The moment Huang Chong rose from his saddle on the steepest part of the climb, the whole of Qingxiu Mountain seemed to erupt in celebration.
Countless cries of "Fucking awesome!" mingled with his name, each wave louder than the last!
Du Wei and his two companions were already standing at a prime spot along the course. They watched Huang Chong charge straight toward the summit like a bulldozer, driving up the steep slope with leg power no one could match.
By contrast, Lennert Van Eetvelt and Onley immediately lost his wheel the instant the rider in the Rainbow Jersey stood up to attack.
What could they do when they couldn't hold his wheel?
Give up trying to follow, of course!
If they forced themselves to keep chasing, they would blow up in an instant!
Then they might lose not just their chances at first or second, but even a place in the top ten.
Almost the instant Huang Chong rose to launch his attack, the Lotto team director radioed Van Eetvelt with orders to abandon any attempt to force his way onto Huang Chong's wheel. "Lennert, keep your head and don't follow Huang Chong!!!
"We all know you've got a great pair of legs, but you need to learn to ride smarter!
"Your job now is to defend against Onley from Team dsm-firmenich, not try to beat the Chinese rider!"
Hearing his director's voice, Van Eetvelt immediately regained his composure.
He glanced back and found that Onley was indeed glued to his wheel, with no intention of passing him to chase Huang Chong.
It hardly took any guessing to know that Onley must have received his own team's instructions: stick close to him and look for a chance to overturn his lead.
After all, only two short seconds separated them