Although 2020 has been an extremely tough year for everyone, it has been a very special year for the UAE Team Emirates team and for me.
I joined UAE Team Emirates at the same time as our Tour de France champion, Tadej Pogacar, but this year was my first year as a pro for the team. His exceptional victory at the Tour has given the entire team, especially the youngsters like me, a lot of motivation and confidence.
When we were younger, I raced with Tadej in the juniors, so I’ve known him for a long time and get on with him very well. He has always been a very strong person and rider and I am very proud of what he has achieved.
As a team, we have now won the most important race on the cycling scene. This has lifted the pressure on us and we are now able to race with the freedom of knowing we’re in one of the best cycling teams in the world.
Of course, we want to become No 1 in the world and there may be added pressure in the coming years to defend our Tour de France title, but I am ecstatic of where we currently are. The trust being put in the young riders of our team has been proven by the results we’ve managed to get. I hope to be among those young riders who are enjoying the success, like Tadej, and will work hard to achieve that.
One of the main reasons I joined the team was because of the focus the management staff put on the young riders. Also, being Italian it was nice to have a solid Italian base in the team which helped me to settle in quickly.
Stepping up from the Under-23 competitions to the World Tour, I have seen a big difference in quality and level of competitiveness. I have been able to ask a lot of the more experienced riders in the team for advice and for that I am grateful, even though I’m tasked with working on the front of the peloton a lot of the time and getting a lot of wind in my face!
Since the season was stopped in March because of Covid, I was able to recover properly from a tendonitis in my knee that I was struggling with last winter. During the lockdown, I was able to focus on my recovery and did a lot of indoor training on the cycling programme and team sponsor, Whoosh. I’m very happy the season is now back to some sort of normality and we’re outside on the bike again as I was beginning to feel like a hamster.
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Tadej Pogacar wins Tour de France
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I will be making my Grand Tour debut at this year’s Vuelta a Espana next week in Spain. It’s my first Grand Tour and I can't wait! I’ve trained hard and will arrive in excellent condition.
My dream for this year would be a stage win but it’s going to be very difficult as we are up against some top competitors. However, I am going to give it my all and feel like a much stronger rider than I was a few months ago.
My biggest career ambition right now is that I hope to see myself doing well in the one-day classics. I was very close to a victory at the Giro dell Appennino where I came second. I hope to see more of those races and of course more podium places.
My favourite race as an Italian is the Giro d’Italia but as a cyclist I prefer the Amstel Gold Race in the Netherlands. One day, when I am older, I hope to win the Tour of Italy in front of my family and friends.
The biog
Date of birth: 27 May, 1995
Place of birth: Dubai, UAE
Status: Single
School: Al Ittihad private school in Al Mamzar
University: University of Sharjah
Degree: Renewable and Sustainable Energy
Hobby: I enjoy travelling a lot, not just for fun, but I like to cross things off my bucket list and the map and do something there like a 'green project'.
Racecard
5.25pm: Etihad Museum – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,200m
6pm: Al Shindaga Museum – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (Dirt) 1,200m
6.35pm: Poet Al Oqaili – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,400m
7.10pm: Majlis Ghurfat Al Sheif – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,600m
7.45pm: Hatta – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,400m
8.20pm: Al Fahidi – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 2,200m
8.55pm: Zabeel Trophy – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (T) 1,600m
9.30pm: Coins Museum – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,600m
10.05pm: Al Quoz Creative – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,000m
THE SPECS
Engine: 4.4-litre V8
Transmission: Automatic
Power: 530bhp
Torque: 750Nm
Price: Dh535,000
On sale: Now
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%20specs
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
The Uefa Awards winners
Uefa Men's Player of the Year: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Uefa Women's Player of the Year: Lucy Bronze (Lyon)
Best players of the 2018/19 Uefa Champions League
Goalkeeper: Alisson (Liverpool)
Defender: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Midfielder: Frenkie de Jong (Ajax)
Forward: Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Uefa President's Award: Eric Cantona
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
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