Chapter 344 - 180: A Successful Podium Finish in His First Tour de France

The increase in his stats directly reflected the improvement in his overall abilities.

Aside from his Terrain Prediction skill, Huang Chong saw that his other stats had all reached an average of 90. He knew then that his current level had truly placed him among the world’s top five riders.

He refocused his attention on the race.

The moment the commissaire’s car pulled away, the entire peloton shot forward like a herd of wild horses loosed from their reins, instantly accelerating.

In the Tour de France, especially on the very first day of racing, all the riders were brimming with energy.

Furthermore, with the first 20 kilometers of the stage being mostly flat with some gentle climbs, the peloton’s speed shot up to over 60 km/h.

Huang Chong’s main objective for this Tour de France was, of course, to support Roglič’s bid for the overall championship. Thus, with the race just underway, he had to keep up with the fast pace and help position Roglič toward the front.

But even at this speed, riding within the peloton with his flat-road domestique Denz and others setting the pace up front, Huang Chong found he still had to maintain an output of over three hundred watts just to keep up with the main group.

This was the Tour de France, after all.

The riders were absolutely ravenous for a win.

Any rider without serious power wouldn’t even be able to compete in the Tour de France; they’d be dropped within a few kilometers.

With the peloton deliberately pushing the pace, the ones who had it toughest were undoubtedly the riders trying to break away.

A group of riders repeatedly accelerated at the front, but they could never shake the peloton. After battling with the main group for nearly twenty kilometers, they finally broke free just as the first Category 2 climb, the Colle Tre Faggi, was upon them.

But shortly after the start of this Category 2 climb, nearly half of the Astana Team riders were dropped from the back of the main group, the time gap widening with every moment.

It wasn’t that their team’s riders were weak, but that their primary mission for this Tour de France was to help the legendary veteran Cavendish fight for his 35th stage win.

With their main sprinter dropped, they naturally had to dedicate half their manpower to pacing him up the climb, lest he get eliminated by the time cut before the first stage was even over.

Huang Chong’s form was excellent at the moment. While the pace of the Tour de France had caught him slightly off guard, his raw power was, after all, among the best in the world.

Plus, drafting within the peloton was relatively energy-efficient, so after the first Category 2 climb, his condition remained stable.

Just then, the six-man breakaway group successfully established its gap. The peloton stopped chasing them down and began to slow down to control the tempo.

The breakaway for Stage 1 of the Tour de France consisted of Frank Vandenbroucke from the Tissot Team.

Valentin Madouas from the FDJ Team.

Jonas Abrahamsen from the Uno-X Team.

Ryan Gibbons from the Trek Team.

Matej Mohorič from the Bahrain Victory Team.

And Gorka Izagirre from the Cofidis Team.

This was clearly a strong lineup. Although Mohorič’s form was not what it used to be after his crash, Huang Chong vividly remembered the big rider from the Uno-X Team, Abrahamsen.

He recalled that in the Crossing Flanders race, it was Abrahamsen who had won the sprint from the second group, finishing third on the stage behind only him and Jorgenson.

Although the man wasn’t a general classification rider, the first week of the Tour de France was always a showcase for breakaway artists and flat-road sprinters, making him a strong contender for one of the jerseys.

"Huang, how are you feeling out there?

Stay in your rhythm. Don’t get too excited.

The Tour de France is a three-week race, and the hardest mountain stages are mostly concentrated in the final week. You have to manage your energy levels carefully.

If you burn too much in the first two weeks, you’ll have nothing left for the third!"

Aldag made a point of reminding Huang Chong of this after the first Category 2 climb.

In his eyes, Huang Chong’s performance so far this year had been nothing short of that of a sensational, once-in-a-generation rookie.

But a Grand Tour is a completely different beast from a stage race or a Classic.

There’s never a shortage of top-tier talent on the World Tour Teams.

Some riders can put on a world-class performance in a single race, only to fall apart when faced with the demands of a Grand Tour.

He certainly didn’t want Huang Chong to become one of those riders.

It was no exaggeration to say that the team itself, as well as its shareholders and sponsors, Red Bull and Lightning, were all willing to develop Huang Chong as a future cornerstone of the team.

As the sports director, he had to carefully manage Huang Chong’s personal condition and form.

Huang Chong replied frankly,

"Don’t worry, Director. I won’t be overly aggressive in the first two weeks.

I know how hard a Grand Tour is. Before we hit the third week, my main focus will be on supporting Primož.

I’ll only try for an opportunity if it presents itself near the finish!"

Aldag was very pleased to hear this response.

This was, in fact, the exact plan the team had laid out for Huang Chong before the race. The fact that Huang Chong was always mindful of his role made Aldag’s job much less stressful.

"Good. As long as you understand that, I can rest easy."

As the race settled into a steady rhythm, the breakaway’s lead grew, soon reaching as much as six minutes and twenty seconds.

However, at the front of the peloton, it wasn’t just one team controlling the pace. Instead, four different teams were riding abreast, each forming its own train.