Chapter 454 - 216: A Leisurely Stroll to the Fifth Victory

On September 6th, Stage 19 of the Vuelta a Espa?a started as scheduled.

The riders would travel from Logro?o to the finish at Moncalvillo Heights.

This stage was 164.8 km long, with a total elevation gain of just 2,601 meters.

From the total elevation gain, it was clear this was just a hilly stage. The overall difficulty of finishing it certainly wouldn’t be too high.

And this was indeed the case. The entire route featured only two categorized climbs.

One was a Third Category Climb, the PuertodePradilla Climb, with its summit at the 94.5 km mark.

It was 5.3 km long, with an average gradient of 5% and a maximum gradient of 5.9%.

Although the riders were fatigued at this point in the race, a climb of this difficulty would still pose no challenge.

However, the summit finish on Moncalvillo Heights was a high-mountain climb, the kind that only the general classification contenders could be the first to conquer.

This climb was officially rated as a First Category Climb. It was 8.6 km long, with a steep average gradient of 8.9% and a maximum gradient of 11%.

The riders would also have to tackle the steepest part of the entire climb around 1.5 km from the finish, where the gradient hit 16%.

Aside from the first kilometer at the base and the final 600 meters to the summit, which had average gradients of just 4.7% and 7.4% respectively, the remaining seven full kilometers of road through the pine forest would not dip below an average gradient of 9%.

On such a steep mountain finish, assuming the general classification contenders weren’t willing to concede the stage, it was clear that no one from a breakaway could possibly make it to the finish line alone.

Before the race began, during the rider presentation and sign-in, Huang Chong had been wearing the Red Jersey for eighteen days. As the race leader, he was naturally pulled aside by a reporter for a pre-race interview. The reporter asked him directly:

"Huang, we all know you have a massive lead over the other riders in the general classification.

At this stage of the race, I think it’s pointless to ask if you’re confident about winning the whole thing.

But I’m really curious. Since the start of the third week, neither you nor your team has managed to open your account with a stage victory—

The Vuelta a Espa?a is now drawing to a close. Based on the profile alone, today’s stage, with the finishing climb up Moncalvillo Heights, seems perfectly suited for a climber like you to claim a victory.

So, do you plan to attack on this stage, either to add another win to your tally or to further extend your overall lead?"

Huang Chong, who had all but secured the overall victory, heard the questions and answered frankly:

"The team has, in fact, planned a strategy for me to attack and go for the stage win today. They also want me to completely solidify my lead in the general classification.

However, at this stage of the race, every rider is already very fatigued.

No one can predict the final outcome, and that includes me.

Besides, tomorrow’s Stage 20 is the Queen Stage of this Vuelta, and it has a lot of difficult climbs that we’ll have to face and conquer.

If I burn too many matches to win today, I risk collapsing tomorrow.

So all I can say is, I’ll do my best on today’s stage—"

After the race officially began, the Vuelta a Espa?a organizers clipped this pre-race interview with Huang Chong and played it in a small pop-up window during the live broadcast.

Although it was a Spanish race, Huang Chong answered in English, not Spanish.

This was to make it easier for commentators from all over the world, since English is, after all, the most widely spoken language globally.

The professional commentators in China could, of course, understand English, so they weren’t particularly worried when they heard his seemingly conservative remarks.

The China Sports commentator smiled and asked the guest analyst directly:

"Director Xiao, what did you make of Huang Chong’s interview just now?

Do you think he’s really as fatigued as he claims?

And that he’ll only ’do his best’ for today’s stage win?"

Director Xiao heard the question and replied decisively, without a moment’s hesitation:

"I certainly don’t believe that a rider of Huang Chong’s caliber is really so fatigued that he can only ’do his best’ to win a stage.

Of course, this deep into the race, after so many consecutive stages under the hot Spanish summer sun, the riders are definitely tired.

However, in the first three stages of this third week, the GC contenders have been letting the breakaways go for the win, so their energy expenditure hasn’t been significant at all.

I personally think Huang Chong said that for two reasons. First, it’s a reflection of his personality.

We’ve been watching his races and interviews for a long time now, so we have a pretty good understanding of him. He fits what we in China would call a humble character.

Secondly, the Grand Tour isn’t over until the final line is crossed. It wouldn’t be smart to say something too definitive and provoke a coordinated attack from the other team leaders.

Grand Tours are all about navigating social dynamics. Huang Chong has a significant overall lead; all he needs to do now is defend it. There’s absolutely no need for him to say anything that could stir up trouble, especially in response to a reporter who’s clearly trying to provoke him.

In my opinion, anyway, given the difficulty of today’s stage, Huang Chong will have no problem winning. In fact, I believe he’ll win with relative ease, and it won’t affect his performance in tomorrow’s Queen Stage in the slightest!"