Chapter 244 - 156: After Making His Mark, the True Test Finally Arrives
The Bora Team Leader’s surprise was perfectly understandable.
As an Asian country where professional road cycling was still in its infancy, China presented a particular case. While UCI events at every level had already established a presence across its vast territory, the Europeans were well aware that Chinese cyclists still had a very long road ahead of them.
It wasn’t that they didn’t pay attention to China’s professional cyclists; after all, the country represented a massive economic market.
When it came to major professional sports, who wouldn’t want China to catch up and get involved?
Fundamentally, this was a fantastic thing for global competitive sports.
Take FIFA, for example. They tried to expand the number of World Cup spots in an attempt to bring China into the fold.
And as for the extremely niche sport of snooker, without the Chinese market, the Brits would have likely seen their domestic circuit collapse long ago.
Therefore, for a road cyclist like Huang Chong to suddenly burst onto the scene and deliver such a stunning performance in the first two stage races of the World Tour was a development the UCI itself was delighted to see.
After Huang Chong finished his ITT, the commentator for China Sports sounded exceptionally ecstatic.
As the commentator for the only platform in China that live-streamed professional road cycling, he was certainly well-acquainted with the overall skill level of the domestic riders.
Aside from Huang Chong, Xue Ming of the Tianjin Team and Miao Chengshuo of the Shandong Team were considered the strongest ITT riders in the country.
But for them to ride at a level like Huang Chong’s—which was already bordering on world-class, with an average speed of 53 km/h—was simply impossible.
For Xue Ming, reaching an average speed of over 51 km/h on a completely flat course was already an immense challenge.
"Cycling fans, let’s congratulate Huang Chong on finishing fifth overall in this year’s UAE Tour ITT!!
Although there’s still a small gap between him and the three top riders from the UAE Team, including Foss, the 2022 World Time Trial Champion, his performance has been truly, truly incredible.
What’s more, by finishing fifth in this stage, he not only earns 10 UCI points, but he will also get to wear the white jersey for the best young rider after this stage!!
We all know Huang Chong is a young gun, born in 2000, and he’s only 23 years old.
To have such an outstanding performance right after entering the World Tour means his future is incredibly bright. He’s destined to become the face of Chinese cycling.
Let’s all look forward to tomorrow’s climbing stage, which should suit him best, and see what he can do! See you all tomorrow night!"
However, as things were winding down in China after the ITT, with most people heading to bed, it was a different story at the German Bora Team headquarters. Sports Director Aldag and team CEO Denke sat together, staring at one another in disbelief.
"Rolf, it seems this young cyclist from China is even more outstanding than you or I imagined!"
In the end, it was the team manager who broke the silence.
After watching Huang Chong’s ITT performance, the team boss couldn’t suppress a grin, his face alight with excitement as he said:
"Whether a GC cyclist possesses top-tier time-trialing ability is a fundamental prerequisite for winning a Grand Tour.
You know the ultimate goal I set when I founded this team. And our new shareholders, who are about to come on board, have even greater ambitions. They want to challenge for the pinnacle of professional road cycling in the shortest possible time.
That’s why we made such bold moves this season, sparing no expense to sign Primož, whom you recommended so strongly.
I don’t mean to dismiss your core strategy, but I truly believe that finding a rare gem like this from the Far East, combined with our own young local talent, Lipowitz—that is the true cornerstone for our team’s long-term development and our ability to challenge for Grand Tours!
Of course, it was you who proactively made him an offer after the Tour of Guangxi, giving him the chance to join us. So, the credit is still yours.
And I remember, you specifically adjusted his ITT riding position, didn’t you?
What was his average speed in testing when he first joined the team?"
"On a 20 km flat ITT test, his average speed was 51.671 km/h, Ralph!"
Aldag recited Huang Chong’s exact stats with professional precision before continuing:
"I did indeed optimize his riding position.
Although the young man’s skill level was already very high, his previous coach’s understanding of time trials was clearly not up to date.
They thought the lower they made Huang Chong get his head, the faster he would go.
But that’s not actually the case. On the contrary, it’s a misconception.
What you want in an ITT is never an extreme angle. It’s about finding the most aerodynamic position for that specific rider to minimize their wind resistance. That’s all that matters.
Besides, raising the rider’s head and the angle of their entire upper body is, in itself, liberating for the rider.
From the looks of it, the adjustments I made for Huang Chong have been quite effective.
His numbers have improved significantly compared to his initial tests when he joined the team!"
Hearing this, Denke nodded in satisfaction. He then rose from the sofa, walked over to the wine cabinet, and personally poured Aldag a glass of expensive wine, saying with a smile:
"Then develop him well, Rolf. Sometimes, there’s no need to be so bound by convention."
Denke raised his glass and clinked it against the sports director’s. After taking a small sip, he continued:
"Our team might be young compared to the others, but...