GUEUGNON // Mark Cavendish wrote a new page in British cycling history when he equalled the feats of three of the Tour de France's top sprint greats with his 12th career victory on Friday.
Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland retained the race leader's jersey after a long, 227.5km Stage 6 from Montargis which, for the second day, resulted in a bunch sprint after another futile breakaway.
"Tomorrow if I still have it I'll be even more proud," Cancellara said. "But I also know we'll be in the mountains, so we have to see how the race goes tactically."
For the second consecutive day, Cavendish proved too fast for his rivals, the Isle of Man sprinter coming off the wheel of the formidable lead-out man Mark Renshaw to finish the final 200m on his own.
The American Tyler Farrar of Garmin-Transitions was second, with Italian Alessandro Petacchi of Lampre finishing third ahead of Australian Robbie McEwen and German Gerald Ciolek.
Cavendish's 12th stage victory in a mere three participations on the Tour means he matches the stage-win record of Erik Zabel, Mario Cipollini and McEwen.
Cavendish, 24, was quick to share credit with the HTC-Columbia team riders who battled to set up his sprint train. "I cross the line with my hands in the air, but it doesn't make me necessarily the only guy who's done it," Cavendish said. "I've got guys riding for me on the front all day.
"It's incredible to do, especially with the Alps coming up where some of our guys will have their own ambitions."
A three-man breakaway formed early but, despite their lead reaching a significant eight minutes by the 60km mark, the collective strength of the peloton gradually prevailed.
With 73km to ride, the lead of the Spaniard Ruben Perez Moreno, the German Sebastian Lang and France's Mathieu Perget had been more than halved.
Cavendish's team were ever-present at the front of the chasing pack for most of the day. They were joined by the Saxo Bank team of Cancellara and some other sprinters' teams as they rolled through Burgundy.
Together, they helped slash the deficit to just 40 seconds with 25.4km and only one of the stage's small climbs remaining, making the prospect of a bunch sprint a mere formality.
Frenchman Dmitri Champion jumped out of the chasing peloton on the final climb with 23km to go, and soon closed the gap to the three leaders.
But despite the quartet battling together, they were reeled in with 10km to race.
With crosswinds threatening to split the pack, the teams of the yellow-jersey contenders, Astana, RadioShack and Saxo Bank, moved to the front to make sure their leaders were not caught behind.
Inside the final kilometre, Farrar's Garmin team pulled to the front, giving him the momentum for the final sprint where he could not match the power of Cavendish.
* AFP
1. M Cavendish HTC 5' 37' 42'
2. T Farrar Garmin same time
3. A Petacchi Lampre same time
4. R McEwen Katusha same time
5. G Ciolek Milram same time
6. S Turgot BB Tel same time
7. JJ Rojas Caisse same time
8. EH Boasson Sky same time
9. R Hunter Garmin same time
10. T Hushovd Cervelo same time
1. F Cancellara Saxo 28' 37' 30'
2. G Thomas Sky 20' behind
3. C Evans BMC 39'
4. R Hesjedel Garmin 46'
5. S Chavanel Quick Step 1' 01'
6. A Schleck Saxo 1' 09'
7. T Hushovd Cervelo 1' 16'
8. A Vinokourov Astana 1' 31'
9. A Contador Astana 1' 40'
10. J v d Broeck Omega 1' 42'
Yellow jersey: Fabian Cancellara
Green jersey: Thor Hushovd
Red dot jersey: Jerome Pineau
White jersey: Geraint Thomas
Team leaders: Team Saxo Bank (Denmark)
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
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Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
RESULTS
6.30pm: Emirates Holidays Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (Dirt) 1,900m
Winner: Lady Snazz, Richard Mullen (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).
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8.15pm: Emirates Airline Conditions (TB) Dh 120,000 (D) 1,400m
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8.50pm: Emirates Sky Cargo (TB) Dh 92,500 (D) 1,400m
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9.15pm: Emirates.com (TB) Dh 95,000 (D) 2,000m
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Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Aldar Properties Abu Dhabi T10
*November 15 to November 24
*Venue: Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
*Tickets: Start at Dh10, from ttensports.com
*TV: Ten Sports
*Streaming: Jio Live
*2017 winners: Kerala Kings
*2018 winners: Northern Warriors
Company%20profile
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Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Revibe%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hamza%20Iraqui%20and%20Abdessamad%20Ben%20Zakour%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Refurbished%20electronics%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410m%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%2C%20Resonance%20and%20various%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Crazy Rich Asians
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeon, Gemma Chan
Four stars
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Notable cricketers and political careers
- India: Kirti Azad, Navjot Sidhu and Gautam Gambhir (rumoured)
- Pakistan: Imran Khan and Shahid Afridi (rumoured)
- Sri Lanka: Arjuna Ranatunga, Sanath Jayasuriya, Tillakaratne Dilshan (rumoured)
- Bangladesh (Mashrafe Mortaza)
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh135,000
Engine 1.6L turbo
Gearbox Six speed automatic with manual and sports mode
Power 165hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 240Nm @ 1,400rpm 0-100kph: 9.2 seconds
Top speed 420 kph (governed)
Fuel economy, combined 35.2L / 100km (est)
THE%20SPECS
%3Cp%3EEngine%3A%204.4-litre%20twin-turbo%20V8%20hybrid%0D%3Cbr%3EPower%3A%20653hp%20at%205%2C400rpm%0D%3Cbr%3ETorque%3A%20800Nm%20at%201%2C600-5%2C000rpm%0D%3Cbr%3ETransmission%3A%208-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E0-100kph%20in%204.3sec%0D%3Cbr%3ETop%20speed%20250kph%0D%3Cbr%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20NA%0D%3Cbr%3EOn%20sale%3A%20Q2%202023%0D%3Cbr%3EPrice%3A%20From%20Dh750%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Rain Management
Year started: 2017
Based: Bahrain
Employees: 100-120
Amount raised: $2.5m from BitMex Ventures and Blockwater. Another $6m raised from MEVP, Coinbase, Vision Ventures, CMT, Jimco and DIFC Fintech Fund
