Chapter 424 - 205: Establishing a General Classification Advantage, Beware of the Coming Stage

Fortunately, the outcome of Stage S4 was perfect.

After he crossed the line first, he had a lead of over two and a half minutes on the five-man group including Almeida, who finished in the second group.

This allowed him to establish a massive lead in the general classification after the very first mountain stage of the Vuelta a España.

...

"Unbelievable!!

Absolutely unbelievable!!

Look at Huang Chong’s solo attack in the final phase! He completely replicated the kind of attacks we see from Tadej in the mountain stages of the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia!!

This powerful, solo-attack style seems to have become the most effective way to win races in the world of road cycling right now!!

Never mind the terrifying dominance he’s going to display in the remaining mountain stages of this Vuelta a España. I’m already starting to wonder what heights the showdown between him and Tadej will reach in next year’s Tour de France!"

On European Sports, as Steve was giving his post-race summary, he was at a loss for words to express his excitement, able to offer little more than pure astonishment.

"That’s right. Based on Huang Chong’s performance today, even though he lost to Tadej in the Tour de France, it clearly didn’t crush his confidence.

On the contrary, after tasting the bitterness of defeat, he learned the most effective method of attack from his rival!!

And here, in the first mountain stage of the Vuelta a España, he’s clearly demonstrated to us just how viable that method is.

I completely agree with you, Steve.

I also can’t wait to see Huang Chong and Tadej have another epic showdown.

When two cyclists with such similar riding styles go all out in a race, I can just imagine the scene. It would be absolutely explosive, like Mars crashing into Earth!!

In my opinion, we might not even have to wait until the Tour de France for them to face off next year.

After all, we can’t forget that Huang Chong isn’t Jonas, who only focuses on stage races.

We’ve all seen for ourselves how strong he is in the one-day Classics.

And winning one of the five Monuments is such a crucial achievement for any Road Cyclist.

I think the Red Bull Bora Team will definitely have him face off against Tadej in the Classics before then."

"You’re right, Jimmy.

Although I don’t think it’s very likely Huang Chong will participate in next year’s Milan-San Remo or Paris-Roubaix.

But for races with tough climbs like the Tour of Flanders and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, it’s certainly possible he’ll compete on the same stage with Tadej.

In any case, as it stands, the 2025 season is shaping up to be even more explosive than this year.

And Tadej, who’s been unstoppable this year, is bound to face an unprecedented challenge!"

"Exactly!"

Jimmy added a final thought:

"But regardless of the outcome next year, having a rider as exceptionally talented as Huang Chong appear in the world of road cycling is a fantastic thing. It’s exactly what we, as fans, love to see.

We’re always hoping for road cycling to become even more exciting.

After all, watching one person dominate for too long can become repetitive.

But if another GC Cyclist emerges who can compete on the same level as Tadej, it’s definitely beneficial for the growth of the sport!"

...

After once again winning the Stage S4 title with a massive lead, Huang Chong had to collect his prize for the stage victory and also take the podium again to receive the Red Jersey and White Jersey.

Later, during an interview, a reporter asked if he felt the Vuelta a España overall title was already in the bag. He remained level-headed, saying only that his chances of winning were certainly increasing, but that it was still too early to talk about the final outcome.

After Huang Chong’s interview, the reporters turned to the leaders of the other teams, and those interviews were just as compelling.

When a reporter interviewed Almeida, who finished second in the stage, they asked directly:

"Almeida, what are your thoughts on Huang Chong after today’s race?

Do you feel he already has a firm grip on the Vuelta a España overall title?

I know your team is very strong in the mountains, but the strength he’s shown in this Vuelta a España seems a lot like that of a certain Core Commander on your own team—

Facing an opponent whose individual strength seems to be on another level entirely, will you be developing specific tactics in the upcoming stages to try and counter or limit him?"

"I don’t know about any tactics!"

Almeida shook his head, a look of exhaustion on his face.

His expression was unreadable as he said:

"That’s something we’ll only know after we go back and discuss it with the team director.

As for what I think of Huang Chong, I imagine every other rider feels the same way I do. He’s incredibly strong. It’s not just that he has powerful legs; his control over the race is effortless.

If I hadn’t raced against him so many times myself, like at the Tour de France, I would never have imagined that he’s a rookie in his first year on the World Tour.

As for who will ultimately win the Vuelta a España, I certainly think he has a chance to win the first Grand Tour title of his career.

But after all, we’re only on the fourth day of racing, so anything is still possible!"

And after Almeida’s interview, the race reporters certainly weren’t going to miss their chance to talk to Van Eetvelt.