Chapter 364 - 186: Relentless Pursuit, Showdown at Le Lioran

"Good evening, everyone, and a warm welcome to all the cycling fans out there!

Welcome to China Sports for our live broadcast of the 111th Tour de France in 2024!

Today, we’re bringing you the live broadcast of Stage 11 of the Tour de France.

I’m sure everyone has been eagerly anticipating this stage, as it’s the first high-mountain stage of the second week of the Tour.

The question on everyone’s mind is whether Huang Chong can hold on to the Yellow Jersey, which he’s now worn for a full eight race days!

To answer that question, we’ve invited two professional cycling commentators who will be joining us for today’s broadcast to share their pre-race analysis.

Gentlemen, what are your thoughts on the matter?"

"I think that for Huang Chong to hold on to the Yellow Jersey in Stage 11... well, while I wouldn’t say it’s completely impossible, it’s certainly going to be extremely difficult.

Especially since his lead over Pogačar is down to just five seconds.

In a high-mountain stage, a time gap like that is practically negligible.

If a gap of just ten meters or so opens up, that could easily become a seven or eight-second difference.

Furthermore, the main climbing challenges of Stage 11 are concentrated in the final 40 kilometers or so.

This is especially true for that incredibly difficult First Category Climb: Mary Mountain, which peaks only about 30 kilometers from the finish line.

That distance is absolutely perfect for Pogačar to launch a solo attack and stay away.

We saw on Galibier Mountain in the first week that Pogačar’s explosive power on long, steep climbs has clearly improved even more this year. He successfully dropped both Vingegaard and Huang Chong then.

It was just that in Stage 4, the 20 kilometers after cresting Galibier Mountain consisted entirely of a long descent and flat roads, which is why he ultimately couldn’t shake Huang Chong and Vingegaard.

But Stage 11 is completely different. After cresting the First Category Climb and descending, there are still two more difficult climbs.

Therefore, I believe that if Pogačar drops Vingegaard and Huang Chong on Mary Mountain as he did before, catching back up will be extremely, extremely difficult!"

"I agree with Coach Li’s assessment.

This stage is indeed perfectly suited for Pogačar.

Although we’d all love to see Huang Chong hold on to the Yellow Jersey—wearing it for even one more day would be a tremendous honor...

...the gap between his and Pogačar’s maximum output on long, steep climbs this year is undeniable.

Therefore, I think it’s highly likely that Huang Chong will lose the Yellow Jersey after today’s stage.

But regardless, deep down, I’m obviously hoping Huang Chong can successfully stick with Pogačar. Even if he finishes behind him in the same group, the difference in time bonuses would only be four seconds.

And if Huang Chong can defend the Yellow Jersey today, the following Stages 12 and 13 are flat stages, which means he could keep wearing it for several more days—"

In truth, not many fans had high expectations for Huang Chong contending for the overall victory in this year’s Tour de France.

The gap between him and Pogačar was, objectively speaking, undeniable.

For example, he had so far been unable to launch a single offensive attack against his rival.

He was always reduced to passive, defensive counter-attacks, or had to find unconventional ways to snatch up time bonuses on stages.

But ever since he put on the Yellow Jersey in Stage 2 and held it through the end of the first week, the hope that he could wear it for just a little longer had become a spectacle that everyone could look forward to and wanted to see.

Of course, Stage 11 was incredibly difficult.

But it wasn’t a summit finish on an exceptionally difficult climb, like the five high-mountain stages that would come later.

So, when many fans heard that both commentators were pessimistic about Huang Chong’s chances, they refused to accept such a one-sided verdict.

In their eyes, even if Pogačar managed to drop Huang Chong and Vingegaard, so what? If they could chase back in Stage 4, why couldn’t they do it again in Stage 11?

After all, among the top five general classification contenders, Huang Chong’s descending ability was in a league of its own!

He could not only push to the absolute limit through the corners, but his movements were also incredibly smooth and fluid.

’With that sense of being one with his bike, only Pidcock could possibly compete with him head-on. He could surely close the gap to Pogačar on the descents.’

Of course, Pidcock’s climbing ability was far too inferior to Huang Chong’s.

That’s why fans almost never got to see the two of them descending together after a super-difficult climb.

Otherwise, a long, continuous live shot following the two of them would be an absolute masterclass—a picturesque feast of top-tier descending.

「July 10th, 11:30 AM.」

Stage 11 of the Tour de France officially began.

The riders would set off from Evaux-les-Bains in France, heading toward the finish line in Le Lioran.

The stage was 211 kilometers long, with a total elevation gain of 4,177 meters.

A stage of this length, combined with over four thousand meters of climbing, was in no way inferior to a top-tier one-day classic race.

The race included a total of six officially designated climbs.

But in reality, there were countless other uncategorized climbs, big and small, scattered throughout nearly the entire stage.

For example, at the 130.5-kilometer mark, there was a long climb that was not officially categorized and offered no points.

It was 4.1 kilometers long with an average gradient of 5.3%.

In any other smaller race, a climb like that would have been a Fourth Category Climb at the very least.

Stage 11 once again had only a single intermediate sprint point, located at the 65-kilometer mark.

Another 14 kilometers from there, the riders would reach the first points-bearing climb: the Côte de Mouilloux, a Fourth Category Climb.

This climb, located at the 79-kilometer mark, was 1.9 kilometers long, with an average gradient of 6.4% and a maximum gradient of 8.2%.