Recaps

After winning two Asian Games titles, Huang Chong used his rewards to improve his abilities and studied the Tour of Guangxi’s demanding routes. He trained carefully for the race, which was about to begin, determined to prove himself against the arriving WorldTour teams.

• Huang Chong exchanged 320 Basic Optimization Points for six Intermediate Optimization Points and raised his FTP to 396 W.
• Huang Chong discovered that his improved time on a course he had raced before had earned him 20 Specialized Optimization Points for Terrain Prediction.
• Chen Junyi showed Huang Chong the six-stage route profiles, and he realized he would need to survive difficult climbs beyond the queen stage at Nongla Mountain.
• Chen Junyi encouraged Huang Chong to focus on his own performance, and he resolved to approach the race calmly despite recognizing many elite riders in the team rosters.
• Huang Chong and Chen Junyi trained on the climbs and recorded detailed course data as the WorldTour teams began arriving in Guangxi.
• Chen Junyi offered Huang Chong a birthday break, but he refused and continued preparing for the race.

Huang Chong raced the Beihai circuit stage of the Tour of Guangxi, focusing on learning the pace and tactics of UCI WorldTour teams while staying safely in the peloton. He finished with the main group without losing time and planned to attack in a later stage.

• Huang Chong and his four teammates appeared at the team presentation to cheers from fans who expected him to challenge the foreign riders.
• Huang Chong followed Coach Han's plan to draft at the back of the peloton and learn the WorldTour pace rather than make an early move.
• Four riders broke away early, while teams at the front controlled the peloton's pace throughout the circuit.
• On the final lap, Huang Chong stayed with the peloton as it accelerated, caught the breakaway on Guantouling, and formed sprint trains for the finish.
• Viviani of Ineos Grenadiers overtook Milan of Bahrain Victorious to win the sprint, while Huang Chong crossed the line safely with the peloton and completed his first WorldTour learning task.

Huang Chong led Little Ma through the final kilometer of the Tour of Guangxi’s second stage, helping him take fifth in the sprint. Their result made history for the China national team, while Jumbo–Visma Team studied Huang Chong’s unusual lead-out and decided to watch his performance on the next stage.

• Huang Chong told Coach Han he felt ready to help Little Ma contest the next stage’s sprint, and Coach Han agreed while emphasizing safety.
• Huang Chong and Little Ma stayed near the back of the peloton as the breakaway was reeled in and the sprint teams moved to the front.
• With one kilometer remaining, Huang Chong accelerated along the open right side of the road and led Little Ma ahead of Kooij and Bennett.
• Huang Chong sustained a powerful lead-out to the 200-meter mark, and Little Ma finished fifth behind Milan and three other sprinters.
• Jumbo–Visma Team’s director and data analyst reviewed the sprint, noted Huang Chong’s clean line and long lead-out, and chose to assess him again on the next stage.
• Coach Han celebrated Little Ma’s historic fifth place as cycling fans across the country discussed the result online.

After Little Ma’s fifth-place finish, Huang Chong helped his national team through the brutal Qinxiu Mountain stage without losing time. His teammates fell far behind, leaving Huang Chong as the only national team rider still positioned to compete in the general classification.

• Little Ma thanked Huang Chong for setting him up for fifth place, and Coach Han praised their teamwork while encouraging the riders to choose their tactics.
• Huang Chong declined to join the breakaway on the Qinxiu Mountain stage and remained with the peloton as his teammates began to struggle.
• On the final climb, Huang Chong moved toward the front, stayed with the leading climbers, and reached the summit without being dropped.
• Huang Chong finished with the peloton and lost no time, while Kooij won the stage after Milan was disrupted during the sprint.
• Little Ma, Niu Yikui, and Su Haoyu fell 1 minute 32 seconds behind Huang Chong in the general classification, while Liu Jiankun fell 10 minutes 23 seconds behind.

Huang Chong pursued the Tour of Guangxi general classification on the Nongla stage, using his teammates’ support and his knowledge of the route to win the mountain finish. He crossed the line ahead of Wout Milan, leaving Jumbo–Visma Team desperate to learn who he was.

• Su Haoyu asked to join the breakaway, and Coach Han arranged for the team to support Huang Chong’s general classification attempt on Nongla Mountain.
• Su Haoyu joined the breakaway and stayed ahead for nearly 150 kilometers before the peloton caught him; Huang Chong encouraged him and continued with the bunch.
• Huang Chong left his exhausted teammates and hid in the Arkéa–B&B Hotels line before moving up to the front as the peloton approached Nongla Mountain.
• Huang Chong followed Wout Milan’s attack on the final climb, then sprinted past him and won the Nongla stage by several meters.
• Jumbo–Visma Team’s staff watched Wout Milan finish second and demanded immediate information about Huang Chong.

