Chapter 351 182: Teaming Up with Vingegaard and Claiming the First Victory of His Tour de France Career

I must thank the team for their tremendous support, and I also want to thank my team director, Rolf, and my team owner, Ralph.

It's because of their absolute trust in me that I was able to truly make it to the Tour de France in my very first year on the World Tour.

Honestly, right now, it feels like I'm dreaming.

As for why I was able to win those victories before the Tour, including being selected for the roster, the answer is something every cyclist knows.

It's training hard and maintaining a hunger for victory.

Only by persevering day in and day out can a cyclist stay in top form and get the results they want!

"That's absolutely right!

My second question is, with your incredible performance, you've put on the Yellow Jersey earlier than the champions of the past four years, Tadej and Jonas. Are you surprised by this?

Also, based on the current general classification standings, are you confident that you can maintain your lead for a long time, or even all the way to the end?"

"Yes, I am a bit surprised that I was able to put on the Yellow Jersey.

I think it's the result of the team's collective effort, plus a bit of a blessing for a newcomer in his first Tour de France.

After all, the lineup for the Tour de France is just so stacked.

This race includes almost all of the world's best road cyclists.

Gaining even the slightest advantage over them is incredibly difficult.

As for whether I can wear the Yellow Jersey all the way to the end, honestly, I don't want to think about that just yet.

You know, the race has only just begun.

Jonas and Tadej, as well as Remco and my team leader, Primož, and others, haven't even reached the stages where they excel yet.

It's really too early to be talking about the final result.

So my goal right now is to do everything I can to help the team defend this Yellow Jersey and try to wear it for a few more days."

"Alright, thank you for the interview, and congratulations again on being first in the general classification.

I sincerely hope you continue to have a perfect performance in the upcoming stages and carry this success all the way to the finish!"

...

After the interview, Huang Chong naturally headed to the podium to receive his honorary jerseys.

As the cyclist who had swept up two jerseys, he was without a doubt the center of attention today.

Even the stage winner from the breakaway, Kévin Vauquelin, didn't command nearly as much attention.

An official from the race organizing committee personally helped him into the Yellow Jersey.

A podium hostess standing nearby presented him with a bouquet of flowers, after which they posed for a commemorative photo together.

Then, after the awards for the Yellow, Polka Dot, and Green Jerseys were presented, he went on stage again to accept the award for the Best Young Rider's White Jersey.

Of course, the Yellow Jersey has a much higher priority than the White Jersey, so in Stage 3, he would only be competing in the Yellow Jersey.

The White Jersey would therefore pass down to Evenepoel, who was under 25 and currently fourth in the general classification.

After the awards ceremony, Red Bull Bora's official account in China immediately posted photos from the ceremony of Huang Chong with his Yellow and White Jerseys.

The caption read:

China Speed! Your energy is beyond your imagination!

Congratulations to our Tour de France overall leader and best young rider!

And as soon as the post went up, even though it was already the middle of the night in China, the number of shares online instantly exploded.

In addition to a huge number of cycling fans, the official accounts of CCTV, the Tour de France itself, and various road cycling bloggers—and even many celebrity cycling enthusiasts in China—were all reposting the news of Huang Chong in the Yellow Jersey.

At the same time, Huang Chong's name also shot up the trending lists on all of China's major social media platforms.

Clearly, this was the first time a Road Cyclist from China had managed to expand their personal influence to such a degree.

But at that moment, Huang Chong had no time to pay attention to this off-course news. His focus could not be divided.

The Tour de France stages came one after another. He could only allow himself a brief moment of happiness before he had to refocus and set off again.

The third day of the Tour de France was a flat stage.

It ran from Piacenza City in Italy all the way to Turin, covering a total distance of 230.8 km.

The stage was certainly long, but for the general classification contenders, since they didn't need to fight for the stage win or time bonuses, it was basically a rest day as long as they stayed in the peloton and cruised.

This stage had a total elevation gain of 1,190 meters. Although there were three Category 4 climbs, they were all of low difficulty.

For Huang Chong, wearing the Yellow Jersey today, this stage was more like a showcase for his honorary jersey.

In any case, he wasn't going to get involved in the final sprint. With about 3 km to go, his domestiques had already slowed down to keep him safe and create a gap between him and the big sprinters.

In the end, victory in the final sprint of Stage 3 of the Tour de France went to Girmay, the Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux cyclist who excels in chaotic sprints.

Huang Chong crossed the line with the main group with no time gap, maintaining his lead in the general classification. This meant the hard-won Yellow Jersey would remain on his shoulders.

...

「July 2nd.」

Stage 4 of the Tour de France officially kicked off at 1:15 PM.

This stage was the only high mountain stage in the first week of the Tour and also the last one to start from within Italy.

Partway through the stage, the cyclists would officially cross into France.