SWNOVELXO Chapter 677 Catapult Takeoff (Subscription Request)
Chapter 677 Catapult Takeoff (Subscription Request)
"The Katusha team is still in the second group, but some teams have to make an effort now. Although Froome encountered a mechanical failure at the start of the race, he still maintained a good mentality. We can't see any problems from his face."
“Yes, the competition between Froome and Contador is a war between Team Sky and Team Saxo Bank, but Froome is quite strong in the mountain stages, so he is indeed worthy of attention. Kevin Huang’s ability in the mountains is not yet clear from his more than 100 kilometers of riding and previous triathlons, but his ability in corners and flat sections is quite good.”
"Yes, from the 15th stage, Mont Blanc, to the 16th, 18th, 19th and 20th stages, these mountain stages should be the key to the victory of this year's Tour de France."
At this time, the main force has already accelerated.
Katyusha showed no intention of speeding up and was gradually swallowed up by the large force.
In front of them are a few rabbits. After flying alone for so long, they have no explosive power left.
"The sprint point is ahead. Kevin, get ready. Trofimov and Joaquin cover Kevin."
Nibali said.
It is impossible to maintain formation when being overwhelmed by the large group. If you want to get sprint points at this time, someone must grab Huang Kaiwen's position in front, and Huang Kaiwen must ride behind him so that he can burst out in the sprint stage.
"Joaquin and I will go."
Moreno said.
"Can you?"
Nibali asked worriedly.
But at this time the formation was cut off and he had no way to communicate more, so he could only nod.
After getting the captain's approval, Moreno immediately moved to the left to Huang Kevin. When he saw Joaquin Rodriguez coming back, he made a gesture.
The tacit understanding between these two good brothers is quite good. Joaquin was exhausted today, so he decided to help Huang Kaiwen fight for the best sprint position and give up the competition for personal timing.
This was a difficult decision for him.
After all, he is quite strong, so it is a bit difficult to be in the top three, but he can still get good results.
But team sports are so cruel. Kevin Huang and Nibali are the strongest players of the team. For example, many of the team's main players this year were water delivery workers or deputy players last year.
Someone has to make sacrifices for the team to win.
At this time, Joaquin Rodriguez had even thought about how to cover Huang Kevin when climbing the hill later.
If possible, the Katusha team will naturally guarantee the results of the three people to strive for the team championship, but there is no other way but to guarantee Huang Kevin's results first.
After all, it is very difficult to compete with super teams like Team Sky for overall results.
Rodriguez turned around and said, "Kevin, these bastards don't seem to want us to go up. You may need to launch earlier."
What he meant was to let Kevin Huang sprint ahead.
Huang Kevin nodded.
He had expected it.
After all, the camera was always looking at him, and some people who were not in a hurry to sprint for points kept hanging around him.
Do you really think the Yellow Ball King has a good temper?
If you want to keep up with the Yellow Ball King, pick up the pace. If you are not afraid of being outdone, just follow him.
Rodriguez in the front suddenly raised his hand. Huang Kevin slightly turned sideways and rushed out from behind him, lifted his butt off the seat and started shaking the bike wildly.
"Fuck, are you crazy?"
Kittel of the Argos-Shimano team cursed.
Sprinting is a matter of tens or hundreds of meters, and Huang Kaiwen started early, which made him very uncomfortable.
To follow or not to follow is the question.
He did not participate in the Tour de France last year and wants to achieve something this year. As a player with strong explosive power, the green jersey for sprint points is one of his goals.
The situation is there now. There is only one sprint point before the finish line. If you don't follow, you can only watch Huang Kaiwen get the most points. In this case, unless Huang Kaiwen fails before the finish line, the points will be quite high.
After only a second of hesitation, Kittel and his teammates decided to accept the challenge.
Because they saw Peter Sagan of Cannondale was also getting ready to go.
Almost half of the teams were ready to fight for it, and they had no reason to hesitate since he was the main sprint leader.
"Damn, big stars really know how to stir up trouble."
Kittel cursed and started accelerating with his teammates.
Rodriguez knew at a glance that the situation was not good. Only Huang Kevin was flying solo, while the others had teammates.
But today, he was exhausted from breaking through the wind. He immediately turned his head and shouted, "Danny, it's up to you. Cover Kevin!"
Daniel Moreno made an OK gesture and followed behind Lotto team's Gopeler, with his launch pad Seeberg in front of Gopeler. The German pair also had strong sprinting ability.
Gepelair turned around and asked with a smile: "It's too late to know now. The consequences of flying solo will not be good."
The angry Moreno directly raised his middle finger.
He had already seen the situation ahead. Those bastards didn't give Huang Kevin any chance to speed up. With his teammates by his side, Huang Kevin was truly isolated and helpless.
This time it was a mistake in tactical judgment. I didn't expect that such a person would choose to fight.
But whether Huang Kevin is allowed to go solo or not, they are all targeted.
Otherwise Joaquin Rodriguez would not have chosen to take the risk.
Kevin Huang was pushed to the far right.
At this time, Huang Kevin also felt that being too famous was not good. These bastards showed up in front of him intentionally or unintentionally, causing people around him to be unable to speed up and were always overtaken.
Peter Sagan, who is very popular and likes to stir up trouble, came over and asked, "Kevin, come over and join us."
He is in Italy's Cannondale team, which has four Italians on the team.
Huang Kevin nodded and decided to move over first to save some energy.
"We agreed that you have to sign for me behind me!"
Sabatini said over his shoulder, he is Sagan’s teammate and also Italian.
