Cycling: Racing into the Headwind

One of them was Degenkolb. Fans who have been following the sport for a while would probably know that this classics rider’s historical achievements were quite brilliant.

He not only won Milan-San Remo, but also took the crown at Paris-Roubaix.

Indeed, these were the two very victories that the current number one in road cycling, Pogačar, desperately wants to win—

However, Degenkolb, born in 1989, was now a true veteran.

Plus, today was a mountain stage, so the peloton wasn’t worried at all about him getting away in an early break.

As the General Classification leader, Huang Chong naturally rode steadily within the main group, even allowing the three breakaway riders to pull their time gap out to 7 minutes and 20 seconds.

The team controlling the pace today was no longer UAE Team, but Bora Team.

As the team with the strongest desire to win the championship, they certainly didn’t want to leave the pace of the race in the hands of UAE Team.

Aldag followed closely behind the main group, and for the first 40 kilometers, he had almost nothing to say to Huang Chong and the others.

It wasn’t until the first climb up Feldberg that he spoke to his team’s leader:

"Huang, the mountain climb is coming up. I’ll have the domestiques increase the pace on this climb. Manage your energy well.

They will do their best to wear down your rivals on the climb for you, and while they’re at it, escort you to the final climb up Mammoshain.

After that, you’ll need to rely on your own ability to break away solo from there.

Of course, the characteristics of this stage are so obvious that all the other teams can surely guess our tactical intentions. It’s like we’re playing with our cards on the table.

If you want to take the win, you must still have enough energy for a 35-kilometer solo ride after all the initial attrition and attacks."

In the last race at Liège, Huang Chong’s biggest takeaway wasn’t finishing as the runner-up, nor was it the 12-point power increase he gained.

It was what he truly learned from Pogačar after following his solo breakaway at Fortress Mountain, 35 kilometers from the finish.

For example, how to manage his power output during an attack on a long, steep climb.

And also what kind of rhythm to ride at after a successful breakaway to ensure he wouldn’t be caught by his rivals, while still being able to last until the very end of the race.

This kind of learning opportunity wasn’t something you could get in just any race.

You could even say that he could only learn this from Pogačar.

Perhaps he could also learn by following Vingegaard on a long climb, but Vingegaard was currently recovering from an injury, so Huang Chong had no chance to compete against him.

But regardless, with the experience from the Liège Race, Huang Chong was very confident about winning this race. He simply replied with a single, short word:

"Understood!"

After this brief exchange, the other riders from Bora Team, who had clearly also received Aldag’s orders, quickly formed a small train before the climb. Not only did they keep Huang Chong tightly protected in the center of their formation, but they immediately moved to the very front of the peloton.

Seeing this, Steve from European Sports, an experienced commentator, immediately said with a laugh on the live broadcast:

"Bora Team’s offensive intentions are quite obvious today. They’ve taken over control of the pace from UAE Team even before the first climb has begun. It seems they are determined to win this race."

Jimmy immediately laughed and quipped:

"If I had the runner-up of the Liège Race on my team, I would definitely do the same.

You have to remember, Bora Team was arguably the biggest loser in the previous Tour de Romandie.

Although they took second and third in the general classification, if you look at the lineup they sent to that race and the obvious amount of effort they invested, they still lost the overall title—

If they still can’t win this race in Germany, it would undoubtedly be a terrible outcome. This is their home race, after all!"

"That’s true, but I think with Huang Chong in this race, Bora Team’s chances of winning are definitely the highest.

Honestly, Jimmy, I still don’t understand what those people at the betting companies are thinking.

This is the runner-up of the Liège Race we’re talking about, and the only person who could respond to Pogačar’s attack on Fortress Mountain.

How could they possibly rank his odds third in a race that doesn’t even have any other top-tier one-day race specialists?

What the fuck?

Aren’t they underestimating Huang Chong’s abilities just a little too much?"

"I agree with you, Steve.

But I can also understand the bookmakers’ reasoning. After all, the characteristics of the Frankfurt race are extremely clear.

The most crucial part of this course is the third climb up Mammoshain.

If Huang Chong can’t break away solo on that steep section, or if the advantage he builds after breaking away isn’t big enough, then it’s certainly possible for the peloton to catch him on the subsequent 35 kilometers of descent and steep sections.

So the people at the betting companies probably think that the other teams will all be marking Huang Chong on the Mammoshain climb to prevent him from gaining too large of a lead, forcing the race to end in a final sprint!"

"That may be so, but will things really play out the way the bookmakers think?

I, for one, don’t agree with that view.

After all, that’s a climb with an average gradient of 8.3 percent, and starting from the 1-kilometer mark, it hits a steep 11.7 percent.

For the entire 1.3 kilometers after that, the average gradient is over 10 percent—

Isn’t a stretch that long enough for a top rider like Huang Chong to build a significant lead?

Besides, just look at the Bora domestiques right now. The way they’re leading the pack up the Feldberg climb is basically a suicidal, attritional effort.

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