Ochirvaani Batbold cycled through China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkey, Greece, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Croatia, Hungary, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, France and then finally England to see Manchester United in action at Wembley. Photo: Andy Mitten
Ochirvaani Batbold cycled through China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkey, Greece, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Croatia, Hungary, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, France and then finally England to see Manchester United in action at Wembley. Photo: Andy Mitten
Ochirvaani Batbold cycled through China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkey, Greece, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Croatia, Hungary, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, France and then
Meet the Mongolian Man United fan who cycled for 11 months to see his team at Wembley
Ochirvaani Batbold overcame borders, punctures and visa issues to be one of the 83,672 crowd at Wembley on Sunday to see United beat Coventry on penalties to reach the FA Cup final
Ochirvaani Batbold, 26, is a Mongolian Manchester United fan who was at Sunday's dramatic FA Cup semi-final against Coventry City at Wembley. His method of transport was likely different from most in the 83,672 crowd. He cycled. From Mongolia, a journey of nearly 7,000 kilometres.
He set off 11 months ago and was declined a British visa three times until he finally prevailed. The National met him before the game on Wembley Way and had just one question: Why?
“I love football,” he said. “When I was a teenager, I started to play football. Also, I started to dream about playing for Manchester United. I played football for 10 years. The first two years of my career started very successfully and I played in the top league in Mongolia, but in the next three years I suffered a lot of injuries and depression. I just tried to play football for another next five years. For me, United is about dramatic comebacks, The Theatre of Dreams, great players, Sir Alex Ferguson, a great story and a never-give-up mentality.
“So, I started looking for another way to make my dream come true. But I didn’t want it to be easy. I wanted to do something that inspires others a lot. So for two years I made a road plan and prepared my body.
“The decision to travel by bike was only made two weeks before the trip. I knew I was going to make a trip and long considered running, but for me to do that I needed a team, a lot of money and a car. So I changed my plans and decided to cycle.
“My family, friends and others found out about my trip a week before I left. I didn't really want to take other people’s advice, because I thought people wouldn’t understand what I was trying to do. And they will only talk about impossible things. I thought if I believe in what I do, I can achieve my goal. I thought if I will go by bicycle, I can see a lot of places and can meet a lot of people. Also I wanted to create memories that will never be forgotten in my life.”
Batbold’s journey started on May 5, 2023. He would wake at 7am and cycle around 100 kilometres each day. His final destination would be Old Trafford, Manchester.
“That would take me 8-10 hours [each day]. I would eat lunch at a cafe but I also carried Borts, an air-dried meat cut into long strips which were hung in the shade.”
The Mongolian nomadic lifestyle and the local climatic conditions gave rise to specific methods of preserving meat.
“So when I only have water and salt I can cook and eat,” explains Batbold.
“I tried to cycle for three days and then take a day off. But sometimes I went without a break for seven days. I went through many difficult days and had around 40 punctures. But I was usually very happy at every moment of my trip because I knew I was getting closer to my goal every day, step by step.”
Batbold set off during the late spring. Conditions were agreeable for months.
“I travelled through China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkey, Greece, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Croatia, Hungary, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, France and then finally England.
"Central Asia was the most beautiful part of the journey. I met so many good people and I saw so much beautiful nature. In Samarkand city, Uzbekistan, I got the feeling that I went from modern to historical times. I also met a lot of amazing Manchester United fans there. United have fans around the world – I met them everywhere!
“Iran was interesting. Life was very different there from what I imagined, amazing nature and I met kind people. Everywhere I went, not just Iran, I met very wonderful people. The best part of my trip was when I reached the top of a mountain 1,500 metres above and the climb was around 45kms. This felt like the best and worst part of my trip. It was a long and difficult road that seemed endless. In Europe, Austria. Beautiful.”