Huang Chong won the Nongla Mountain stage with a powerful final sprint, took the general classification lead, and drew the attention of WorldTour teams. The chapter ended with him receiving the red jersey while Su Haoyu earned the stage’s Combative Award, as Huang Chong worried about defending his lead over the final two stages.

• Huang Chong beat Milan by seven seconds on the final climb, won the stage, and took the lead in the general classification.
• Rémy Rochas congratulated Huang Chong, while Jumbo–Visma Team staff reviewed his results and discussed whether to sign him after the race.
• Huang Chong’s teammates watched footage of his sprint, and Huang Chong warned that rival teams would target him in the remaining stages.
• Coach Han advised Huang Chong to watch Milan and Rémy Rochas and avoid getting dropped on the climbs.
• Huang Chong received the stage winner’s prize and red jersey, while Su Haoyu won the Combative Award.

Huang Chong joined a breakaway on the Liuzhou–Guilin stage to avoid being isolated on the climbs, then survived the final stage’s attacks and defended his Tour of Guangxi Red Jersey. After the race, he received offers from seven or eight UCI WorldTour teams and three Pro teams, leaving him unsure which to choose.

• Huang Chong joined the breakaway on the fifth stage after explaining to Coach Han that it would help him avoid attacks on the climbs.
• Huang Chong worked with the breakaway until the peloton caught them near the finish, while rival teams missed their chance to take time from him.
• Huang Chong stayed in the peloton on the final stage and endured repeated attacks on the last major climb to protect his lead.
• Huang Chong finished first in the general classification, with Vader Milan second and Rémy Rochas third.
• Huang Chong received offers from seven or eight UCI WorldTour teams and three Pro teams, including Jumbo–Visma and UAE Team Emirates.

After winning the Tour of Guangxi, Huang Chong considered offers from WorldTour teams and ruled out joining squads where he would be relegated to a domestique. On the flight back to Shanghai, Chen Junyi guessed that he wanted to become a superstar himself rather than support one, while Huang Chong kept his preferred team private.

• Cycling fans debated Huang Chong’s Tour of Guangxi victory and speculated about which WorldTour team he might join.
• Huang Chong dismissed teams such as Jumbo–Visma Team and UAE Team Emirates for now because their star riders could limit his race opportunities and path to becoming a GC leader.
• Huang Chong decided to wait for Coach Han and professionals to negotiate team offers before choosing, since contract terms and guaranteed race opportunities mattered.
• On the flight back to Shanghai, Chen Junyi asked Huang Chong whether he had a team in mind, and he said he did but would not reveal it yet.
• Chen Junyi reasoned that Huang Chong would avoid Jumbo–Visma Team, UAE Team Emirates, and Ineos because he wanted to become a superstar rather than someone else’s supporting rider.

Huang Chong won the final two domestic professional league races and swept the league’s three jerseys, finishing his 2023 season in dominant form. After the final awards ceremony, Coach Han told him that Bora Team was among the three WorldTour teams offering the best contract terms.

• Huang Chong told Chen Junyi that he wanted to keep pursuing his limits rather than become another rider’s domestique.
• Coach Li welcomed Huang Chong and Little Ma back, then asked Huang Chong to defend his league lead in his final races for the team.
• Huang Chong won the Shitai Stage after a 70-kilometer solo breakaway, extending his overall lead over Niu Yikui to nearly sixteen minutes.
• Huang Chong attacked in the final two laps of the Xichou Finals and finished first, then swept the league’s Red, Polka-Dot, and White Jerseys.
• Coach Han told Huang Chong that Bora Team was among the three WorldTour teams whose contract offers had the best terms.

Huang Chong chose to join Bora Team because its contract guaranteed him WorldTour race opportunities, then prepared to leave China for Germany. Worried about the language barrier, he asked Chen Junyi to accompany him as his teaching assistant, but she refused.

• Huang Chong told Coach Han he preferred Bora Team because it guaranteed him at least ten UCI WorldTour races in 2024, despite offering a lower salary.
• Coach Han agreed with Huang Chong's choice and arranged for him to travel to Germany, where staff would help him complete the contract signing.
• Huang Chong thanked Coach Li for his support before returning to Hangzhou with Chen Junyi.
• During the drive, Huang Chong admitted he was anxious about moving to Europe alone because he did not know the language and feared theft and crime.
• Huang Chong asked Chen Junyi to accompany him to Europe six months early as his private teaching assistant, but Chen Junyi flatly refused.

