A diabetic teammate persuaded Kevin De Mesmaeker that he could overcome the condition and lead a normal life. Courtesy Team Novo Nordisk
A diabetic teammate persuaded Kevin De Mesmaeker that he could overcome the condition and lead a normal life. Courtesy Team Novo Nordisk

A diabetic … and an inspiration to other cyclists



DUBAI // As the world's first all-diabetic professional cycling team complete day one of the Dubai Tour on Wednesday, a young rider's story stands out as an inspiration to others living with the condition.
The multinational team are not just competing against the world's best racers over the next four days but they are also showing what people with diabetes can achieve.
Belgian racer Kevin De Mesmaeker, 23, thought his dreams of becoming a professional cyclist were over when he had Type?1 diabetes diagnosed three years ago.
He is now an integral part of Team Novo Nordisk and has become an ambassador for the diabetes community.
"I have been a cyclist since I was 16 and had some amateur victories in Belgium," he said. "Everything was working out well, and then on Christmas Eve in 2011 I began to feel unwell.
"I had all the symptoms. I was very thirsty and was losing weight without any reason.
"I was eating a lot but still losing one kilogram a day."
Type 1 diabetes is an auto-immune condition in which auto-antibodies attack the pancreas, causing it to fail.
When De Mesmaeker was given the diagnosis, he was relieved to find out what was wrong. But he was distraught at the thought that he might not be able to become a professional cyclist.
An amateur cyclist on his team at the time was also diabetic, and he convinced the Belgian that he could overcome the condition and lead a normal life.
"At that point I thought my dream of being a professional cyclist was over," he said.
"I knew there was a new diabetic team, Novo Nordisk, and they were winning races. It was proof to me that winning was still possible, even with diabetes.
"Being diabetic creates a bond. Anyone with diabetes can still chase their dreams."
Each rider has their own story of how they have defied the odds to perform at the highest level of international competition.
Team Novo Nordisk achieved success last year; members earned 21 top-10 finishes and eight podium appearances in global competitions such as the Tour of California, Tour of Denmark and the Grand Prix Cycliste de Saguenay.
Dutchman Ruud Cremers, 23, a team member who also distributes water and food to his teammates, discovered he was diabetic when he was 14 years old.
"Back in the early days it was different as I was dependant on medical support back home," he said. "Before I wanted to ride to stay healthy. Now it is about cycling at the top level. That is very different."
According to the International Diabetes Federation, the prevalence of diabetes in the UAE is estimated at 19 per cent of the population. That equates to about 803,900 people living with either Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes.
The four-stage Dubai Tour, which covers 663 kilometres of the city, begins on Wednesday from the Dubai International Marine Club.
All eight cyclists and the other 10 members of Team Novo Nordisk have Type 1 diabetes.
Most people with diabetes in the UAE will suffer from Type 2 diabetes, brought on by an unhealthy, inactive lifestyle and weight gain.
It is not just crash injuries that the team's medical director, Dr Rafael Castol, has to deal with. He is also busy managing each team member's physiological needs and insulin use.
Although insulin is a banned substance under the anti-doping rules of the Union Cycliste Internationale, each Team Novo Nordisk rider has a therapeutic-use exemption.
"The team members are dependant on insulin for the rest of their lives to survive," said Dr Castol, a Mexican.
"The adjustment of their insulin regime plays a key role in their performance. But it is not a perfect science and they have all gone through a learning curve. This team are helping to educate, empower and inspire themselves and other diabetics."
The UAE is ranked 16th globally for prevalence of diabetes; the main causes are poor dietary habits and sedentary lifestyles in the country.
It is hoped that Team Novo Nordisk's participation in the Dubai event this week will help to spread the word about adopting an active lifestyle and making lifestyle changes to keep diabetes at bay.
The team's general manager, Vassili Davidenko, 44, is optimistic about the team's first Dubai Tour. "It is a big challenge to recruit riders for the team who are diabetic and good enough to perform," he said.
"We want to show people that you can not only race with diabetes but you can race successfully with diabetes."
nwebster@thenational.ae

The specs

Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors

Power: 480kW

Torque: 850Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

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THE DETAILS

Director: Milan Jhaveri
Producer: Emmay Entertainment and T-Series
Cast: John Abraham, Manoj Bajpayee
Rating: 2/5

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
THE SPECS

Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine 

Power: 420kW

Torque: 780Nm

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

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On sale: Available for preorder now

Company profile

Name: Tratok Portal

Founded: 2017

Based: UAE

Sector: Travel & tourism

Size: 36 employees

Funding: Privately funded

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Biography

Favourite drink: Must have karak chai and Chinese tea every day

Favourite non-Chinese food: Arabic sweets and Indian puri, small round bread of wheat flour

Favourite Chinese dish: Spicy boiled fish or anything cooked by her mother because of its flavour

Best vacation: Returning home to China

Music interests: Enjoys playing the zheng, a string musical instrument

Enjoys reading: Chinese novels, romantic comedies, reading up on business trends, government policy changes

Favourite book: Chairman Mao Zedong’s poems

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Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
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The biog

Born November 11, 1948
Education: BA, English Language and Literature, Cairo University
Family: Four brothers, seven sisters, two daughters, 42 and 39, two sons, 43 and 35, and 15 grandchildren
Hobbies: Reading and traveling

The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
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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.”

AUSTRALIA SQUAD

Aaron Finch, Matt Renshaw, Brendan Doggett, Michael Neser, Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine (captain), Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Jon Holland, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Starc, Peter Siddle

Director: Laxman Utekar

Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna

Rating: 1/5

The specs: 2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV

Price, base: Dh138,000 (estimate)
Engine: 60kWh battery
Transmission: Single-speed Electronic Precision Shift
Power: 204hp
Torque: 360Nm
​​​​​​​Range: 520km (claimed)

ASIAN%20RUGBY%20CHAMPIONSHIP%202024
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Company%20Profile
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