Manchester United's Rasmus Hojlund celebrates after scoring the winning shoot-out penalty in the FA Cup semi-final against Coventry City at Wembley stadium on April 21, 2024. AP
Manchester United players celebrate winning 4-2 on penalties after the FA Cup semi-final finished 3-3 after extra-time. EPA
United goalkeeper Andre Onana celebrates with Rasmus Hojlund after the match. AP
Manchester United's Rasmus Hojlund scores the winning penalty. AP
Coventry goalkeeper Bradley Collins saves the first penalty in the shoot-out by Manchester United's Casemiro. AFP
Victor Torp scores for Coventry in the last seconds of extra-time only for the goal to be ruled out by VAR. AFP
A big screen at Wembley shows the offside call by VAR in the build-up to a goal from Coventry's Victor Torp. AFP
Haji Wright scores from the spot for Coventry City to make it 3-3. Getty Images
Haji Wright celebrates scoring his Coventry's third goal from the penalty spot. Getty Images
Dejected United players after Coventry's third goal. Reuters
Coventry's Haji Wright, left, celebrates after scoring from the spot. PA
Callum O'Hare's shot deflects off United defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka, left, and into the net for Coventry's second goal. AFP
Callum O'Hare, right, celebrates with teammate Ben Sheaf after scoring Coventry's second goal. PA
Ellis Simms scores Coventry's first goal. PA
Bruno Fernandes scores Manchester United's third goal. Getty Images
Bruno Fernandes celebrates after scoring Manchester United's third goal. PA
Harry Maguire celebrates scoring Manchester United's second goal. PA
Harry Maguire scores for Manchester United. Getty Images
Harry Maguire heads home to put United 2-0 up.
United's Scott McTominay celebrates after scoring. PA
Manchester United's Scott McTominay scores the opening goal. AP
Manchester United co-owners Avram Glazer and Jim Ratcliffe in the stands at Wembley Stadium. Getty Images
Bruno Fernandes scores Manchester United's third goal. PA
Scott McTominay celebrates with teammates after scoring for Manchester United. Getty Images
But one problem threatened to derail everything.
“I couldn’t get a visa for the UK. Visas were OK until I got to the Schengen area [an area encompassing 29 European countries that have officially abolished border controls at their mutual borders]." His original plan of reaching Manchester in December or January was thus put on hold until he could clear a visa. Finally, the Mongolian Government supported his application and he could reach England.
“It’s wonderful,” he said as he stood on the steps of Wembley Way ahead of seeing United for the first time. And then he watched the game.
“It was incredibly stressful for me because I was hoping to see United win in my first match. When we conceded the goal in the last minute, I thought it was over. But fortunately it was offside. Finally we won on penalties. The game encapsulated all the emotions of football. It was an amazing experience for me.”
Batbold will spend the next three days cycling from London to Manchester via Leicester and Derby. He intends to reach Old Trafford in time for the Premier League game against Burnley on Sunday. There’s only one issue. He doesn’t yet have a ticket for the game.
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
Graduated from the American University of Sharjah
She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters
Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks
Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
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Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
THE BIO
Favourite holiday destination: Whenever I have any free time I always go back to see my family in Caltra, Galway, it’s the only place I can properly relax.
Favourite film: The Way, starring Martin Sheen. It’s about the Camino de Santiago walk from France to Spain.
Personal motto: If something’s meant for you it won’t pass you by.
Tackling money goals one at a time cost financial literacy expert Barbara O'Neill at least $1 million.
That's how much Ms O'Neill, a distinguished professor at Rutgers University in the US, figures she lost by starting saving for retirement only after she had created an emergency fund, bought a car with cash and purchased a home.
"I tell students that eventually, 30 years later, I hit the million-dollar mark, but I could've had $2 million," Ms O'Neill says.
Too often, financial experts say, people want to attack their money goals one at a time: "As soon as I pay off my credit card debt, then I'll start saving for a home," or, "As soon as I pay off my student loan debt, then I'll start saving for retirement"."
People do not realise how costly the words "as soon as" can be. Paying off debt is a worthy goal, but it should not come at the expense of other goals, particularly saving for retirement. The sooner money is contributed, the longer it can benefit from compounded returns. Compounded returns are when your investment gains earn their own gains, which can dramatically increase your balances over time.
"By putting off saving for the future, you are really inhibiting yourself from benefiting from that wonderful magic," says Kimberly Zimmerman Rand , an accredited financial counsellor and principal at Dragonfly Financial Solutions in Boston. "If you can start saving today ... you are going to have a lot more five years from now than if you decide to pay off debt for three years and start saving in year four."
