19Monday, February 9, 2009Metro Musings

LANI ROSE R DIZON

DOHA Cycling’s popularity as asport is growing in Qatar, saysworld cycling legend EddyMerckx.

In an interview with QatarTribune, Merckx said that themere presence of a Qataricycling team, and the growingnumber of cyclists in the coun-try prove that cycling as a sportis already gaining popularityhere.

“We have a Qatari cyclingteam, and you see a lot morepeople riding the bike than fewyears ago,” he added.

Merckx, a Belgian cyclingchampion and founder of therecently concluded Tour ofQatar, has set the world record

of winning the prestigious Tourde France five times. Truly so,his presence in Doha broughtjoy to cycling enthusiasts here.

A local cyclist said, “I havebeen following on EddyMerckx’s career since I was 20years old. I’m very glad thatfinally I was able to meet himpersonally in Doha, now thatI’m already 52 years old. It’severy cyclist’s dream to meetEddy Merckx, he’s a living leg-end in the world of cyclingsports. And if it weren’t for thisTour of Qatar, I wouldn’t havemet him.

“I was so happy to see him inflesh, that I’ve also grabbed theopportunity to order an EddyMerckx bicycle frame. He is theonly cyclist who has ever hadhis own signature bicycles, andthey’re one of the top-of-the-line signature bikes in theworld”.

Several publications in thepast have served to be testa-

ments of Merckx’s legendaryaccomplishments. The Velo

French magazine has called him‘the most accomplished riderthat cycling has ever known’,while the American publicationVeloNews has called him ‘thegreatest and most successfulcyclist of all time’.

Merckx said that having hispassion for cycling as his job atthe same time was one of thenicest things he has ever had. “Istarted riding in my bike when Iwas 4 years old, and then Iplayed football, and othersports. I started racing when Iwas 16 years old.

“I also used to ride the bikewhen going to school. For mypassion, I make it my job. It’s thenicest thing you can have, hav-ing your passion as your job. Forme it’s great, and also it’s veryimportant in life doing whatyou love to do,” he added.

With this, he complementedQatar’s efforts to promote

sports in the country. He said,“Qatar is a very sports-orientedstate, and it has its participationon every kind of sport especiallynow that it’s also a candidate inthe championship for WorldFootball”.

On how Qatar could furtherpromote sports to residents, hesaid, “If you promote sports, ithas to start from the children,and that will be in the culture ofthe young people. I think this iswhat the Royal Family and theQatar Olympic Committee aredoing. It’s to have more kidsdoing sports, cycling, or othersports. But what’s important isthey do sports. That’s the mostimportant thing; it’s to promotesports to the young ones”.

Giving his personal word ofadvice to aspiring sportsmenand sportswomen in the coun-try who also dream of making itbig in the field someday, he said,

“First of all, you need naturaltalent. That’s ok, but talent isnot enough. Also, you need a lotof concentration and training.Never think that you’re indis-pensable, because every year,you start from zero.

“When the new season starts,you don’t know about how theother competitors are, and it’snot like you have a diploma ofuniversity that you’re a doctorfor your whole life. In sport, youstart every year from zero.That’s because you’ll neverknow the new people comingin, and you don’t know if you’reas strong as the year before,aside from having differentcompetitors.

“Motivation is the mostimportant thing. Try to win tobe the best. I think if you lovesport, you have to try to be thebest in that sport,” Merckxadded.

Cycling gaining popularity in Qatar, says Eddy

Cycling legend Eddy Merckx: ‘Motivation is most important’.

TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK

DOHA Raha Auto Assistance (Raha), Qatar’sfirst 24-hour patrol-based roadside assis-tance service, says it is breaking all recordsin efforts to respond to members sufferingvehicle breakdowns or involved in trafficaccidents.

“With a record number of cars on theroads of Qatar than ever before and hun-dreds more registered every week, notmuch is moving faster when you travelaround Doha, except the bright yellow Rahapatrol vehicles,” a statement issued here onSunday said.

When operations began in October lastyear, Raha promised to respond to mem-bers calls for help in 45 minutes on average.Just three months later and Raha’s 30 patrolvehicles have not only kept their promise,they’ve beaten their target with average

response time of just 37 minutes, a realbonus with the punishing summer weatherfast approaching, it said.

“Breaking down is never a nice experi-ence, no matter the weather conditions, butthanks to their skill and knowledge ofDoha’s roads, Raha Patrols are able to reachour members fast and fix around seven outof ten vehicles at the roadside,” says GeneralManager Ikram Hamdad.

When members suffer a traffic accidentor breakdown anywhere in Qatar, Rahacoordinates its fast response through itsstate-of-the-art operations call centre. Bi-lingual telephone operators receive themember’s call and immediately pinpointtheir location.

A Raha patrol is dispatched, using the lat-est satellite technology and detailed knowl-edge of the roads of Qatar, arrives quickly ina fully-equipped vehicle.

Dedicated to helping its members get onthe move after a traffic accident or break-down, Raha’s focus is on-the-spot repairs atthe roadside so members don’t miss thatimportant business meeting or family occa-sion. If a roadside repair is not possible, thevehicle and passengers are taken to a desti-nation of the member’s choice in Qatar.

