UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider Tadej Pogacar took charge of the yellow jersey at the Tour de France on Wednesday as Belgian rider Remco Evenepoel won the Stage 5 time trial.
One day after registering his 100th career win, Pogacar took the overall lead from Mathieu van der Poel.
World and Olympic champion Evenepoel finished 16 seconds faster than Pogacar with Italian Edoardo Affini 33 sec off the stage lead in third.
Pogacar has a 42-second advantage over Evenepoel in the general classification.
Two-time winner Jonas Vingegaard, who began the day just eight seconds behind yellow jersey holder Van der Poel, suffered a horror ride as the Dane could only finish 13th – one minute and 21 seconds behind Evenepoel.
Dutchman Van der Poel also struggled to maintain the pace, coming in 18th, 1 min 44 sec behind the winner, dropping down to sixth overall.
“I'm super happy with how I rode today, to be 17 seconds behind the world champion, the Olympic champion, the best time-trialist in the world right now, probably,” Pogacar said on Wednesday.
“I'm super happy to be second placed today … and gaining time on the others. I'm super, super happy and proud.
“It's a very good day and I'm happy, but I'm just happy that this day is over and we can focus now on the next days and keep the ball rolling in this Tour de France.”
Vingegaard slipped down to fourth overall while Pogacar also holds the polka dot and green jerseys.
Affini, riding his first Tour de France, set the early pace, and his leading time lasted almost three hours until Evenepoel upped the pace in the second half of the course.
The Belgian was four seconds down on the Italian at the second intermediate checkpoint, but the 25-year-old, who finished third last year on his Tour debut, showed his class and crossed the line 33 seconds faster than Affini.
“I didn't really feel like I could go any faster, so I think in general I'm happy with this result,” Evenepoel said.
“I think what we saw in the intermediate, that I was always going up and also still gaining time in the last 7-8 kilometres. So I paced it perfectly, and everything was on point.”
Earlier, French cyclist Emilien Jeanniere of the TotalEnergies team was forced to abandon the Tour de France after cycling 174-kilometres with a fractured left shoulder blade.
The 26-year-old, riding in his first Tour, crashed at the end of Monday's Stage 3 in Dunkirk.
His team said he suffered facial injuries, multiple bruises and had stitches in a number of cuts. He even had to get a dentist to open up to fix a broken tooth.
Remarkably, Jeanniere went on to complete the Stage 4 route from Amiens to Rouen on Tuesday, struggling home in 147th place, more than 15 minutes behind stage winner Pogacar.
His team said further medical examinations on Wednesday morning had “revealed a fracture of the left shoulder blade” and he had withdrawn from the race.
Stage 6 will take the peloton from Bayeux to Vire in a region of France known as Norman Switzerland featuring some high hills and stunning views.
The finale should be spectacular with the Cote de Vaudry likely to feature some attacks from top contenders before an uphill finish with a 10 per cent gradient.
The currency conundrum
Russ Mould, investment director at online trading platform AJ Bell, says almost every major currency has challenges right now. “The US has a huge budget deficit, the euro faces political friction and poor growth, sterling is bogged down by Brexit, China’s renminbi is hit by debt fears while slowing Chinese growth is hurting commodity exporters like Australia and Canada.”
Most countries now actively want a weak currency to make their exports more competitive. “China seems happy to let the renminbi drift lower, the Swiss are still running quantitative easing at full tilt and central bankers everywhere are actively talking down their currencies or offering only limited support," says Mr Mould.
This is a race to the bottom, and everybody wants to be a winner.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
Your rights as an employee
The government has taken an increasingly tough line against companies that fail to pay employees on time. Three years ago, the Cabinet passed a decree allowing the government to halt the granting of work permits to companies with wage backlogs.
The new measures passed by the Cabinet in 2016 were an update to the Wage Protection System, which is in place to track whether a company pays its employees on time or not.
If wages are 10 days late, the new measures kick in and the company is alerted it is in breach of labour rules. If wages remain unpaid for a total of 16 days, the authorities can cancel work permits, effectively shutting off operations. Fines of up to Dh5,000 per unpaid employee follow after 60 days.
Despite those measures, late payments remain an issue, particularly in the construction sector. Smaller contractors, such as electrical, plumbing and fit-out businesses, often blame the bigger companies that hire them for wages being late.
The authorities have urged employees to report their companies at the labour ministry or Tawafuq service centres — there are 15 in Abu Dhabi.
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group F
Manchester City v Hoffenheim, midnight (Wednesday, UAE)
The bio
Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.
Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.
Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.
Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.
The nine articles of the 50-Year Charter
1. Dubai silk road
2. A geo-economic map for Dubai
3. First virtual commercial city
4. A central education file for every citizen
5. A doctor to every citizen
6. Free economic and creative zones in universities
7. Self-sufficiency in Dubai homes
8. Co-operative companies in various sectors
9: Annual growth in philanthropy
the pledge
I pledge to uphold the duty of tolerance
I pledge to take a first stand against hate and injustice
I pledge to respect and accept people whose abilities, beliefs and culture are different from my own
I pledge to wish for others what I wish for myself
I pledge to live in harmony with my community
I pledge to always be open to dialogue and forgiveness
I pledge to do my part to create peace for all
I pledge to exercise benevolence and choose kindness in all my dealings with my community
I pledge to always stand up for these values: Zayed's values for tolerance and human fraternity
Brief scores:
Day 1
Toss: India, chose to bat
India (1st innings): 215-2 (89 ov)
Agarwal 76, Pujara 68 not out; Cummins 2-40
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
Available: Now
SCORES IN BRIEF
Lahore Qalandars 186 for 4 in 19.4 overs
(Sohail 100,Phil Salt 37 not out, Bilal Irshad 30, Josh Poysden 2-26)
bt Yorkshire Vikings 184 for 5 in 20 overs
(Jonathan Tattersall 36, Harry Brook 37, Gary Ballance 33, Adam Lyth 32, Shaheen Afridi 2-36).
The bio
Academics: Phd in strategic management in University of Wales
Number one caps: His best-seller caps are in shades of grey, blue, black and yellow
Reading: Is immersed in books on colours to understand more about the usage of different shades
Sport: Started playing polo two years ago. Helps him relax, plus he enjoys the speed and focus
Cars: Loves exotic cars and currently drives a Bentley Bentayga
Holiday: Favourite travel destinations are London and St Tropez
Tenet
Director: Christopher Nolan
Stars: John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia, Michael Caine, Kenneth Branagh
Rating: 5/5
The Rub of Time: Bellow, Nabokov, Hitchens, Travolta, Trump and Other Pieces 1986-2016
Martin Amis,
Jonathan Cape
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
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UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
