Cycling: Racing into the Headwind

"With about 1.4 kilometers to go, according to the official on-screen graphics, we can see the riders have reached the steepest section of this stage—"

"Paret Peintre, a lieutenant for the Decathlon Team, has suddenly broken away from the main group and launched an attack!!"

"Their team leader, Ben O’Connor, reacted immediately, following his lieutenant and also launching an attack!!!"

"Oh, no! They’ve instantly dropped the main group, but it looks like Huang Chong and the three riders from UAE Team weren’t able to respond to their attack!!"

"With 700 meters left, Paret Peintre of the Decathlon Team has successfully completed his mission. After finishing his lead-out for O’Connor, the latter has smoothly transitioned into a solo breakaway—"

"The finish line is in sight! Vine of UAE Team is finally starting his pursuit, and Huang Chong has chosen to stick right to his wheel—can they still catch O’Connor, who’s flying solo?!!"

"500 meters, 400 meters—only 150 meters of the race left—"

"Huang Chong has launched his sprint!!!"

"He’s successfully dropped Vine and is closing in on O’Connor!!!"

"Does he still have a chance?!!"

"Ah, it’s a shame, he’s run out of road! He was just a little short of catching O’Connor, and he’ll finish second in today’s stage—"

"Still, this result is more than acceptable for both Huang Chong and the Bora Team. Let’s congratulate Huang Chong!!"

"For his first time tackling a 19-kilometer mountain climb with a difficulty comparable to the Tour de France, for Huang Chong to hang on until the very end and even out-sprint UAE Team’s Vine before the finish—his performance has absolutely exceeded our expectations, as well as the team’s!"

"Of course, this race also shows that in terms of roster depth, the Bora Team is indeed lacking compared to teams like UAE, Decathlon, or even Quick Step and Ineos—"

"If, in that final 1.4 kilometers, the Bora Team had a lieutenant like Paret Peintre to give Huang Chong a lead-out, he absolutely would have had a chance to challenge for the stage win!!"

"Alright, that’s all for today’s live broadcast. The next three stages will be flat stages. We’ll see you all tomorrow night!"

...

After the China Sports live broadcast ended, countless Chinese fans were still flooding the comments section with sentiments like "So close!" and "What a shame."

For them, seeing Huang Chong cross the finish line second only to O’Connor, separated by a gap of just over a meter, was naturally frustrating to watch.

However, the commentators had made it very clear: for Huang Chong to achieve this result was an extraordinary performance.

It was just a shame that the team hadn’t assigned him stronger support, leaving him unable to respond in the final phase of the race.

"Nice one, Huang. Congratulations on taking second in the stage.

I’m sorry that on that last steep section, I ran out of energy. I couldn’t keep up with you or give you any extra help.

But thanks to you, our team still has a shot at the overall victory. Keep it up!"

After the race, Zwiehoff, who had crossed the line 20 seconds behind Huang Chong and O’Connor, gave him a hug and congratulated him.

While second place wasn’t the best, it still earned him a spot on the podium—a result countless Professional Cyclists dream of.

However, Zwiehoff, the team’s original leader, hadn’t gained any time bonuses in this stage and had lost a significant amount of time in yesterday’s ITT. In the general classification, he had now been completely distanced by Huang Chong.

This basically meant he could declare himself out of contention for the overall title in this year’s UAE Tour.

The Bora Team Leader had also arrived at the finish area. After getting out of his car, he immediately found Huang Chong, giving him a hug and patting him on the back, his face beaming with excitement as he praised him:

"Huang, your performance in the last 150 meters was absolutely perfect!!

You beat Jay Vine of the UAE Team! That’s just incredible!"

Hearing the team leader’s praise, Huang Chong, on the contrary, apologized with some regret:

"Sorry, boss. In the last kilometer, I couldn’t counter O’Connor’s attack.

I actually thought about going with them, but I felt I didn’t have enough energy left for such a long anaerobic sprint—

So after weighing my options, I chose to stay on Vine’s wheel and prepare to challenge him in a climbing sprint over the last 150 meters to secure second place!"

"Oh, no, no, no, Huang, my friend, don’t you dare apologize or blame yourself!

The result you got was the best possible outcome. There’s no doubt about it.

You know, what I admire most about you is your ability to stay so clear-headed and rational at such a critical moment and make the best possible choice.

Some riders like to act on impulse, but the chances of winning that way are always fifty-fifty.

Sometimes it works, but other times it backfires and ends in complete disaster.

I’ve never been one for gambling; I only like to take calculated risks. The fact that you were able to assess your own condition and achieve the absolute maximum of what you were capable of... that’s more than enough!"

Seeing Huang Chong still blaming himself after the race, the Bora Team Leader quickly offered a reassuring smile.

He truly admired this young man before him. Even though he came from faraway China, with a completely different appearance and complexion—

—it was the young man’s character that he admired. His constant pursuit of perfection, the way he always completed the team’s tasks with his best possible performance, never complaining or grumbling. On top of that, he could perform beyond expectations and pull off completely unanticipated results. What team leader wouldn’t love a rookie like that?