For less than QR2 per day, Raha member’sregistered vehicles receive roadside assis-tance 365 days a year, regardless of who isdriving.

“Raha’s number one aim is to repair avehicle at the roadside, no matter what thefault, and get members moving quickly.This makes us different from others whodon’t have our combination of specialistvehicles, technology, tools and genuine carparts to perform a wide range of roadsiderepairs,” says Raha Operations Director RoyClarke.

TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK

DOHA Pat EngineeringEnterprises, a Qatari basedcompany and Vimac SA, a lead-ing power and energy Spanishfirm, last week signed a joinventure agreement to worktogether in Qatar. The new jointventure will be called Pat-VimacEnergy Co.

“The partnership betweenPat Engineering and Vimac SAis an indication of the accelerat-ing globalisation taking place inQatar in the power and trans-mission sector” said the GeneralManager of Pat, Marin Harti.

“Pat and Vimac are comple-menting each other as EPC con-tractor. The combinedstrengths of the two companieswill create a leading providerfocused on electricity andpower, with cost-optimisedpropositions designed to giveclients customised solutionsand focus on on-time delivery.Delays in infrastructure proj-ects can hinder the extraordi-nary growth that Qatar is expe-riencing. Pat-Vimac joint ven-ture will focus on delivering itsservices on time to satisfy theneeds of our clients” saidGuillermo Contreras Manrique,director of Vimac SA.

The new company will belocated Doha, Qatar and willfocus on EPC contractors in the

power, energy and power trans-mission sector.

The name of the company,Pat-Vimac Energy Co, “captureswith simplicity the essence ofthe company, its main focus andscope”, said the joint venture’sadvisors Aldo Bernardi andAdnan Baydoun.

Pat Engineering EnterprisesCo. WLL is an internationalcompany with offices in Qatar,

Kuwait, USA and India. Thecompany offers a wide range ofservices and engineering solu-tions for oil and gas, power, andpower distribution systems.

The company has grownsteadily investing in researchand development together inalliance with strategic partnersand consultancy firms.

Vimac SA is a company withlong experience in the power

and energy sector. Its origingoes back to the beginning oftwentieth-century. It offers itsconsiderable experience in theengineering installations andmaintenance for the electricityand power sector. It has as infra-structure team capable ofundertaking large and highlytechnical projects, using inno-vative solutions of materialsand advance technologies.

Qatari, Spanish firms in joint venture

General Manager Pat Marin Harti (right) and Director Vimac Guillermo Contreras Manrique in Doha.

QBWF names sponsors forAmbassador ProgrammeTRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK

DOHA The Qatari Business Women Forum(QBWF) has announced sponsors of itsCorporate Ambassador Programme whichwill be held under the patronage and pres-ence of Minister of Business & Trade HESheikh Fahad bin Jassim bin MohammadalThani, on February 10 and 11 at theSheraton Doha Hotel.

It will focus on “SMEs: Engines forEconomic Growth” to educate professionalbusinessmen and women on skills needed tostart and grow a business and provide net-working opportunities.

The sponsors are Commercial Bank ofQatar, Qatar Islamic Bank (QIB), Jaguar ofAlfardan Premier Motors, Aamal and ThePearl Qatar, UDC’s flagship project.

Commercialbank is the leading privatesector and second largest commercial bankin Qatar by total assets and shareholdersequity. It now ranks among the top 20 Arabbanks by capital strength. The bank has agrowing GCC regional presence, through itsaffiliated banks, National Bank of Oman, thesecond largest bank in Oman, and UnitedArab Bank in the UAE.

QIB, was founded 25 years ago as the firstIslamic and Sharia-compliant bank in Qatarand is one of the five largest Islamic banks inthe world. Today the bank enjoys the premierposition within the Islamic banking sectorand was the pioneer in launching Sharia-compliant Islamic financial products for

retail, corporate and private banking, andoperates today in Qatar via 23 branches and91 ATMs. QIB is also a trendsetter in realestate investment funds in the UK, USA, andFrance.

Aamal Company comprises severalbranches and subsidiaries which were part ofAl Faisal Holding. With diversified activitiesand income, Aamal branches have beenoperating in Qatar for more than 40 yearsand have achieved leading positions in theareas they operate. Aamal Company QSCruns a successful group staffed with over3,000 professionals and is considered a rolemodel for many other companies.

Alfardan Premier Motors Co., Land Roverand Jaguar importer in Qatar and marketleader among Qatar’s vehicle dealers, hascaptured a huge local market owing to itspremium focus on customer care and satis-faction. With state-of-the -art showroomsand a cutting-edge service centre, AlfardanPremier Motors Co. is equipped to handlethe various requirements of its esteemedcustomers.

The Pearl Qatar is UDC’s flagship project,and one of the largest urban developments inQatar, The Pearl-Qatar is achieving interna-tional recognition as the Middle East’s mostprestigious and glamorous location,renowned for excellence in design and con-struction. With an area of 4 million squaremeters and a 32 km coastline, this reclaimedisland has been developed with funds inexcess of QR 50 billion (US$14 billion).

Raha offers prompt help to members

Raha assists stranded motorists on the roads of Qatar.