Chapter 493: A Glorious Homecoming, An Unprecedented Spectacle

“Huang, how’s your current physical condition?”

Aldag settled onto the sofa in Huang Chong’s living room. Taking a sip of the coffee Huang Chong had prepared for him, he continued.

“I watched the entire live broadcast of the World Championships from home. Your pursuit and comeback in the final stage… You really had me sweating bullets. But in any case, I have to congratulate you. It was your first time beating the once-in-a-century prodigy, Tadej Pogačar, in a direct confrontation.”

Knowing the purpose of his visit, Huang Chong replied with a wry smile.

“To be honest, I’m a little exhausted right now. The difficulty of this year’s World Championships was far beyond what I imagined. From the 100-kilometer mark, sticking with the strongest Road Cyclist in the peloton today through lap after lap of climbs… it truly burned me out completely. And I won’t lie, Director, my legs were on the verge of cramping during the final sprint. I’m just thankful it didn’t happen before I finished the race.”

“I understand how grueling it was. Indeed, not just anyone can go head-to-head with Tadej in such a fast-paced, top-tier one-day race. But as you know, our season isn’t completely over. There are two World Tour races left, and both require a team leader to participate. That’s why I’m here—to ask for your personal take. Do you think you have anything left in the tank for the last two races?”

Huang Chong answered directly.

“If you let me rest for a few days, I can manage one of them. No problem. However, if the team lets me decide which one to ride, I’ll choose the race being held in my own country. After all, it’s the only chance I’ll get to give back to all my fans and fellow countrymen in person. I don’t want to miss an opportunity like that.”

Hearing Huang Chong’s words, Aldag raised his cup and took a light sip, not in a hurry to speak.

He wasn’t surprised by the answer. In fact, he had anticipated it.

Although he would have preferred to hear Huang Chong express a desire to race the Tour of Lombardy, the difficulty of that Classic was simply too high, regardless of its importance or the points on offer.

The Tour of Guangxi, however, was completely different.

Although a victory in this race was only worth 300 points, putting it in the lowest tier for UCI points among all World Tour events, its difficulty was very limited.

The reason for this was that most World Tour Teams generally wouldn’t send their top-tier leaders to a race like the Tour of Guangxi. It offered few points for a victory, was a long way to travel, and came at the very end of the season. Instead, they would send their third-string lineup or development squad to gain experience.

With Huang Chong’s abilities, as long as he performed normally, victory was a foregone conclusion.

Furthermore, as the only Chinese rider on the World Tour, Red Bull Bora’s financial returns from China since signing him had been immense—absolutely blowing the combined earnings of all other teams in the China Region out of the water.

For example, not only had the team signed many new sponsors from China, but their own team-edition race bikes, kits, and other cycling-related merchandise were also selling out completely in China.

They were fully reaping the benefits of latching onto a star like Huang Chong.

Therefore, from a purely financial standpoint, the team had no reason to refuse his desire to compete back home.

Of course, the Tour of Lombardy was far superior to the Tour of Guangxi in terms of prestige and historical significance.

But a World Tour Team is, after all, a commercial enterprise. Its primary objective must be to create tangible financial value.

Aldag mulled it over for a long moment before nodding slightly and replying.

“Alright, I understand. I can agree to your choice on behalf of the team. In that case, we’ll have Primož race the Tour of Lombardy. As for you, I’ll assign you a standard support squad of domestiques. They’ll help you win the season’s final race back in your home country with as little difficulty as possible. But I have to give you a heads-up, Huang. Since you’ve chosen to race the Tour of Guangxi, the team will be announcing your return to compete on all our official accounts in China ahead of time. You’ll probably need to arrive in Guangxi a bit early. The team will definitely be arranging more in-person events than other teams, and we’ll need you, our top superstar returning home in glory, to be the face of them. On top of that, your management agency has already spoken with the team. They said that once you’re back in China, there will be a ton of commercial engagements, media interviews, and other events. So it’ll be up to you to balance your racing form, your daily training, and all these social engagements.”

Huang Chong was already mentally prepared for a frantic schedule upon returning home. His agency had already given him a heads-up, explaining that they would send a professional business team back with him to handle his entire itinerary.

All in all, whether it was business or racing, professional teams would be there to handle the arrangements. He personally had nothing to worry about.

As long as he maintained his competitive form and stayed healthy, everything would be fine.

He nodded and replied,

“Understood, Director. I’ll coordinate everything on my end.”

…

After their discussion, Aldag quickly finalized the rosters for the last two races.

The Tour of Lombardy was held first, and as it was one of the five great Classics, the team’s focus would naturally be on that race.

Both the owner, Denke, and Aldag himself traveled to Italy on October 10th.