Chapter 331 - 176: Overall Standings Overturned, Suspense for the Title Reignited

For two stages in a row, Huang Chong had led Roglič to a stage victory. This kind of elite climbing and lead-out performance undoubtedly forced every World Tour Team to sit up and take notice.

This was especially true for the major teams competing in the Tour de Dauphine; aside from Vingegaard and Pogačar, nearly every other team had brought out their A-squad.

They all knew that in the final phase, Huang Chong would lead his commander in a frenzied attack—

—but they still couldn’t stop him. What were they supposed to do?

After the stage, the faces of the coaching staff on nearly every team were grim.

It wasn’t as if they hadn’t deployed new tactics for Stage 3.

For example, they had started trying to wear down Bora Team’s two Core Deputy Commanders, Vlasov and Sindel, from 10km out, preventing them from controlling the peloton.

They even sent their own domestiques to wear down Huang Chong ahead of time.

But his strength far surpassed the level of the tactics aimed at him.

In short, the Bora Team now effectively had two top-tier commanders, putting their overall combat strength a huge step above the rest.

If they brought a lineup like this to the Tour de France, the Bora Team would undoubtedly be a massive headache for every other World Tour Team.

Roglič himself was already more than competitive. He was older, yes, but his strength remained, and just defending against him was a struggle.

Now, with an additional top-tier Climber, Bora’s strategic options and competitive potential in the Tour de France were simply too vast.

This gave other teams, especially the UAE Team, flashbacks to the overwhelming dominance of the Jumbo Team during the 2022 season.

Back then, it was the partnership between Roglič and Vingegaard that caused them to stumble.

And now, Bora had simply swapped Vingegaard for Huang Chong!

"Fantastic, Huang! You’ve clearly adapted completely to the rhythm of the World Tour."

"Your decisions at the finishes of Stages 2 and 3 both secured victory for our team. A truly phenomenal performance."

"Furthermore, on behalf of the entire team, thank you for giving your all and executing the team’s strategy in peak condition!"

Aldag expressed his gratitude over the radio the moment Huang Chong finished the race.

In truth, managing Professional Cyclists is an incredibly difficult task.

These top-tier riders are especially proud and ambitious.

When you clearly have the ability to contend for the championship yourself, who would be willing to serve as another’s domestique and play a supporting role?

Huang Chong was a smart man. He knew that Aldag’s post-race thanks and reassurances were just meant to keep him content in his role as a domestique, to prevent internal strife and stop the reporters’ deliberate pot-stirring from turning into a real issue.

But in reality, he currently had no intention of fighting Roglič for the position of team leader.

’Before I officially enter the Tour de France and secure a major contract, a short-term sacrifice is worth it.’

’As the ancients said: a little impatience can spoil a great plan.’

’The future of the Bora Team will definitely be mine. I don’t need to be in a rush.’

He smiled and said candidly,

"Executing the team’s strategy is my duty. It’s nothing, Director."

"Victory is the result of the whole team’s effort. I’m just doing my job."

"I just hope that with the lead he has now, Primož won’t be overtaken by Remco from the Quick Step Team in tomorrow’s ITT stage."

Hearing this, Aldag felt a sudden, profound respect for Huang Chong.

’To have found such a great rider for the Bora Team... how lucky am I?’

He pondered for a moment. Seeing that Huang Chong had mentioned the ITT stage, he thought for a second and replied,

"Huang, I appreciate your thoughtfulness."

"In tomorrow’s time trial stage, you can go all out and show us what you can do."

"Based on your performance, I’ll see if there are more suitable opportunities in the future for you to lead the team—with you as the core—in some of the top multi-day races!"

Aldag’s words were, without a doubt, a tacit admission that Huang Chong could also serve as the team’s Core Commander.

Although Roglič was the team’s primary leader, it was impossible for him to cover all of the team’s important races for the entire year by himself.

There were three Grand Tours and seven top-tier week-long races every year. How many could he possibly compete in?

Thus, Aldag was also making it clear to Huang Chong that he would stagger their schedules in the future, giving both of them separate opportunities to showcase their talents and contend for championships.

That was some pretty incredible treatment.

Of course, this was all predicated on him delivering an outstanding performance in the time trial as well.

After all, if you want to win a top-tier week-long race, it’s incredibly difficult to take the overall victory without gaining an advantage in the ITT stages.

Huang Chong stated plainly,

"Understood, Director. I’ll give the TT stage my all!"

...

「June 5th」

The only individual time trial (ITT) stage of the Tour de Dauphine began at 1:46 PM.

The stage started in the town of Saint-Germain-Laval and finished in the town of Neulise.

The total distance was 34.3 km.

There were two intermediate time checks along the route, at the 10 km and 24.5 km marks.

The first 10 km was Daping Road, with a few gentle downhill sections.

The middle section was dense with turns and featured rolling undulations. Riders had to navigate through the town, where the complex road conditions would severely test their bike handling and ability to choose the right line.

As for the final 10 km section, it was a gentle climb and descent, and riders also had to tackle a 500-meter-long, short, steep climb with a 5% average gradient, cresting 300 meters before the finish line.

In an ITT, riders need to maintain a high-threshold output for the entire duration. Therefore, the most crucial key was how to rationally conserve and maximally allocate one’s energy.