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.
Frankenstein in Baghdad
Ahmed Saadawi
Penguin Press
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
FFP EXPLAINED
What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.
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Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
Springtime in a Broken Mirror,
Mario Benedetti, Penguin Modern Classics
UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City, Tuesday, 11pm (UAE)
Matches can be watched on BeIN Sports
Villains
Queens of the Stone Age
Matador
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.”
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
The bio
Who inspires you?
I am in awe of the remarkable women in the Arab region, both big and small, pushing boundaries and becoming role models for generations. Emily Nasrallah was a writer, journalist, teacher and women’s rights activist
How do you relax?
Yoga relaxes me and helps me relieve tension, especially now when we’re practically chained to laptops and desks. I enjoy learning more about music and the history of famous music bands and genres.
What is favourite book?
The Perks of Being a Wallflower - I think I've read it more than 7 times
What is your favourite Arabic film?
Hala2 Lawen (Translation: Where Do We Go Now?) by Nadine Labaki
What is favourite English film?
Mamma Mia
Best piece of advice to someone looking for a career at Google?
If you’re interested in a career at Google, deep dive into the different career paths and pinpoint the space you want to join. When you know your space, you’re likely to identify the skills you need to develop.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Women%E2%80%99s%20T20%20World%20Cup%20Qualifier
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
MATCH INFO
Fixture: Thailand v UAE, Tuesday, 4pm (UAE)
TV: Abu Dhabi Sports
