After Huang Chong moved from the domestic league to the more challenging professional circuit, winning all three jerseys in his very first race naturally thrilled the entire team.
These classification jerseys represented more than a rider's all-around ability across different terrain and courses. They were also directly tied to league points and even prize money.
In the professional league, every stage came with a 100,000 yuan prize purse.
Winning all three jerseys meant Huang Chong alone could take the lion's share of the prize money.
It was even a little more than the prize money he had earned for winning two golds at the Mangshi Stage.
Moreover, prize money from the professional league was paid directly by the federation and was tax-exempt, just like the National Championships.
Aside from giving the team a percentage as a bonus, most of it went straight into Huang Chong's personal account.
So after two races this year, together with his team salary and the elite athlete allowance from the provincial team, his income had already exceeded 100,000 yuan.
It had to be said that even in such a niche, unpopular sport as road cycling, as long as one could win championships and become one of the very best riders, one could still earn enough to support a family.
Of course, there was only one champion, and Huang Chong could not possibly win every race.
For example, on purely flat stages, the continental teams were packed with experts.
Especially the foreign riders—many of them were professional sprinters.
Without sufficiently difficult climbs to eliminate those sprinters early, once it came down to an explosive sprint at the finish, Huang Chong could only sigh in helplessness.
"You're incredible, Huang Chong. If a race has difficult climbs now, there's probably no one in the country who can out-ride