Chapter 394 195: Renewing the Max Contract and Poaching the Best Lead-out Man

After the Tour de France ended, the Red Bull Bora Team held a grand celebration banquet in Paris that night before returning to their headquarters in Germany.

Although they failed to win the overall championship in this year's Tour de France and only placed fifth in the team standings, they had still raked it in, thanks to Huang Chong personally winning nearly 300,000 euros in prize money and over two thousand UCI points.

You could say that with Huang Chong's breakout performance this year, the team's strength already gave them a clear edge over Vismar.

As for Quick Step, the Ineos Grenadiers Team, and others, there was simply no comparison.

Of course, because they had performed so well in the Tour de France—on top of their outstanding results in the spring classics, all thanks to Huang Chong—the team's most urgent task now was figuring out how to keep him. He had become their Core Commander, the absolute guarantee of the team's success.

After returning to Germany, Huang Chong and Chen Junyi went home for some brief rest and recovery.

It was now July 22nd, and the Paris Olympic Games were about to begin.

According to the official schedule, the Olympic men's road race was on August 3rd, which was only twelve days away.

Huang Chong himself had been instrumental in securing two Olympic qualification spots for his country, bumping Kazakhstan out of one of their slots in the process.

He had communicated with the national sports authorities before the Tour de France even started, confirming he would represent his country in the quadrennial event. It was considered the most important competition in the eyes of the nation, and he would definitely need to prepare well.

For the time being, however, he had to remain in Germany and continue training at the team headquarters. After all, the other cyclists on the National Team wouldn't be arriving just yet.

In addition, the moment he returned to Germany, his official personal email was flooded with offer letters from other World Tour Teams.

There were also several emails from professional road cycling agencies looking to represent him.

Currently, Huang Chong was not signed with any cycling agency. His previous rookie contract had been negotiated and signed entirely with the help of the National Team.

Now that he had made a name for himself on the World Tour and achieved such great results, signing with a professional agency was an urgent priority.

After all, he didn't know any experts in this field, and professional matters should be left to the professionals.

This wasn't just about contract negotiations; it also involved his career path, protecting his interests, and logistical support—all things a professional agency would be responsible for.

There weren't actually many choices when it came to road cycling agencies; it was basically down to firms like MN2S and A&J.

Among them, the riders signed with A&J included not only the number one man in road cycling, Pogačar, but also Red Bull Bora's own team leader, Roglič.

As for the MN2S agency, they represented Vingegaard.

It was worth mentioning that one of the partners in this London-based agency was none other than the Core Deputy Commander of the UAE Team: Adam Yates.

However, hiring a professional agent, even one who already represented top riders from various other teams, wouldn't cause any conflicts of interest.

The professionalism of these agents, not to mention the professional management of the agencies themselves, was top-notch.

For them to maximize their own profits, they first had to maximize the interests of the riders they represented.

After some discussion and consideration, Huang Chong and Chen Junyi ultimately chose to sign with the Italy-based A&J agency.

From then on, his agent would be responsible for handling matters like his contract and future career path, negotiating and planning with the various World Tour Teams on his behalf.

Of course, the final say would still be his.

As for Huang Chong himself, he took a few well-deserved days off after the Tour de France ended.

During this time, Dewey and his two friends came to visit the Red Bull Bora Team Headquarters in Germany and took the opportunity to engage in deep business talks with the team.

This was, in fact, the main purpose of their trip to Europe.

As Huang Chong's results on the World Tour continued to improve, his influence within China's domestic cycling scene naturally grew larger and larger.

As a result, items like his team-edition bike, his cycling kit, the gear worn by all the Red Bull Bora riders, and limited-edition, autographed merchandise were now all in such high demand back in China that supply couldn't keep up.

As Huang Chong's friends, they were determined to secure the sales and distribution rights for all Red Bull Bora Team products in the China Region.

They even negotiated with the team to get their company licensed to develop and produce more Red Bull Bora Team merchandise, specifically tailored to Chinese consumer tastes.

In any case, when Dewey and his two friends left the headquarters, the looks on their faces said it all. The negotiations had clearly been a great success.

"Old Huang, we sealed a ton of business deals on this trip to Europe. We've got to rush back for meetings and get the ball rolling. Our production lines will probably have to start running three shifts soon, and we need to ramp up production, so we won't be able to stay in France to cheer you on for the Olympics!! But don't you worry, I'll be cheering for you from my TV."

The scene was Frankfurt Airport in Germany. With Dewey and his two friends heading home, Huang Chong and Chen Junyi, who happened to be free, had naturally come to see them off.

"Pogačar and Vingegaard have already announced they're not competing in this year's Olympics. This is a huge chance for you, Huang Chong. It's the perfect opportunity to make a name for yourself across the country. People back home care most about Olympic gold medals, so you have to seize this chance."