Cycling: Racing into the Headwind

"Jesus Christ!!

Look at this Chinese cyclist’s performance! This is his first year on the World Tour.

He actually kept up with Pogačar and Vingegaard’s attacks on the Saint Luke climb!!

As for Remco, by the end of this stage, he’s already been gapped by those three by 13 and 17 seconds.

Could it be that this year’s Tour de France General Classification podium has already been decided?

And for the Red Bull Bora Team, should their future tactics continue to revolve around Primož as the Core Commander?

I think that’s something their team needs to consider very carefully.

Especially since after Stage 2, Primož is already 25 seconds behind his own teammate in the general classification."

After the stage, Steve from European Sports began to summarize the teams’ situations based on the current general classification rankings.

"While I’d love to agree with you, Steve,

I don’t think the Red Bull Bora Team needs to make any tactical changes just yet."

Jimmy added with a smile:

"Huang Chong’s current lead is still too small, and besides, the race has only just begun.

Stage 4 will be an early test for him in terms of the general classification.

It’s the only high mountain stage in the first week of the Tour de France.

If he can manage to hold on to the Yellow Jersey, then it won’t be too late for the Red Bull Bora Team to make a change.

But regardless, after today’s stage, we have to give Huang Chong the most enthusiastic round of applause.

Congratulations to him! After Stage 2, not only has he successfully put on the general classification Yellow Jersey, but he has also claimed the best young rider’s White Jersey!"

Huang Chong didn’t overtake Pogačar at the finish line.

The top ten finishers of this stage were from the day’s breakaway group anyway, so even if he had won the sprint, he wouldn’t have received a time bonus.

He just needed to make sure he crossed the line in the same group as Pogačar.

But without a doubt, when he claimed two jerseys at the end of Stage 2 today, the entire team went wild.

At the same time, top executives at the Red Bull Group, who had just entered the world of road cycling, as well as the higher-ups at Lightning—the company providing the team’s race bikes, kits, and various accessories—all had to start considering finding the best possible brand ambassador after seeing this result.

As the team’s majority shareholder, Red Bull especially had to begin discussing an early contract extension for Huang Chong with team CEO Denke.

As top-tier businessmen, they didn’t need to guess to know that after Huang Chong’s performance today, the powerhouse teams among the other 18 World Tour Teams would inevitably start making him offers.

They even had to prepare for other teams to approach them directly, willing to pay Huang Chong’s buyout fee in an attempt to terminate his contract with the Red Bull Bora Team and secure an early transfer.

Buyouts, as an unconventional means of transaction, are permitted by the UCI Alliance.

With this method, as long as someone pays the original team a hefty buyout fee and both parties agree, a cyclist can be bought out before the official transfer window even opens.

As a rookie in his debut season, Huang Chong’s first contract was quite cheap, placing him among the lowest-paid World Tour Cyclists.

Therefore, his buyout fee naturally wouldn’t be too high.

But based on his current performance on the World Tour, his value was completely disproportionate to his salary.

His ability was already worthy of any team offering him a max contract.

"A truly flawless performance, Huang!!

Congratulations, you will be wearing the Tour de France general classification Yellow Jersey and the best young rider’s White Jersey for the first time.

You are the pride of our entire team, and we are all proud of you.

Go and enjoy the fans’ congratulations. This is your moment.

In the upcoming races, the team will provide you with more support and help so that you can wear these honor jerseys for as long as possible—maybe even until the very end!"

After the race, Aldag was also the first to offer Huang Chong encouragement and applause.

Huang Chong replied:

"Thank you, Director. Thank you to the entire team staff for your help.

I’ll say it again: this is a victory for our entire team.

In the upcoming races, I will do my absolute best to get into even better race form and help the team win more victories!"

And after a brief talk with the team, as the new holder of the Yellow Jersey, he had to give a special interview to the Tour de France organizers’ reporters—even though he wasn’t the stage winner and didn’t even place in the top three.

"First of all, congratulations, Huang!

I imagine you must be incredibly excited right now.

You can clearly hear the fans here cheering wildly for you.

Tell us your thoughts. As a rookie in your very first season on the World Tour, not only have you been racking up victories in top-tier races, but you were also selected for the team’s eight-man Tour de France roster in that same season, and now you’ve even put on the general classification Yellow Jersey. How did you do it?

This is truly incredible!!

I have never seen such an outstanding rookie cyclist in the world of professional road cycling!

You know, the Tour de France is the most important race in road cycling, and many cyclists have to hone their skills on the World Tour for years before they even get a chance to step onto this stage!"

Huang Chong answered with a smile:

"Thank you for your congratulations.

Indeed, I’m so excited right now I can barely contain it.

I think for anyone who rides a road bike, whether they’re an amateur enthusiast or a Professional Cyclist, it’s probably their ultimate dream to make it to this stage—let alone wear the Tour de France general classification Yellow Jersey.