Changing the History of His Previous Life, Carrying the Veteran Leader from the Final 1 KM

June 2 marked the opening day of the Critérium du Dauphiné.

This stage was held in Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule, France. It was a city circuit race covering 172.5 km.

The start and finish lines were very close together.

However, the riders had to set off from the start, loop around the entirety of Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule, return to the starting point, then complete two smaller laps before contesting a flat sprint at the finish.

The main energy expenditure of this stage came from the mountain climbs during the first 111.5 km loop.

The two smaller laps afterward, each around 60 km, were relatively flat overall, with only one short climb remaining—600 meters long with an average gradient of just 6.4%.

Moreover, that short climb was not positioned at the finish. From the organizers' arrangement alone, it was obvious that the first stage of the Dauphiné was all about favors and connections, tailored entirely for the only two elite sprinters in the race.

They were Trek–Segafredo's Mads Pedersen and Decathlon–AG2R La Mondiale's Sam Bennett.

As for Bora Team, although they had brought some big men to pull on the flats and descents, none of their riders had sprinting attributes.

So Huang Chong's task for the first stage was to sit in the peloton, conserve energy, and get a feel for the race.

The race began at 12:50 p.m., yet the temperature was only 12°C.

More terrifyingly, Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule was blanketed in thick fog that day, leaving visibility extremely low.

Riding in such weather, Huang Chong felt as if he had pedaled into one of the French Impressionist master Monet's paintings.

He had raced in several European countries that year—Belgium, Hungary, Italy, Germany, and more. Their natural scenery was broadly similar.

But France was undoubtedly the one that felt most distinctive to him.

If he had to