Chapter 288 - 166: Still Pedaling Seated on a 19% Climb? Another Pogačar?

"The breakaway group was already reeled in by a minute and a half in the rain before they even reached the Wall of Huy. They only have a three-minute advantage left. You don’t need to worry at all."

After receiving the update, Huang Chong replied succinctly:

"Got it!"

Afterward, with 96km to the finish, the peloton finally started the first passage of the Mur de Huy.

Even though it was pouring rain, the people of Belgium truly love road cycling. The steep slopes of the Wall of Huy were packed with crowds on both sides.

Some held umbrellas, others wore raincoats. In any case, when the peloton arrived, many people pumped their fists and erupted into enthusiastic cheers for the riders.

As Huang Chong rode in the peloton, the difficulty naturally ramped up when he hit the final 700 meters of the steep slope.

It reminded him of the Qingxiu Mountain climb from the Nanning criterium at the Tour of Guangxi, where one section of the gradient had reached as high as 17%.

An ordinary person would find this gradient impossible, having to get off and push their bike. But for a World Tour Cyclist, it just meant slowing down a bit; making it over smoothly was no problem at all.

However, after just the first time up the climb, a split occurred. On the Bora Team, only Huang Chong and Adrià managed to stay with the lead group. Their five other teammates, along with over a hundred other riders, were all dropped, and a gap immediately opened up.

This showed the devastating effect of the Wall of Huy. Combined with the rain, low temperatures, and most riders still recovering from the Amstel Gold Race, a huge portion of the field was already knocked out of contention for the win after just the first lap.

"Huang, good news. After that first Mur de Huy, two of your main rivals for the win have been dropped.

Specifically, Pidcock of the Ineos Grenadiers Team, who just won the Amstel Gold Race, and Skjelmose of the Trek Team, who finished second in this race last year.

The bad news, however, is that we’ve lost five riders. Only Adrià is still in the group with you.

Of course, every team has had plenty of riders dropped. In the lead group right now, besides Uno-X, FDJ, and EF Education, who still have numbers, the other teams have no domestiques left!"

Hearing this, Huang Chong felt neither happy nor sad.

He knew Pidcock’s and Skjelmose’s capabilities on steep climbs. They weren’t exceptionally strong, and their uphill sprints were average. He wasn’t afraid of riders like them.

As for his own teammates getting dropped so quickly, that left him rather speechless.

But that was just the team’s strategy. For the Ardennes Triple Crown, Aldag would only send the A-squad to truly compete in Liège-Bastogne-Liège. For the other two races, the support riders were mostly cannon fodder just there to fill out the roster. It was no surprise they got dropped!

After that first main climb, the lead group began its chase in earnest. By the time the breakaway group started their second passage of the Côte d’Ereffe, their advantage had all but vanished, down to just 40 seconds.

In the process, three of the original six breakaway riders had been caught, leaving only three men to grit their teeth and persevere in the pouring rain.

In such rainy and windy conditions, the advantage of riding in a group was too significant. Thus, after passing the Côte d’Ereffe with just 68.2km to the finish, all the breakaway riders had been brought back.

But the calm in the lead group was short-lived. With 60km to the finish, Soren Kragh Andersen, a Danish classics rider for Alpecin, suddenly launched a solo breakaway.

He quickly opened up a gap of around 50 seconds.

Immediately after Andersen’s attack, Markus Hoelgaard of the Uno-X Team also launched a solo chase, quickly putting thirty seconds into the main group containing Huang Chong.

Faced with this situation, Huang Chong, who was aiming for the overall victory, naturally felt a bit of panic. The race was getting shorter, and the time gap had suddenly become so large. ’What if they actually manage to stay away?’

He quickly asked over the radio:

"Director, the Alpecin cyclist is extending his lead. Should I attack on one of the upcoming climbs to chase him down?"

But upon hearing this, Aldag immediately shut down his plan to attack, stating bluntly:

"No, no, no, Huang. Be calm. Please, stay calm.

Andersen from Alpecin definitely won’t stay away, don’t worry. Just sit tight in the peloton and let the leaders of the other teams do the chasing.

If you decide to attack on this lap, you won’t make it to the finish, no matter how strong your engine is!"

In professional racing, a rider must obey their director’s commands without question.

Even if following a director’s advice leads to a disaster in the race, you still have to obey their orders.

Huang Chong had no choice. He had to suppress the urge to attack and continue riding in the main group.

With 49km to go, Markus Hoelgaard was reabsorbed by the peloton. Then, with only 44km remaining, the rain finally stopped, and the temperature began to rise to around 13°C.

Without a word, Huang Chong dropped back to Aldag’s team car, took off his windbreaker, and tossed it through the window.

Some riders simply took theirs off and tossed them to the roadside, but he didn’t do that.

Then, with only 35.2km to the finish, Ben Healy of the EF Education Team pulled out from the group and took the initiative to chase down Andersen, who was still riding solo.