Chen Junyi and Huang Chong reconciled after his awkward offer to hire her, and she decided to prepare to go abroad early to support his move to Europe and continue her studies. Huang Chong said goodbye to Du Wei and returned home, where his parents had prepared a feast for him.

• Chen Junyi told Huang Chong that she would have helped him as a friend, and he apologized and asked her to go to Europe with him because he needed her support.
• Chen Mingyuan advised Huang Chong to protect his health while training in Europe, and Huang Chong promised to take care of himself.
• Chen Junyi began packing to leave early for abroad, and she reassured Zhang Wanqing that the separation would help secure their family's future.
• Huang Chong visited Du Wei to say goodbye, and Du Wei encouraged him to succeed with his new UCI WorldTour team.
• Huang Chong took the high-speed train home to Xianyun County, where Liang Xiaomei and Huang Yuda welcomed him with a lavish meal.

Huang Chong told his parents he planned to join Germany’s Bora Team, and they supported his decision to develop his cycling career in Europe. He traveled to Frankfurt with Chen Junyi and arrived at Bora Team headquarters, where the manager welcomed him.

• Huang Chong returned home with gifts and enjoyed dinner with his parents and Huang Lingshan.
• Huang Chong told his parents that he had chosen to join Bora Team in Germany, and they supported his decision while asking him to keep in touch.
• Huang Chong packed his belongings and called Chen Junyi, who booked the same flight to Germany.
• Huang Chong and Chen Junyi flew to Frankfurt, where staff arranged by Coach Han picked them up and took them to a hotel.
• Staff took Huang Chong to Bora Team headquarters the next day, and the team manager welcomed him.

Huang Chong visited Bora’s headquarters, where Rolf Aldag introduced the team’s history and ambitions as Huang prepared for the required medical and performance assessments before signing. Huang welcomed Aldag’s praise but privately doubted Bora could win a Grand Tour in the next two years.

• Huang Chong met with Bora sporting director Rolf Aldag, who explained that Huang had to pass medical and performance assessments before signing.
• Aldag and Chen Junyi showed Huang around Bora’s headquarters and recounted the team’s rise from TeamNetApp to a UCI WorldTour team.
• Aldag described Bora’s goal of challenging for Grand Tour titles with Primož Roglič and hoped Huang would become an important part of the team.
• Huang Chong thanked Aldag for his confidence and said he would improve, while privately dismissing Bora’s championship ambitions as empty promises.

Huang Chong completed Bora Team’s medical and physical tests, impressing sporting director Aldag with exceptional power and a world-record VO₂max. Aldag recognized Huang’s potential to become a top Grand Tour rider and arranged to keep his test results confidential.

• Huang Chong struggled with German food while staying at a hotel with Chen Junyi before his team tests.
• The team medical director reported that Huang Chong’s health was excellent and his muscle structure was ideally suited to professional road cycling.
• Huang Chong completed power tests, recording a 403W FTP, repeated five-second sprint power above 1300W, and 442W for five minutes.
• Huang Chong’s maximum oxygen uptake test reached 98 ml/kg/min, shocking Aldag and the laboratory staff.
• Aldag informed the team’s CEO of Huang Chong’s results and had the testing staff sign confidentiality agreements.

Bora Team confirmed Huang Chong’s exceptional test results, signed him, and arranged housing and a translator job for Chen Junyi. As winter training began and the 2024 UCI WorldTour calendar was announced, Huang Chong settled into his new career in Europe.

• Ralph Denk accepted Rolf Aldag’s confirmation that Huang Chong’s test data was genuine and ordered the team to sign him and arrange accommodation.
• Chen Junyi told Huang Chong that Bora Team had approved his results, offered to help find housing, and invited her to work as his translator.
• Huang Chong agreed to Chen Junyi’s translator job, signed his contract, and moved with her into an apartment near the team.
• Chen Junyi began preparing meals for Huang Chong while he trained with Bora Team’s riders through the winter.
• Aldag released the 2024 UCI WorldTour calendar, listing thirty-five races from the Tour Down Under through the Tour of Guangxi.

Huang Chong was selected for Bora Team’s Tour Down Under lineup and accepted that he would serve as a water carrier rather than contest the general classification. As he and his teammates flew to Australia for his UCI WorldTour debut, Chinese fans and his hometown celebrated his participation.

