On a high-mountain stage with so much climbing, the riders who reached the finish line first were naturally the climbing-oriented GC contenders.
The sprinters who excelled on flat roads and the brawny, classics-style riders from the various teams had been dropped long ago and were nowhere to be seen.
However, when facing other climbers, Huang Chong's sprinting ability was by no means weak.
On top of that, after cresting the final third-category climb—descending from the Qingsha Mountain pass at the 111km mark—he had eaten a system-rewarded Rapid Recovery Energy Bar to prevent any unexpected energy loss in the latter half of the race that could cost him his overall lead to other GC Cyclists.
As a result, his energy reserves were still more than ample, even as he approached the finish line.
