Of course, both of these riders were sprinters. They had pulled ahead of GC Cyclists like Huang Chong by over two minutes in the stage, but they were already thirty to forty minutes behind in the general classification.
So, when the GC contenders saw the two of them go for a long-range breakaway, they couldn't be bothered to give chase.
After the fourth stage, Huang Chong still hadn't been dropped despite the fast pace deliberately set by the Medellin and Bardiani teams. As a result, the general classification standings for him and the other four main contenders in the top five remained unchanged.
「July 13th.」
The fifth stage of the Tour of Qinghai Lake, from Menyuan to Qilian, got underway.
Unlike the fourth stage, whose latter half was a gradual incline perfect for breakaway riders, today's stage was structurally similar to the second. It started with a climb, reached its highest point in the middle, and then was all downhill for the remaining half.
