Chapter 287 - 166: Still Pedaling Seated on a 19% Climb? Another Pogačar?

Huang Chong had spent days cycling through Belgium’s Wallonne Region, memorizing the final circuit of the Flèche Wallonne until he knew it inside and out. So naturally, he wasn’t surprised by the result.

As a reincarnator, he had watched live broadcasts of all these races in his previous life. Although he couldn’t remember who won each race, it was hard for him to feel the same sense of incredulity as when he first watched them live.

Instead, there was only a faint sense of dawning realization, a quiet ’Oh, so he’s the one who won this race.’

But since he hadn’t even participated, he couldn’t be bothered to care too much. Instead, he focused all his attention on his daily training.

...

On April 17th, the Flèche Wallonne officially began.

A recent cold snap had hit the Ardennes Region, and the weather today was especially foul. Vast, dark clouds hung low over the slightly dilapidated industrial city of Charleroi, casting an oppressive atmosphere over the race.

To make matters worse, the temperature was frighteningly low, hovering around just 4°C.

As a result, the cyclists who had just competed in the Amstel Gold Race all looked exhausted.

In fact, many cyclists participate in all three races of the Ardennes Triple Crown.

For example, Adrià from the Bora Team would be completing the trifecta.

Of course, some heavyweights like van der Poel were skipping this climbing race.

Firstly, the course didn’t suit him.

Secondly, he needed to recover from the exertion of the last race to prepare for Liège-Bastogne-Liège on April 21st.

This race still featured 25 teams with a total of 175 riders. The start was in the Belgian industrial city of Charleroi, and the finish line was in the famous Huy City.

The entire course was 198.6 km long, with only three officially categorized long climbs:

The Côte d’Yvoir at the 42 km mark.

The Côte d’Ereffe at the 90 km mark.

And the Mur de Huy at the 103 km mark.

But because it was a circuit race, the riders would have to tackle the last two climbs four times each, bringing the total number of difficult climbs to nine.

Moreover, the defining characteristic of the Flèche Wallonne course is its constant, undulating series of short climbs; there are no purely flat sections at all.

Huang Chong had already ridden the entire course over the past few days, so he was well warmed-up and had the terrain etched into his memory.

He already knew, for instance, that the Côte d’Yvoir was 2.2 km long, with an average gradient of 5.6% and a maximum of 7.8%.

The Côte d’Ereffe was 2.1 km long, with an average gradient of 5.4% and a maximum of 11%.

As for the Mur de Huy at the finish, its difficulty was on another level. While only 1.3 km long with an average gradient of 9.6%—

—only the first 600 meters were a gentle slope. For the final 700 meters to the summit, the gradient would climb from 14% all the way up to 19%!

Pogačar of the UAE Team was last year’s winner on this course, while Skjelmose of the Trek Team was the runner-up.

The former didn’t come this year, while the latter was competing again.

However, due to his average performance in the Amstel Gold Race, Skjelmose was not considered a favorite to win this year.

Victory at the Flèche Wallonne is typically decided in the final climbing sprint. Last year, Pogačar had launched his attack in the final 200 meters, getting out of the saddle on the toughest 19% section and pulling away, completely unrivaled.

But this year’s Flèche Wallonne, while featuring a field similar to the Amstel Gold Race, still seemed to lack some star power compared to years with Both Fan, Pogačar, and three-time Flèche Wallonne champion Alaphilippe.

Fortunately, Huang Chong’s return had brought back a good deal of excitement, at least in his home country.

So when the live broadcast commentator mentioned that Huang Chong was one of the favorites to win, the fans back home were undoubtedly thrilled.

After the race began, a group of six riders still chose to break away.

Among them were two World Tour Cyclists: Igor Chzhan from the Astana Team and Lilian Calmejane from the Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux Team.

The remaining four were all Professional Cyclists: Txomin Juaristi from the Euskaltel-Euskadi Team, James Whelan from the Q36.5 Team, Alan Jousseaume from the TotalEnergies Team, and Johan Meens from the Wagner-Bazan WB team.

Knowing the difficult Wall of Huy circuit lay ahead, the main peloton let the breakaway build a lead of 4 minutes and 30 seconds over the first 80-plus kilometers, allowing them to reach the first pass of the Côte d’Ereffe well ahead.

But just after this climb, with 105 km still remaining to the finish, the sky opened up and a heavy rain began to fall.

In an instant, the world became a blur, and visibility in Huy City dropped dramatically.

Riders began collecting rain jackets from their team cars and putting them on, and Huang Chong was no exception.

Although he had long been unaffected by cold or heat, the physical sensation of such a downpour was still palpable.

The jacket would at least prevent the rain from soaking him directly, which was something.

As he rode no-handed to put on his jacket, Aldag reminded him:

"Huang, the rain’s too heavy now. The roads are pooling with water, and the temperature is dropping sharply. You need to be careful and ride safe.

Especially when cornering on descents. Don’t risk an attack just to gain speed."