• Dutch cyclist Mathieu van der Poel celebrates on the podium in Abu Dhabi after winning Stage 1 of the UAE Tour on February 21. AFP
    Dutch cyclist Mathieu van der Poel celebrates on the podium in Abu Dhabi after winning Stage 1 of the UAE Tour on February 21. AFP
  • Mathieu van der Poel on the podium after winning Stage 1 of the UAE Tour. AFP
    Mathieu van der Poel on the podium after winning Stage 1 of the UAE Tour. AFP
  • The peloton during Stage 1 of the UAE tour, from Al Dhafra Castle to Al Mirfa, in Abu Dhabi. AP
    The peloton during Stage 1 of the UAE tour, from Al Dhafra Castle to Al Mirfa, in Abu Dhabi. AP
  • Mathieu van der Poel, of Team Alpecin–Fenix, celebrates as he approaches the finish line to win Stage 1. AFP
    Mathieu van der Poel, of Team Alpecin–Fenix, celebrates as he approaches the finish line to win Stage 1. AFP
  • Mathieu van der Poel, of Team Alpecin–Fenix, celebrates as he approaches the finish line to win Stage 1. AFP
    Mathieu van der Poel, of Team Alpecin–Fenix, celebrates as he approaches the finish line to win Stage 1. AFP
  • Mathieu van der Poel, of Team Alpecin–Fenix, celebrates as he approaches the finish line to win Stage 1. AP
    Mathieu van der Poel, of Team Alpecin–Fenix, celebrates as he approaches the finish line to win Stage 1. AP
  • The peloton during Stage 1 of the UAE tour in Abu Dhabi. AFP
    The peloton during Stage 1 of the UAE tour in Abu Dhabi. AFP
  • The peloton during Stage 1 of the UAE tour in Abu Dhabi. AFP
    The peloton during Stage 1 of the UAE tour in Abu Dhabi. AFP
  • The peloton during Stage 1 of the UAE tour in Abu Dhabi. AFP
    The peloton during Stage 1 of the UAE tour in Abu Dhabi. AFP
  • The peloton during Stage 1 of the UAE tour in Abu Dhabi. AFP
    The peloton during Stage 1 of the UAE tour in Abu Dhabi. AFP

Mathieu van der Poel breezes to victory in opening stage of UAE Tour


Amith Passela
  • English
  • Arabic

Results

1. Mathieu van der Poel (NED) Alpecin-Fenix - 3:45:47

2. David Dekker (NED) Jumbo-Visma - same time

3. Michael Morkov (DEN) Deceuninck-QuickStep   

4. Emils Liepins (LAT) Trek-Segafredo

5. Elia Viviani (ITA) Cofidis

6. Tadej Pogacar (SLO UAE Team Emirates

7. Anthony Roux (FRA) Groupama-FDJ

8. Chris Harper (AUS) Jumbo-Visma - 0:00:03

9. Joao Almeida (POR) Deceuninck-QuickStep         

10. Fausto Masnada (ITA) Deceuninck-QuickStep

Mathieu van der Poel of Alpecin-Fenix braved strong winds to take the opening stage of the UAE Tour in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.

The Dutchman completed the 176-kilometre stage in three hours, 45 minutes and 47 seconds ahead of compatriot David Dekker of Jumbo-Visma and Deceuninck-QuickStep’s Danish rider Michael Morkov.

“Today was very windy and a very hard race,” Van de Poel said.

“I knew I could finish it off in the sprint but didn’t expect to win it all. I knew my sprint gets better and better when it is hard and that I had to be in the right position. It’s real nice to start my road season with win.”

The UAE Team Emirates rider Tadej Pogacar took sixth spot in the bunch finish behind Latvian Emils Liepins of Trek-Segafredo and Italian Elia Viviani of Confidis.

With that effort in the first of the seven stages, Pogacar remains one of the early contenders in the battle for the General Classification alongside Deceuninc-QuickStep’s Portuguese rider Joao Almeida and defending champion Adam Yates of Ineos Grenadiers.

The peloton, with a number of big-name sprinters and GC contenders, finished over eight minutes behind stage winner Van der Poel meaning Pogacar picked up valuable time ahead of his challengers and emerged as one of three early favourites for the GC.

