Chapter 390 - 193: A Do-or-Die Attack, the Yellow Jersey is the Best Backdrop

He was now about 8km from the finish line. ’Can I hold on until the end?’

He had absolutely no confidence he could.

The only good news was that he had already ridden the first 8km, and the gradient for the remaining 8km immediately dropped to between 5 and 7%.

So, gritting his teeth, he decisively got out of the saddle and put in several powerful pedal strokes, pushing his power up by another 10 watts. He held it almost perfectly at the edge of his Zone 4 threshold and began to frantically chase Jorgenson!

"Tadej has launched an attack!!

This is such a familiar sight. In the previous Stages 14 and 15, he used this exact method to drop all his opponents and win two mountain stages!!

But in today’s stage, Huang Chong is still ahead of him. The time gap between them is still around two minutes. Can he catch Huang Chong?!"

"I think it’s entirely possible. When it comes to this year’s Tour de France, Tadej’s ability is in a league of its own!

Meanwhile, the gap between Jonas and Remco and Huang Chong hasn’t closed at all.

If they don’t make a move soon and finish with this time gap, Jonas’s second place in the general classification will likely be set in stone, with no chance of a comeback!"

"Good God!! Look at Tadej’s performance on this climb! He’s just like Huang Chong was a moment ago, absolutely devouring the breakaway riders who have been dropped up ahead.

The way they ride in the high mountains makes it look as easy as a normal person riding on flat ground!!!"

Steve, watching the live broadcast, saw the Yellow Jersey drop all his teammates with a furious seated effort, leaving him utterly amazed.

Meanwhile, Huang Chong’s lead was constantly being eaten away by the Yellow Jersey.

With almost every kilometer that passed, the gap shrank by more than ten seconds.

When Huang Chong, with only 2km left to the finish, finally caught the desperately struggling Jorgenson—whose breakaway attempt was doomed to fail—Pogačar was only about half a minute behind the pair.

"Tadej, Huang Chong has just overtaken Jorgenson from the Visma Team! He’s passed under the 2km-to-go banner. You’re still half a minute behind; you might need to up the power a little!"

The bald team director for the UAE Team was, of course, keeping a close eye on Huang Chong the entire time, giving Pogačar updates nearly every kilometer.

Hearing this, Pogačar didn’t hesitate. He immediately got out of the saddle and started dancing on the pedals.

In reality, with a 30-second gap on a mountain climb, he could already spot the back of Huang Chong in the White Jersey on any reasonably long, straight section of the road.

And so, with his sudden surge of power, it wasn’t long before he, too, relentlessly powered past Jorgenson.

By the time Huang Chong passed under the 1km-to-go banner, Pogačar was only a few dozen meters behind him—incredibly, tantalizingly close!!

"The race is reaching its absolute climax! The lone leader, Huang Chong, is the first to pass under the 1km-to-go banner! He still leads Tadej by about 15 seconds!

We can say with absolute certainty that after this stage, he will have further extended his advantage for second place in the general classification!

But can he hold on to his lead over Tadej until the finish line?!"

Cycling fans around the world watched as road cycling’s number one rider frantically chased down Huang Chong. Their hearts were in their throats!

Although it was impossible for Huang Chong to gain any time on Pogačar in the general classification, everyone was incredibly curious to see if he could win Stage 19!!

As Huang Chong passed under the 1km-to-go banner, his heart rate shot up.

Pogačar was breathing down his neck, and he refused to be caught in the final moments after fighting so hard all day!

So, without hesitation, with 1km to go, he decisively got out of the saddle and launched his own attack!

As Huang Chong went anaerobic, closing a 15-second gap in just 1km became an impossible task, even for Pogačar. After all, Huang Chong’s short-burst power was stronger than his.

So, even though Pogačar pushed his Power-to-Weight Ratio to 7.5 in the final kilometers, he could only watch helplessly as Huang Chong crossed the finish line ahead of him!

’And I, wearing the Yellow Jersey, have become the perfect backdrop for his victory!’