As commentators broadcasting the Tour de France around the world marveled at Huang Chong's last-minute overtake of Pogačar—beating the current number one road cyclist after being the first across the line—Huang Chong deliberately put on an excited expression and raised his arms amid the cheers of countless fans. Yet inside, he was remarkably calm.
Because once his [Sprint Burst] had likewise reached around 90 points, he knew that among riders of the same type, no one could match his anaerobic ability!
Pogačar's sustained power output, such as on climbs, was naturally stronger than Huang Chong's at present.
But flat sprints were completely different.
When it came to explosive power generated by the muscles throughout the body, no matter how strong Pogačar was, he could not compare with Huang Chong, whose physical structure had been optimized to its absolute limit by the system.
During Stage 2, Huang Chong had already contested a finish-line sprint with Pogačar, but he had not beaten him then.
It was not because he could not win. Rather, knowing that he could wear the yellow jersey without defeating Pogačar, he had deliberately chosen to test the other man's maximum power output while concealing his own strength.
Without an opportunity to compete with Pogačar for a stage victory in a sprint, Huang Chong naturally could not reveal his anaerobic ability too easily.
After all, it was a double-edged sword.
For instance, he did not need to guess that once Pogačar and UAE Team Emirates learned that his maximum power output was higher, the Martian would definitely choose safer moments to attack from then on.
He would never again ride with Huang Chong all the way to the finish and contest the final anaerobic sprint.
But regardless, Huang Chong had used his explosive advantage to snatch a stage victory