The winner of the Liège Race came as no surprise to cycling fans around the world, but the overall results held a pleasant surprise that exceeded all expectations.
The unsurprising part was, of course, Pogačar successfully defending his title, which everyone felt was only natural.
Such was the strength of the world's number one road cyclist, a position that seemed utterly unshakable.
But contrary to everyone's expectations, fans around the world had thought van der Poel would be the one to stage another brilliant duel with Pogačar, just like at Milan-San Remo—
—but in the decisive attack on Fortress Mountain, the protagonist was not van der Poel, but Huang Chong, a rookie who had just joined the Bora Team on the World Tour this year.
