maybe some breakaways can go so other teams can also have a chance. Of course, if there is a good stage for us and Tadej wants to win, then we can go for it, but I think we can be a bit more chill now.
“Of course we have to always keep the focus, like we have always been doing. Six stages to go and it only ends in Nice, and anything can happen until there. The Tour is not won at all, we need to be focused.”
Andy while Pogacar will be prepared for Vingegaard and Visma-Lease a Bike to try an unlikely attempt to steal back the yellow jersey, UAE Team Emirates sports manager Matxin Fernandez is confident they can cope with whatever is thrown at them.
“We expect attacks, we expect movements, but we have confidence in Tadej and the team,” the Spaniard said. “Three minutes is a perfect situation, but in one day a lot can change.
“Right now, I think the advantage we have is comfortable. Visma would have to move like they did today [on Stage 15], and we'll try to defend ourselves and see if we can finish with the character we've shown so far.
“If I was them [Visma] and had nothing to lose, for sure I would try. They have a strong team, but Tadej is stronger. Anything can happen, for sure they will try something eventually, but we're going to be prepared.”
Wednesday's Stage 16 represents perhaps the last opportunities for the sprinters as the peloton moves east from the Pyrenees towards the Alps and finishes in the city of Nimes along a 187-kilometre-long route.
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Company profile
Name: One Good Thing
Founders: Bridgett Lau and Micheal Cooke
Based in: Dubai
Sector: e-commerce
Size: 5 employees
Stage: Looking for seed funding
Investors: Self-funded and seeking external investors
