Chapter 486 - 228: Third Time’s the Limit, I Am the Most Magnificent Rainbow in the World

"Holy shit, Poga?ar and Huang Chong are attacking with 100 kilometers to go? What the hell is this?"

"And Tranic from Slovenia was waiting for Poga?ar up the road to give him a pull... Does that mean Poga?ar really is attacking for good from here?"

"If that’s for real, then Huang Chong’s move to follow him is absolutely the right call!"

"But the question is, can they really make it all the way to the end together, attacking this early? It’s still way too far to go!"

"I think it’s a long shot. Look at the Belgium Team and the Dutch Team—they’re both still at full strength. If they lead the peloton in a chase, they should be able to catch Huang Chong’s breakaway group, right?"

In the online fan groups back home, many were stunned as they watched Poga?ar and Huang Chong attack directly from the peloton on the steepest part of the climb during the fourth lap.

After all, in a normal race, no one would dare to launch an attack from this far out.

This was 100 kilometers out! If they could actually make it to the finish, then in future shorter one-day races, people could just attack from the halfway point. How would anyone else even be able to compete?

However, the fans weren’t the only ones feeling this way; even the riders currently in the breakaway group felt the same.

It wasn’t surprising that Foss and the others had been caught by the Sivakov Group. The five of them had been in the breakaway for so long that their legs were failing, and getting caught was only a matter of time.

But the strange thing was—while it was understandable for deputies to catch them with 100 kilometers to go—why had Poga?ar, a top favorite to win, and this year’s super rookie, Huang Chong, also attacked on the fourth lap to link up with them?

They had predicted that Poga?ar would make a solo attack—that was a given. But shouldn’t it have come within the last two laps, when he was in his prime attacking range?

However, before top deputies like De Plus and Cata?o could dwell on it, Tranic, leading Poga?ar, caught up to everyone, blew straight past them, and accelerated to the very front. Showing no sign of slowing down, he continued to drive the pace in an all-out attack.

It was an aggressive tactic that clearly left no room for a plan B.

But Huang Chong, with his god’s-eye view of the situation, actually understood Slovenia’s strategy.

After all, even with Poga?ar having attacked, Slovenia still had another Core Commander holding his position in the peloton.

Rogli?, by lurking in the peloton instead of attacking, exerted a powerful check on Evenepoel and van der Poel.

If those two dared to mount a frantic chase of the breakaway group, they would expend a huge amount of energy.

Meanwhile, Rogli?, drafting in the group and conserving energy, would have the perfect opportunity to launch a counter-attack.

So whether the peloton decided to chase with all their might now or wait until later, the Slovenians held all the cards.

It had to be said, when a team had two such top-tier Core Commanders, tactical planning became incredibly straightforward.

You just had to set one up for offense and one for defense, and it would be utterly infuriating for all your rivals.

The Belgium Team did, in fact, have the strongest lineup.

As the most dominant road cycling nation in the world, the squad they had sent wasn’t even their strongest possible one.

But after letting Poga?ar and Huang Chong get away, no matter how elite their deputies were, they soon discovered that no matter how they rotated and pushed the pace, they simply couldn’t catch the lead group up front.

By the end of the fourth lap, thanks to the all-out chase from the group of deputies, the peloton with Evenepoel and van der Poel could finally see the backs of Huang Chong’s group.

But the finishing straight was long and deceptive; though they could see Huang Chong and Poga?ar, they were actually still at a massive 40-second disadvantage.

Tranic, at the very front of the group, had been pulling Poga?ar and Huang Chong at a furious pace for nearly 20 kilometers and was now reaching the end of his rope.

This relentless pull, where he spared no effort, was clearly part of the plan.

Because starting from the fifth lap, there were only 80 kilometers left in the race.

Gritting his teeth, he pulled furiously at the front, successfully delivering Poga?ar to the base of the 800-meter short, steep climb without being caught by the peloton. With that, his job was completely finished.

The very instant Tranic pulled off, completely spent, Poga?ar launched another attack on the climb without a moment’s hesitation.

For this attack, he didn’t go for a high-burst, out-of-the-saddle sprint. Instead, his powerful seated wattage alone was enough to drop Cata?o, De Plus, Lipowitz, Vine, and the others.

In the end, only Sivakov from the French Team and Huang Chong were able to stay with him.

However, the fact that the three of them had now dropped the rest of the breakaway group left Huang Chong feeling uneasy.

The reason was that while Sivakov now held French citizenship and was representing the French Team, he was, after all, a Core Deputy Commander for the UAE team on the World Tour.

Who could guarantee that he wouldn’t temporarily set aside national allegiances to form a tacit alliance with his trade team’s leader?

In fact, Huang Chong wasn’t the only one thinking this; cycling fans all over the world who saw this were thinking the exact same thing.

Steve, the live commentator, put it bluntly:

"It’s truly incredible. Tadej and Huang Chong are actually going on the offensive from 100 kilometers out. This is an extremely bold and aggressive choice."