As the scorching summer heat beats down on the people of Abu Dhabi, the athletic ambitions of many residents wilt and fade. Yet instead of hanging up their spokes this sweaty Ramadan, the attitude of the Raha Cycling group is "challenge accepted".
For these hardy cyclists, who are training and participating in races in hot weather while also observing the holy month, it's about proving that it's possible to fast and stay active.
Sherif Said fasts while balancing a sedentary job and training through swimming, riding or going to the gym, every day of the week. This Ramadan, he took part in a 50-kilometre race on a new track on the recently opened Al Hudayriat Island, as well as cycling 75km in the Nad Al Sheba Ramadan Nights Challenge race.
“We are not meant to hibernate in Ramadan. You carry on with life. There are challenges as the schedule is extremely tight with work, family commitments and attending night prayers. It has a bit of an impact, but it is manageable,” said the Egyptian-British expat, who lives in Abu Dhabi.
Mr Said started cycling when he was a child, but only started taking the sport seriously four years ago, and that's when he started training in Ramadan. Raha Cycling, a social cycling group, rides on Friday and Saturday mornings with groups of between 40 and 60 people, and during the week members train on their own.
Mr Said manages his training by cycling, swimming or going for a short run on a treadmill before iftar.
“I do short and easy sessions before iftar and then I do anything that is hard-intensity or a long session of cycling after Taraweeh prayers,” said the auditor, who works in the telecommunications sector.
“Once sports and exercise are part of your daily routine, whether it’s Ramadan or not, it makes no difference. I don’t know anyone who has made sports part of their routine, but then don't engage during Ramadan. The people who do this are the ones who train occasionally – they exercise one week and not the next,” said the 38-year old.
Not being able to drink water and not getting enough sleep are the biggest challenges for the cyclist.
“Especially when you combine this with the challenge the heat presents. You have to plan your exercise carefully,” he said.
Mr Said enjoys challenging himself, though, and last month he completed the Ironman South Africa, which involves a 3.8km swim, a 180km cycle and a marathon.
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Read more from Sport in Ramadan:
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Boot-campers overcome thirst and heat to carry on exercising during holy month
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Ali Hassan Abuobieda, a 34-year-old Palestinian physiotherapist who has enjoyed cycling as a hobby for more than a decade, is also a member of Raha Cycling. He started riding with the group two years ago, but started training during Ramadan five years ago.
"In Ramadan, I always try keep up my fitness levels up and at the same time ensure I don't lose my strength," he said.
While he trains and does long rides after iftar, he engages in a 30-to-45-minute workout before he breaks his fast.
"Some people can't exercise outdoors in Ramadan and that's understandable, but they can be active indoors. They can go to the gym or walk on the treadmill or do cardio," he said.
Hydration is extremely important for the athlete, who ensures he consumes sufficient amounts of water and juices after breaking his fast.
“It’s very hard sometimes. I feel very weak at some points and then I rest for a couple of days,” he said.
His advice to people who are afraid to exercise in Ramadan is: "Try it a couple of times. It will be hard in the beginning but it will get easier."
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.”
Men from Barca's class of 99
Crystal Palace - Frank de Boer
Everton - Ronald Koeman
Manchester City - Pep Guardiola
Manchester United - Jose Mourinho
Southampton - Mauricio Pellegrino
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Brief scoreline:
Toss: South Africa, elected to bowl first
England (311-8): Stokes 89, Morgan 57, Roy 54, Root 51; Ngidi 3-66
South Africa (207): De Kock 68, Van der Dussen 50; Archer 3-27, Stokes 2-12
ICC T20 Rankings
1. India - 270 ranking points
2. England - 265 points
3. Pakistan - 261 points
4. South Africa - 253 points
5. Australia - 251 points
6. New Zealand - 250 points
7. West Indies - 240 points
8. Bangladesh - 233 points
9. Sri Lanka - 230 points
10. Afghanistan - 226 points
Results
United States beat UAE by three wickets
United States beat Scotland by 35 runs
UAE v Scotland – no result
United States beat UAE by 98 runs
Scotland beat United States by four wickets
Fixtures
Sunday, 10am, ICC Academy, Dubai - UAE v Scotland
Admission is free
