Huang Chong's attack came without warning.
But as a UCI WorldTour rider, Lutsenko's reactions were incredibly fast. Almost the instant Huang Chong rose from the saddle and launched his fierce attack, he immediately increased his power and latched on.
Then, on the 5% long climb, the two of them began charging forward at breakneck speed, as if motors had been fitted to their thighs.
The villagers who had long been waiting outside their homes along the Zitong Ridge country road, along with cycling fans who knew road racing well enough to recognize this climb as the decisive battleground and had arrived early to watch, were instantly ignited by the pair's attack.
"Holy shit!! Are these professional riders?"
"This is a climb with an average gradient of 5%!!!"
"They're almost hitting 40 km/h, aren't they?"
"Terrifying, fucking terrifying!! I can't even reach that speed on flat ground!!!"
"Go, China!!!"
"Go, Huang Chong! Smash it, blow that foreigner apart!!!"
Almost the moment Huang Chong launched his attack, spectators outside the barriers on both sides of Zitong Ridge Road, waving little national flags, erupted in thunderous cheers and shouts. The noise startled every bird in the mountains, sending them darting through the dense woods and shooting straight into the sky.
Hearing his compatriots cheer for him like war drums, Huang Chong's blood surged, but his mind remained absolutely calm.
While pedaling hard at high speed, he glanced back at the situation behind him. As expected, Lutsenko had stuck to his wheel.
But the good news was that his teammate Yevgeny, along with Japan's Shinjo Shin, had no way to respond to that brutal anaerobic attack and had been dropped by more than a hundred meters.
Seeing that, Huang Chong could not help but relax slightly.
He knew that this attack could not directly