Chapter 304 - 169: You Have to Help Us Secure the Home Victory

Huang Chong answered without a second thought:

"Definitely the former. The team probably won’t send me to the Giro d’Italia."

"Why? With your abilities, having you compete in more multi-day races should be the best strategy.

Now they’re practically using you as a classics rider—"

"It’s simple. Didn’t I just lose to Pogačar at the Liège Race?

That guy is participating in the Giro d’Italia this year. Even though I’m consistent in multi-day races, I definitely can’t out-ride him.

If the team sends me, I’ll just be fighting for second place at best.

A Grand Tour is 21 days long. The points for a runner-up finish are basically meaningless!

From our perspective, one-day races mean too few competitions for me, but for the team, it’s actually a good thing.

Bagging a few hundred points in a single race... these savvy Europeans know their numbers. There’s no way they don’t get it."

Hearing this, Chen Junyi nodded in agreement and added:

"Besides, the Eschborn-Frankfurt one-day race is one of only two World Tour races in Germany, so it’s a home race for the Bora Team.

And the other one, the Beamer Classic, is a flat sprint stage, which doesn’t suit you either!"

"Exactly. So the team definitely wants to win this race.

Pogačar is about to race the Giro d’Italia anyway. The race in Germany is insignificant to him; he looks down on it and won’t show up. Sending me is the perfect move.

Plus, having me do one-day races is the most cost-effective way to fulfill my contract.

They promised to let me participate in ten World Tour races, and I’ve only done five so far.

Using one-day races to pad the numbers—what a bargain for them!"

"That’s true. But you’ve performed so well this year that they can’t just use less important races to make up the numbers anymore—"

And just as they were talking, sure enough, a call came directly from the team.

Aldag told Huang Chong not to train outside tomorrow, but to join the team’s internal training session instead, saying he had an assignment to discuss with him.

After finishing the call on speakerphone, Huang Chong shrugged at Chen Junyi and said with a smile:

"See? I told you someone’s ears must be burning. And just like that, the team’s orders are in—"

Chen Junyi smiled, her charming dimples showing, and replied:

"That’s a good thing. The more the team needs you, the more important and stable your position becomes.

The competition in professional sports in Europe has always been fierce. The sooner you secure your spot as a core leader, the more at ease I’ll be about going to the United Kingdom for my master’s degree."

Every time Huang Chong heard Chen Junyi mention her postgraduate studies, he felt an inexplicable pang of reluctance.

It made him realize clearly that he couldn’t be without her anymore.

But he couldn’t possibly stop Chen Junyi from pursuing her studies.

It was her life. How could he be selfish enough to ask Chen Junyi to make a sacrifice on something so important just to take care of him?

So, no matter how reluctant he felt, there was nothing he could say.

The next day, when Huang Chong went to the team’s internal training as Aldag had requested, the first thing Aldag—who had returned overnight from Switzerland—said upon seeing him was:

"Huang, you need to prepare for the Eschborn-Frankfurt one-day race.

This race is very important to us, and the terrain suits you well. You have to do everything you can to help us defend our home victory!

As for the Giro d’Italia, the team has decided in a meeting not to send you this year.

Of course, the Giro d’Italia lasts for three weeks, plus rest days, so it takes up almost the entire month of May. That’s a long gap in your schedule.

Therefore, to maintain your competitive form, we might send you to some important Pro Level events.

I hope you can understand the team’s decision!"

Huang Chong, who had long guessed this would be the outcome, felt a twinge of regret upon officially hearing the news. After all, the Giro d’Italia was a Grand Tour second only to the Tour de France, with more prestige than the Vuelta a España. Still, he could only nod and reply:

"Okay, I understand."

...