The long concrete road stretched on, its end nowhere in sight.
Like a great dragon coiled around a high mountain, it snaked and wound, endlessly torturing all the cyclists struggling up its steep grade.
This steep slope was a major hurdle for every Professional Cyclist, a brutal test of their will to compete.
The Lotto Team's young rider, Van Eetvelt, was without a doubt the one in the lead group most willing to face the challenge and push his limits.
But daring to take on such a challenge always meant facing one of two starkly different outcomes.
Either success, basking in the passionate and wild cheers of the fans—
Or failure, enduring the pain and regret alone.
However, after just two hundred meters of furious pursuit, Van Eetvelt felt his heart rate completely explode.
At the same time, he could clearly feel his legs instantly become as heavy as if two giant sandbags had been strapped to them.
Every pedal stroke that followed was strained, heavy, and tight—
