This season always promised to be an incredibly exciting one for me. From the first day of our training camp in Spain back in December, our coaches made it abundantly clear that this season I would be competing in more races than ever before and getting more experience with the team.
My season kicked off in Saudi Arabia, and I was very proud to help Rui Costa achieve third place, as well as placing second in the team classification. Following this event, we headed to Oman and ended up winning two stages. These two races were really successful for me personally and meant even more as we were racing in the GCC region.
The highlight of my season so far was the UAE Cycling Championship. Having won the last 11 road races, I was incredibly determined to make it 12. The event kicked off with the Time Trial, and whilst this isn’t my speciality as a rider, I was able to achieve a new national record for average speed and set a new personal record with 48.6kph across 35km. I was very pleased with my performance, and it set me up nicely for the road race.
The road race itself was an excellent experience. Across 120km, I was able to execute my pre-race plan perfectly and took home the gold medal. It was my 12th title in a row, and I believe I’m the first person to ever achieve this so I’m incredibly proud of this feat. I’m now desperate to make it 13 next year!
As I transitioned from this busy time on the cycling calendar into Ramadan, there are a number of key pillars that stick with me.
Ramadan is one of the most important periods of each year for me, from both a personal and professional perspective. It allows me to reset and recharge my batteries after a fast start to the season. But more importantly, Ramadan is a time for family. I love nothing more than coming together with my family, and spending time with my children to teach them the reasons why we fast and why it is so important.
Exercising through Ramadan is something that keeps me engaged and on-track. While it is obviously more taxing to work out alongside the fasting period, it is crucial that I try to maintain a base fitness level to ensure I am able to compete once Ramadan is over. I train for around 3-4 hours per day during Ramadan, cycling approximately 100km per ride and 600km per week.
There are a number of different components of my lifestyle that I have to keep in check to ensure I remain fit and healthy. Firstly, nutrition and hydration are components that I pay close attention to. Whether it’s the number of meals I’m consuming during the day, the types of food I’m consuming, or the foods I am avoiding, these are all variables that I can control.
I strive to still eat three meals per day and focus on carbohydrates as my fuel for training. I ensure that I avoid eating large amounts of food before bed, as I don’t want to feel heavy the next day when it comes to training. Alongside my food consumption, I make sure I still consume the recommended 3-4 litres of water each day to ensure I can function to my optimum.
Alongside nutrition and hydration is sleeping. Getting between 7-8 hours of sleep each night is a crucial factor in maintaining a healthy body. As a professional cyclist, it’s extremely important that I allow my body time to recover after training and competition.
Lastly, Ramadan allows me to spend more time here in the UAE. This is my home, it will always be my home. Seeing the joy we are able to give our UAE fans through race wins and podiums inspires me to not only keep pushing myself as a professional cyclist, but also to give our next generation of UAE cyclists the support and guidance to propel them onto the world-stage. Wearing the UAE Team Emirates jersey is truly an honour.
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
How it works
A $10 hand-powered LED light and battery bank
Device is operated by hand cranking it at any time during the day or night
The charge is stored inside a battery
The ratio is that for every minute you crank, it provides 10 minutes light on the brightest mode
A full hand wound charge is of 16.5minutes
This gives 1.1 hours of light on high mode or 2.5 hours of light on low mode
When more light is needed, it can be recharged by winding again
The larger version costs between $18-20 and generates more than 15 hours of light with a 45-minute charge
No limit on how many times you can charge
ANATOMY%20OF%20A%20FALL
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJustine%20Triet%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESandra%20Huller%2C%20Swann%20Arlaud%2C%20Milo%20Machado-Graner%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%205%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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.”