• Rolf Aldag named Huang Chong among the seven riders traveling to the Tour Down Under and assigned him to support his teammates instead of pursuing the overall title.
• Huang Chong agreed to follow Bora Team’s tactics, and Aldag praised his response before wishing him a successful debut.
• On January 13, 2024, Huang Chong, his teammates, the second coaching staff, and Chen Junyi flew from Germany to Australia.
• Bora Team announced Huang Chong’s participation on its Chinese social media accounts, prompting fans to celebrate and debate his chances.
• Huang Lingshan shared the announcement at Xianyun High School, where her classmates and former teacher Chen Juan celebrated Huang Chong’s achievement.

Huang Chong prepared for his first UCI WorldTour race, the Tour Down Under, despite Bora Team assigning him a supporting role. As the race began, commentators recounted his rapid rise and past victories, leaving fans eager to see how he would perform at the highest level.

• Huang Chong reviewed the Tour Down Under start list and complained that Aldag had not allowed him to compete for the overall title.
• Chen Junyi encouraged Huang Chong to be patient, and he promised to excel as a water carrier while following the team's race plan.
• Huang Chong attended the team presentation in Australia, where Chinese fans cheered him, then lined up in Bora Team's kit and on his Specialized S-Works SL8.
• The 2024 Tour Down Under began, and the cameras focused on Huang Chong as the peloton set off.
• Eurosport hosts Jimmy and Steve discussed Huang Chong's victories at the Tour of Qinghai Lake, the Asian Games, and the Tour of Guangxi, building anticipation for his WorldTour debut.

In the extreme heat of the Tour Down Under, Huang Chong repeatedly supplied his Bora Team teammates and earned their respect while a system mission promised him a heat-resistance reward for finishing the race. His support helped Bora’s lead-out train deliver Sam Welsford to victory in the first stage.

• Huang Chong rode through temperatures that climbed above 40°C as Louis Barré and Georg Zimmermann abandoned their breakaway and returned to the peloton.
• The sports director sent Huang Chong back to the team car, where he collected bottles and energy gels before chasing down the peloton to supply his six teammates.
• Huang Chong received a system mission offering a Heat-Resistance Cooling Agent if he persisted through the race, and he refused the sports director’s offer of an ice pack.
• Huang Chong completed a second and third supply run, repeatedly using anaerobic efforts to catch his teammates as Bora Team raised the pace above 50 km/h.
• Bora Team formed a lead-out train in the final kilometers, with Ryan Mullen and Danny van Poppel setting up Sam Welsford’s sprint.
• Sam Welsford won the first stage ahead of Phil Bauhaus, while Huang Chong finished his work supporting the team.

After helping Sam Welsford win Stage 1 of the Tour Down Under, Huang Chong used a system reward to master English and prepared for Stage 2. He saw the hilly course as a chance to attack, but Aldag’s team planned to prioritize Welsford’s sprint jersey before giving him opportunities.

• Sam Welsford credited Huang Chong’s water-carrying work for helping Bora Team win Stage 1 in a post-race interview.
• Huang Chong’s teammates praised his support, and he drank the system’s Heat-Resistance Cooling Agent after the race.
• Huang Chong asked Chen Junyi for advice on learning English, then received a Language Learning Crash-Course Skill Pack from the system.
• After memorizing one hundred English words, Huang Chong gained master-level English proficiency.
• Huang Chong assessed Stage 2’s hilly course as suitable for a breakaway, but Aldag’s lineup prioritized Sam Welsford’s sprint jersey before Huang could pursue stage wins.

Huang Chong handled Bora Team’s grueling supply duties through the Tour Down Under’s first four hot stages without showing the expected fatigue, while Sam Welsford secured the blue sprinters’ jersey. After seeing Huang’s performance on the climbs, the directeur sportif called Rolf to propose giving him a chance to race for results in the final mountain stages.

• Huang Chong completed repeated supply runs on the S2 stage and remained unusually comfortable despite the heat and difficult climbs.
• Luke Plapp attacked on Fox Creek with Narváez, while Welsford was dropped and Huang Chong delivered supplies to him instead of joining the chase.
• Del Toro won S2 and took the general classification lead as Huang Chong finished alongside Welsford, nearly a minute behind the first group.
• Huang Chong helped Welsford win both the S3 and S4 stages, securing the blue sprinters’ jersey two stages early.
• The directeur sportif told Rolf that Huang Chong’s form remained exceptional and suggested adjusting the team’s tactics so he could contest the final mountain stages.

