For a mountain stage with so much climbing today, the riders who could make it to the finish first were naturally all GC leaders better suited to climbing.
Among the teams, whether they were flatland sprinters or muscular classics specialists, they had long since been dropped who knew where.
But against riders of the same type, Huang Chong's sprinting ability was not weak at all.
On top of that, after finishing the final Category 3 climb midway through the stage—the descent from Qingsha Mountain Pass at the 111KM mark—he ate a Fast-acting Recovery Energy Bar rewarded by the system, just in case an unexpected drop in stamina later on allowed the GC riders from other teams to overturn the standings.
It could be said that even at the finish line, the energy in his body was still quite abundant.
As a result, when he launched his full sprint, he instantly erupted with a peak output close to 1200W. Fagúndez Eric Antonio and Baldaccini Davide, who were ranked in the top five overall beside him, simply could not withstand it and were instantly crushed.
The finish arch in Huzhu County had been set up on a wide four-lane main road. The people of Huzhu gathered along both sides of the road could clearly see Huang Chong, with more than a hundred meters remaining, charge toward the finish arch like the fiercest stallion on a plateau grassland, leaving every rider of his kind far behind.
There was no surprise in the result. Not only did he once again take the stage win and the 10-second winner's time bonus, preserving his overall lead, but he also opened a full 7-second gap over Baldaccini Davide, who crossed the line second, in that burst of anaerobic sprinting.
In the end, after three race days, Huang