UAE Team Emirates and Tadej Pogacar on brink of sensational Tour de France victory


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Tadej Pogacar stands to claim a stunning overall victory in the Tour de France after his friend and compatriot Primoz Roglic cracked in a dramatic time-trial on La Planche des Belles Filles.

Roglic began the day with a 57-second advantage in the yellow jersey he has worn for 11 days, but it all went wrong for the pre-Tour favourite in the 36.2km time trial which ripped up expectations before Sunday's traditional procession into Paris.

In one of the most dramatic and closest finales to the Tour since 1989, Pogacar, the 21-year-old making his Tour debut, won the stage in a time of 55 minutes and 55 seconds to give him an incredible triple of the yellow jersey as well as the King of the Mountain's polka dots and the best young riders' white.

Roglic conceded almost two minutes on the stage, crossing the line dejected as he was made to settle for second place.

Richie Porte overhauled Miguel Angel Lopez to claim third and his first career podium finish in the Tour, in what the 35-year-old admits will be his last entry as a team leader before his expected move to the Ineos Grenadiers next season.

The upset echoes that of the last day of the 1989 Tour de France when American Greg LeMond won the race by eight seconds over France's Laurent Fignon after starting the time-trial 50 seconds off the pace.

"I think I’m dreaming. I don’t know what to say. It’s unbelievable," said a stunned Pogacar after the race. "My dream was just to be on the Tour de France, now the dream is true. I’m here and now there’s only the last stage. This is unbelievable.  I don’t know when I will get this.

"I’m really proud of the team. They did such a big effort. To get the yellow jersey on the final day is what we dreamed from the start. We achieved that and it's amazing. It was not just me, it was all the team.

"We did a reconnaissance and I knew every corner, every pothole in the road, I knew when to accelerate and that's congrats to all the team.

"I pushed to the end and I made it. I was listening to my radio on the flat part but then on the climb, I didn’t hear anything from the radio because the fans were too loud.

"I didn’t get any time gaps, I just went deep. I knew the climb well and so went full gas from the bottom to the top."

Pogacar, who is set to become the youngest winner of the Tour since Henri Cornet in 1904, produced a simply stunning performance.

Roglic only took fifth place, 1:56 off the pace after what appeared to be a cautious start turned into a major meltdown.

The 30-year-old, who had controlled the whole race with his dominant Jumbo-Visma team, imploded on the climb and crossed the line with a livid face before sitting down on the road.

"I just obviously didn’t push enough," said a dejected Roglic after the race. "It was like that. Was just more and more without the power that I needed. I was giving everything to the end.

"We will see [how I deal with this]. Still I can be happy with the result and the racing we showed here, so let’s take the positives."

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  • Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
The specs

Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo

Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed

Power: 271 and 409 horsepower

Torque: 385 and 650Nm

Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000

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Conflict, drought, famine

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The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
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Specs

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UAE squad
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Key figures in the life of the fort

Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.

Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.

Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.

Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.

Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.

Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.

Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.

Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae

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FIXTURES

Saturday
5.30pm: Shabab Al Ahli v Al Wahda
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8.15pm: Hatta v Ajman
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs

Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12

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Why seagrass matters
  • Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
  • Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
  • Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
  • Coastal protection: Reduce erosion and improve water quality
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COMPANY PROFILE

Company: Bidzi

● Started: 2024

● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid

● Based: Dubai, UAE

● Industry: M&A

● Funding size: Bootstrapped

● No of employees: Nine

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
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  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills