Chapter 355 - 183: The First ITT Stage Arrives

As commentators all over the world live-streamed the Tour de France, marveling at Huang Chong overtaking Pogačar at the last second and defeating the world’s number one road cyclist—

Huang Chong, the first to cross the finish line, deliberately put on an excited face. He raised his arms and cheered along with the countless fans, but inwardly, he was quite calm.

He knew that after his [Sprinting Burst] stat reached around 90, his anaerobic ability was unmatched among cyclists of his type.

Pogačar’s sustained power output, especially on climbs, was of course stronger than his own.

But a flat-road sprint was completely different.

It was a contest of explosive power from every muscle in the body. No matter how strong Pogačar was, he couldn’t compare to Huang Chong, whose physique had been optimized to its absolute peak by the System.

In Stage 2, Huang Chong had already faced Pogačar in a final sprint, but he hadn’t won.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t win. Knowing he could take the Yellow Jersey without beating Pogačar, he had deliberately chosen to test his rival’s maximum power output while sandbagging his own.

Before he had a real shot at sprinting against him for a stage win, Huang Chong couldn’t just reveal his anaerobic capacity.

After all, it was a double-edged sword.

Now, for instance, he didn’t need to guess to know that once Pogačar and the UAE Team realized his maximum power output was higher, the ’Mars Person’ would choose a much safer point to launch his future attacks.

He would never again risk riding to the finish with him for a final anaerobic sprint.

But regardless, using his explosive power to snatch a stage win from his rival was worth it.

Especially since after Stage 4, all the remaining races in the first week—aside from the Stage 7 ITT and Stage 9’s Strade Bianche—were flat stages.

This meant the eight-second advantage he had gained in the general classification from time bonuses would let him keep the Yellow Jersey for a few more days.

The benefits of wearing the Yellow Jersey in the Tour de France were numerous.

First, and most obviously, was the massive exposure that put the wearer in the global spotlight.

Additionally, for every stage a rider wore the Yellow Jersey, they received bonus points (25) and prize money (500 euros).

Of course, winning the Stage 4 title outright like Huang Chong did also came with its own rewards: 11,000 euros and 210 UCI points.

All in all, using his superior anaerobic sprinting power to snatch a Tour de France stage win from Pogačar in the first week was a massive score.

’As for the mountain stages in the next two weeks, I’ll just let him attack. I’ll do my best to keep up, and if I can’t, so be it.’

Huang Chong’s plan was simple: milk the first week for everything it was worth.

When the stage ended, Huang Chong’s victory in Stage 4 sent road cycling fans across China into a frenzy. His family, Chen Junyi’s parents, his former teammates, the National Team and provincial team coaches, Hengxiang Team’s Coach Li, and even Zhang Yi, a team captain he’d only known briefly—everyone who had watched the race was too thrilled for words.

It was safe to say that anyone who had personally been a part of or witnessed his journey to becoming a Professional Cyclist was bursting with pride.

This was a stage victory in the Tour de France!

It was an incredible feat for any cyclist, let alone one from China. Out of the hundreds of Professional Cyclists competing in the World Tour and Pro circuits combined, how many could ever achieve such a thing?

After today, Huang Chong’s name would surely be uttered in the same breath as the pioneers who had put China on the map in other major world sports.

Athletes like Ding Junhui in snooker, Li Na in tennis, and Zhou Guanyu in Formula 1.

His contribution to the world of road cycling was on par with theirs. He would be the one to truly bring the professional culture of the sport to China, popularizing it on a massive scale.

Of course, if he managed to win gold in the men’s road race at the upcoming Paris Olympic Games, the impact might be even greater than his Tour de France achievements.

After all, to the 1.4 billion people of China, an Olympic gold medal was what truly mattered most.

But back to the present.

After winning the stage, since he was already in the Yellow Jersey, Huang Chong didn’t need to go through another podium ceremony to receive it.

Instead of giving an immediate post-race interview, he headed straight for the team bus to find Chen Junyi, who had been following the race from there.

Without a word, he stepped forward and pulled her into a tight embrace.

Chen Junyi blushed at his fervent and direct display of affection.

But she was far too clever not to understand his feelings, and she immediately wrapped her arms around him in return.

In that moment, no words were needed. They understood each other’s hearts perfectly.

"I did it, Junyi.

I may not have won the Tour de France yet, but I’ve won a stage, and I’ve worn the Yellow Jersey.

Thank you for being with me every step of the way, for taking care of me and never giving up on me, for walking this path with me to get here.

We met on the provincial team, and since then you’ve followed me to competitions all over China, then to Europe, Australia, the United Arab Emirates...

If you hadn’t been by my side, encouraging me whenever I lost confidence, I never would have won this championship so soon."