The advantage of starting early and finishing early was probably being able to shed all the pressure sooner.
Huang Chong rode at an average speed of 52 km/h. He had basically given it everything he had.
If he had to ride it again, he did not think he could improve much. He might even do worse than this result.
That was how competition worked. The first attempt often produced the best result.
And his result was absolutely competitive.
This was a 46-kilometer ITT. Maintaining 52 km/h for the entire course was simply insane.
"Huang Chong, well done. With your finishing time, it won't be easy for anyone to beat you. Now, we just need to wait for the final results."
After Huang Chong finished, Coach Han brought him water while he rode on the trainer to loosen his muscles and flush out the lactic acid. He also patted him on the shoulder.
Huang Chong nodded and replied while pedaling on the trainer and drinking water, "I gave it everything I had too. No matter where I end up in the final standings, I have no regrets."
After a brief cooldown, he could head to the hot seat arranged by the officials, watch the live broadcast, and observe the performances of the riders who came after him.
The hot seats at the World Championships were not like those on the UCI WorldTour, where only the overall leader had a seat.
The riders ranked second and third on the live standings also had seats.
However, first place got a single-person sofa, while the other two had round low stools provided by sponsor Shimano.
After entering the room, Huang Chong greeted the riders from other countries before sitting on the sofa to watch the rest of the race.
But the waiting process was