Chapter 300 - 168: From Today On, Everyone Will Look at You in a New Light

The Fortress Mountain climb was 1.6 km long, with an average gradient of 9.4%. The maximum gradient hit 15%, right near the summit.

A climb like this was, without a doubt, perfect for a Pogačar breakaway and solo attack.

And as it turned out, the course of history remained unchanged.

After Hirschi led his team leader up the climb, pulling for nearly 600 meters on the relatively gentler section, he, like his other teammates, completely blew up.

But the moment his teammate pulled aside, Pogačar immediately got out of the saddle and launched his attack.

His move instantly ignited the fans watching from the grassy roadsides, who erupted in a deafening roar!

On the European Sports Road Bike Channel, Steve’s commentary, almost a shout itself, quickly picked up the action:

"Pogačar, the undisputed leader of UAE Team, has attacked on Fortress Mountain!!!

His teammates have controlled almost the entire race, and it seems it was all to deliver him to this incredibly difficult climb for the final blow!

Carapaz, the leader of the EF Education Team, is glued to Pogačar’s wheel!

And right behind him is the Chinese rider from Bora Team, Huang Chong!

But where is van der Poel?!

Oh, damn it, he’s currently buried more than ten riders deep in the main group, and he’s unable to respond on this steep gradient!

With 500 meters left to the summit, they’re about to hit the 15% section, and Carapaz and Huang Chong are still with him!

Can they hold on?!

Jesus! Pogačar glanced back at Carapaz and Huang Chong.

After a high-intensity seated effort, he gets out of the saddle again, and Carapaz can’t hold on—

But the Chinese rider quickly gets out of his saddle, passes Carapaz, and he’s still on Pogačar’s wheel!

The fans on both sides of the road are going absolutely wild!

They’re witnessing, with their own eyes, another rider besides Jonas Vingegaard who can stay glued to Pogačar on a high-intensity, steep climb!"

As Steve’s excited voice trailed off, Huang Chong, who had been riding deep in the red to follow for the entire 1 km climb, finally crested Fortress Mountain alongside Pogačar.

They quickly opened a 22-second gap on the peloton behind them and were the first to begin the descent.

Pogačar, much like van der Poel, is known for his relentlessly aggressive riding style, which makes him incredibly exciting to watch and a favorite among fans worldwide.

Even seeing that Huang Chong had managed to stay with him on Fortress Mountain, he didn’t hesitate for a second. He immediately accelerated on the descent, giving Huang Chong no chance to recover.

Back in China, the fans watching the race went absolutely wild seeing Huang Chong as the only rider who could stay glued to Pogačar on Fortress Mountain:

[HOLY SHIT, THAT’S INSANE! HUANG CHONG IS A BEAST! He actually stayed with Pogačar? What kind of power monster is he?!]

[AHHHH, HANG IN THERE, HUANG CHONG! YOU HAVE TO HANG IN THERE!!!]

[There are only two climbs left! If Huang Chong can just stay with him, he might actually have a shot at sprinting against Pogačar for the finish!]

...

However, no matter how fervently the fans back home prayed, and no matter how cannily Huang Chong was riding...

He stuck to Pogačar’s wheel all the way down to the flat road. But when Pogačar started pulling on the front at over 50 km/h, holding a staggering 480 watts at his threshold, Huang Chong knew his chances were gone.

The penultimate climb, Furnace Slope (Côte des forges), was now just 24 km from the finish line.

Pogačar watched as Huang Chong, who was now wearing a full-on pain face after following him up the climb, struggled behind. Pogačar himself, however, remained calm and maintained his steady rhythm.

Just as his team director had predicted, after realizing Huang Chong had stayed with him on Fortress Mountain, Pogačar had increased his threshold power for the subsequent 10 km.

His goal was to completely drop Huang Chong in their final head-to-head battle.

And it was proving true: although the exact number was unknown, Pogačar’s FTP Power was clearly far superior to Huang Chong’s.

Furnace Slope was 1.3 km long, with an average gradient of 7.8% and a maximum of 13%.

Its most difficult section lay between the 300 and 600-meter marks.

Huang Chong had forced himself to stay with Pogačar’s pace up to this point, holding a power output well above his own FTP. Now, his heart rate had completely skyrocketed.

He knew that if he really dug in, he could probably force himself to stay on Pogačar’s wheel and finish the climb.

But the price would be earning a reputation as a reckless daredevil while very likely getting caught by the riders behind him, jeopardizing his general classification standing.

’Should I go all out just for a memorable moment of defiance?’

’Or should I be rational, let Pogačar go, and secure second place in the general classification?’

Huang Chong considered his options, then passed the difficult decision to his team director, Aldag, over the radio.

The answer came as no surprise. Although he desperately wanted to keep fighting Pogačar, his director’s voice quickly brought him back to his senses:

"Huang, your performance today has already been outstanding!

You’ve pushed the number one rider in the world this far; you’re already the biggest winner here.

Believe me, after today, everyone will see you in a new light.

But you’re a rookie in your first World Tour season. You have a long career ahead of you.

You must stay calm and secure second place in the general classification for the team.

The second group is about 1 minute and 20 seconds behind you. As long as you manage your pace and get over the final climb, Eagle’s Beak Mountain (Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons), you’ll have second place locked down.

Don’t forget, Eagle’s Beak Mountain has an average gradient of 11% and a maximum of 16%.

If you burn your last matches now, you won’t catch Pogačar, and you risk getting caught by the chase group. You might not even hold on to a top-ten finish!"

Hearing this, Huang Chong knew he was right. He had to suppress his youthful bravado, ease off the power, and settle into a steady pace at the highest output he could sustainably manage.

If this had been the final climb, Eagle’s Beak Mountain, he would have fought to the bitter end.

It would have been do or die.

After all, the last seven or eight kilometers after Eagle’s Beak Mountain were all downhill and flat to the finish.

But with Eagle’s Beak Mountain still to come and 20 km remaining, choosing to blow himself up just to follow Pogačar was truly pointless.

Pogačar, with his definitive advantage in FTP Power, easily dropped Huang Chong and, unsurprisingly, soloed the remaining 20 km to take the victory.

Although Huang Chong was forced to back off on Furnace Slope, he successfully held his advantage to the end, crossing the line in second place just 37 seconds behind Pogačar.

As for third place, it wasn’t van der Poel.

Instead, it was the famed climber from Team DSM, Romain Bardet, who had dropped Ben Healy on Furnace Slope and ridden solo to the finish.