That appears to have impacted the GC ambitions of several pre-race favourites, including Emanuel Buchmann (Bora-Hansgrohe), Sergio Higuita (EF Education-Nippo), Sepp Kuss (Jumbo-Visma), Wout Poels (Bahrain-Victorious), Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) and Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Victorious), and the Ineos Grenadiers duo Ivan Sosa and Daniel Martinez.

“It was a really hard stage with the wind, but in the end our team did a super good job with four guys in the front group,” Pogacar said.

“Sadly, we missed the stage win, but I think we showed that we are strong and up for the fight. We were there at the front and we’ve set ourselves up well for the next few days.

The riders head to the Stage 2 on Monday for the individual time trial over the 13-kilometre circuit at Al Hudayriat Island.

Red flags
  • Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
  • Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
  • Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
  • Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
  • Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.

Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching

War 2

Director: Ayan Mukerji

Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana

Rating: 2/5

HIJRA

Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy

Director: Shahad Ameen

Rating: 3/5

Score

Third Test, Day 2

New Zealand 274
Pakistan 139-3 (61 ov)

Pakistan trail by 135 runs with 7 wickets remaining in the innings

 

Company: Instabug

Founded: 2013

Based: Egypt, Cairo

Sector: IT

Employees: 100

Stage: Series A

Investors: Flat6Labs, Accel, Y Combinator and angel investors

UAE jiu-jitsu squad

Men: Hamad Nawad and Khalid Al Balushi (56kg), Omar Al Fadhli and Saeed Al Mazroui (62kg), Taleb Al Kirbi and Humaid Al Kaabi (69kg), Mohammed Al Qubaisi and Saud Al Hammadi (70kg), Khalfan Belhol and Mohammad Haitham Radhi (85kg), Faisal Al Ketbi and Zayed Al Kaabi (94kg)

Women: Wadima Al Yafei and Mahra Al Hanaei (49kg), Bashayer Al Matrooshi and Hessa Al Shamsi (62kg)

COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EElmawkaa%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hub71%2C%20Abu%20Dhabi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ebrahem%20Anwar%2C%20Mahmoud%20Habib%20and%20Mohamed%20Thabet%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20PropTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETotal%20funding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%24400%2C000%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E500%20Startups%2C%20Flat6Labs%20and%20angel%20investors%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2012%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The 24-man squad:

Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea), Simon Mignolet (Liverpool), Koen Casteels (VfL Wolfsburg).

Defenders: Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham), Thomas Meunier (Paris Saint-Germain), Thomas Vermaelen (Barcelona), Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham), Dedryck Boyata (Celtic), Vincent Kompany (Manchester City).

Midfielders: Marouane Fellaini (Manchester United), Axel Witsel (Tianjin Quanjian), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Nacer Chadli (West Bromwich Albion), Leander Dendoncker (Anderlecht), Thorgan Hazard (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Youri Tielemans (Monaco), Mousa Dembele (Tottenham Hotspur).

Forwards: Michy Batshuayi (Chelsea/Dortmund), Yannick Carrasco (Dalian Yifang), Adnan Januzaj (Real Sociedad), Romelu Lukaku (Manchester United), Dries Mertens (Napoli).

Standby player: Laurent Ciman (Los Angeles FC).

Our legal columnist

Name: Yousef Al Bahar

Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994

Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers

THE BIO

Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979

Education: UAE University, Al Ain

Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6

Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma

Favourite book: Science and geology

Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC

Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.

Nepotism is the name of the game

Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad. 

Results

1. Mathieu van der Poel (NED) Alpecin-Fenix - 3:45:47

2. David Dekker (NED) Jumbo-Visma - same time

3. Michael Morkov (DEN) Deceuninck-QuickStep   

4. Emils Liepins (LAT) Trek-Segafredo

5. Elia Viviani (ITA) Cofidis

6. Tadej Pogacar (SLO UAE Team Emirates

7. Anthony Roux (FRA) Groupama-FDJ

8. Chris Harper (AUS) Jumbo-Visma - 0:00:03

9. Joao Almeida (POR) Deceuninck-QuickStep         

10. Fausto Masnada (ITA) Deceuninck-QuickStep