"The breakaway group was already reeled in by a minute and a half in the rain before they even reached the Wall of Huy. They only have a three-minute advantage left. You don't need to worry at all."
After receiving the update, Huang Chong replied succinctly:
"Got it!"
Afterward, with 96km to the finish, the peloton finally started the first passage of the Mur de Huy.
Even though it was pouring rain, the people of Belgium truly love road cycling. The steep slopes of the Wall of Huy were packed with crowds on both sides.
Some held umbrellas, others wore raincoats. In any case, when the peloton arrived, many people pumped their fists and erupted into enthusiastic cheers for the riders.
As Huang Chong rode in the peloton, the difficulty naturally ramped up when he hit the final 700 meters of the steep slope.
It reminded him of the Qingxiu Mountain climb from the Nanning criterium at the Tour of Guangxi, where one section of the gradient had reached as high as 17%.