Bora Team promoted Huang Chong from water carrier to domestique for the Tour Down Under’s two climbing stages, and he began supporting Zwiehoff and Adria on S5. As the riders approached the final Willunga Hill climb, Huang Chong secured a bottle and prepared for the decisive ascent.

• Rolf Aldag told the coaching staff that Huang Chong should first learn to be a domestique, and the team director assigned Huang Chong to support Zwiehoff and Adria in the final two stages.
• The Tour Down Under’s S5 began in extreme heat, and Huang Chong rode near the back while four riders formed a breakaway.
• The peloton caught three breakaway riders at Willunga Hill, and Huang Chong led Zwiehoff and Adria up the first ascent after their flat-stage teammates were dropped.
• At the finish arch, Huang Chong moved to the roadside feed zone and took a bottle from Bora Team staff.
• Huang Chong entered the final 24 kilometers with the bottle as the GC contenders prepared to fight for the King of Willunga title.

Huang Chong was freed from domestique duties after his teammates were dropped on Willunga Hill, and he attacked the GC leaders in the final 500 meters. He won Stage 5 of the Tour Down Under and became the first Chinese King of Willunga.

• Huang Chong rejoined the lead group after collecting the last roadside feed bag and rode toward the final climb with his teammates Adria and Zwiehoff.
• Adria was dropped on the climb, and the directeur sportif told Huang Chong to stay with the peloton instead of returning for him.
• When Zwiehoff also began to lose contact, Huang Chong said he had enough energy to stay with the GC leaders, and the directeur sportif gave him permission to race for the stage win.
• Huang Chong followed Simon Yates's attack, then launched a 1,300-watt effort with about 500 meters remaining as the other leaders marked one another.
• Narváez and Alaphilippe chased Huang Chong, but he dropped them near the finish and won the queen stage atop Willunga Hill.

Huang Chong won the Tour Down Under's queen stage, reshaping the general classification and earning praise from commentators and fans. Before the final stage, he asked to join the breakaway to improve his standing, and Bora Team's director approved his plan.

• Huang Chong won Stage 5 ahead of Oscar Onley and Stephen Williams, while Del Toro lost the orange leader's jersey and Williams took the GC lead.
• Steve and Jimmy praised Huang Chong's performance on Eurosport, and an SBS reporter interviewed him after the finish.
• Huang Chong received the King of Willunga trophy and gave signed bottles to Chinese fans who had cheered him.
• Before Stage 6, Huang Chong checked that he was 29th overall and asked Bora Team's director to let him join the breakaway.
• Bora Team's director agreed to Huang Chong's request and promised to provide him with enough supplies.

Huang Chong joined an eight-man breakaway on the Tour Down Under’s final stage, collected both intermediate sprint bonuses, and then attacked repeatedly to shed rivals and weaken the peloton. He crossed the finish line just ahead of Williams to win the stage and claim another ten-second time bonus.

• Huang Chong joined the breakaway, prompting UAE Team Emirates and Quick-Step to send Antonio Morgado and Gil Gelders to mark him.
• Huang Chong won the time bonuses at both intermediate sprints while the other breakaway riders did not contest them.
• With about thirty kilometers remaining, Huang Chong accelerated on Mount Lofty, splitting the breakaway and forcing the peloton to chase.
• Huang Chong attacked again on the final climb and dropped the remaining breakaway riders as the peloton closed to within seconds.
• Huang Chong crossed the finish line half a wheel ahead of Williams, winning the stage and earning a ten-second time bonus.

Huang Chong won Stage 6 of the Tour Down Under and secured fifth place in the general classification, earning system points as Bora Team celebrated his breakout WorldTour debut. After Bora Team withdrew from the next Australian race because of heatstroke and fatigue, Huang Chong reassured fans that he was healthy, while Du Wei struggled to meet a sudden flood of orders for Huang Chong’s team-edition gear.

• Huang Chong watched Bart Lemmen and Julian Alaphilippe finish, confirming that he had secured fifth place overall after winning Stage 6.
• Huang Chong received 345 UCI points, bringing his Optimization Point balance to 405, while Stephen Williams claimed the overall Tour Down Under title.
• China Sports commentators praised Huang Chong’s versatility and his two climbing-stage victories, and domestic fans celebrated his performance.
• Bora Team announced it would withdraw from the Great Ocean Road Race after several riders suffered excessive fatigue and heatstroke, and Huang Chong reassured fans that he was in good condition.
• Du Wei found his bike shop overwhelmed with orders for Huang Chong’s team-edition equipment, but he could not obtain enough Bora Team frames.
• Zhou Ming called Du Wei and demanded that he reserve the team-edition bike frames already in the shop.