Huang Kaiwen gave a thumbs up.
Now he has discovered a problem. In addition to his teammates, he may need some other friends. He will ask Galliani to prepare some more gifts when he returns.
Sometimes you also need to deal with opponents.
It’s a pity that the Yellow Ball King is just working as a summer intern, otherwise all the Grand Tours in the future would probably be his good friends.
"Kevin!"
Daniel Moreno finally caught up and angrily scolded: "These pigs don't strive for results and don't want us to get results."
"It's probably about the first polka dot shirt."
Huang Kevin said.
The convoy that was releasing the rabbits didn't expect that the polka dot shirt would be taken by Katyusha.
"We're almost there. I'll lead the way for you."
Moreno said.
"No, just cover me."
Huang Kevin said.
Just now when he was riding on the far right side, Huang Kaiwen found that there were fewer people on that side, which was a good thing, so he prepared to exert force in the right lane.
"OK, leave it to me!"
Moreno nodded.
It was almost time for the sprint finish, and the formation that had been orderly just now suddenly became chaotic, with each team trying to gain a favorable position.
With their teammates around, Huang Kevin and Moreno did not continue to follow Cannondale. After all, others only need to lead you for a while. If they keep following you and have to consider you, it will affect their tactics.
Huang Kevin made a gesture, indicating that he was ready to go to the far right.
Moreno immediately took the opportunity to speed up and prepared to ride in front of Huang Kaiwen's left side, helping Huang Kaiwen reduce wind resistance while also blocking some flies from approaching.
Kevin Huang finally understood why Moreno was said to be unstable.
This guy is totally fighting with others, he is not afraid of collision at all. If you don't give me space, we will fall down together.
Relying on this desperate style of play, Moreno successfully got the position he wanted.
Moreover, other players were afraid of being led by him, so they could only ride obediently.
Could this be the Ramos of cycling?
The deterrent effect is no less than that of a good brother.
This was good news for Kevin Huang, who rode quietly on the right side, ready to launch again.
"The leading group accelerated. There was only one sprint point before the finish line of today's stage. The camera was on Kittel, but he was overtaken by Peter Sagan. Sagan was in the front. He looked back at his opponent. Where is Kevin Huang? Kevin Huang, Kevin Huang accelerated. Kevin Huang sprinted... Kevin Huang!!!"
"Huang Kaiwen was the first to pass the sprint point. His explosive power in the final stage was really strong. Sagan almost got the green jersey. But Huang Kaiwen's burst was also really beautiful this time. The speed increase in the final stage was very obvious."
Kevin Huang, who won the green jersey for the first time, raised his arms high.
It was only when I actually participated in the Tour de France myself that I realized how fierce the competition is in this event.
Peter Sagan gave a thumbs up and said: “I didn’t expect to lose the first place in the sprint, but I won’t be careless in the future.”
He is a very good sprint driver.
Just now he turned his head to the left and did not notice Huang Kevin.
Huang Kaiwen smiled and waved, waiting for his teammates with Moreno.
When Nibali and Trofimov came up, they handed Huang Kevin a bottle of water and said, "Alexander will be back soon, Joaquin will go to the back to get some water."
Nibali adjusted everyone's responsibilities according to the situation.
Huang Kevin nodded.
It was already the last 60 kilometers, and it would not be easy for them to form a diagonal formation as other teams would choose to attack. So they might as well join the main force at this time.
Moreno said excitedly: "You didn't see it. Kevin just exerted his strength in the final stage. Sagan was ready to cheer, but Kevin took away the green jersey."
“There’s still the sprint to the finish line.”
Huang Kevin reminded.
"Don't worry, the end point will be fine."
Moreno said confidently.
The endurance and explosive power demonstrated by Huang Kaiwen gave him great confidence.
Nibali thought for a moment and said, "I will lead Kevin in a while. Trofimov, at least one of you and Alexander must get a good result."
Trofimov nodded.
As for this guy Moreno, Nibali doesn't dare to bet on him.
Just let him play freely.
As for himself, he feels that he is in good shape, and even if he is ridden by Kevin Huang in the end, he should be able to get a good result.
Most of the time in today's race was spent enjoying the scenery and chatting on the flat road, which was not a real challenge.
Nibali wasn't too nervous either.
During a long competition, you must have a balance between relaxation and tension. If you keep tense, you will sooner or later have psychological problems.
"Vincenzo, the final sprint may also be advanced, you have to consider this."
Huang Kevin reminded.
Since the competition for the sprint points has started in advance, there may be more intense competition in the final stage.
"That's true."
Nibali nodded.
Then you need to prepare in advance.
The leading group has reached Biguglia, 200.5 kilometers away. Although this place is located in the north of Corsica close to the coastline, it has always been the capital of Corsica. Many Italian-style buildings were left behind when it was ruled by Italy.
Arriving here also indicates that the competition is about to enter a fierce stage.
The last 12 kilometers or so determine the rankings of many athletes, and Alexander Christopher has already caught up by this time.
Nibali said decisively: "Kevin's results are the priority. We will sprint later and try to get three relatively good results. If something unexpected happens, Kevin must be the priority. Remember, the team comes first!"
Because it was the first day of the competition, everyone was in good shape.
Huang Kaiwen started fighting for the sprint point in advance and consumed a wave of opponents, but the main players of each team still maintained a very good condition.
"Damn it, I'm doing it!"
Sure enough, and this time it was earlier.
With ten kilometers to the finish line, some teams couldn't help themselves.
These drivers, whose main focus was on the overall result, launched an immediate attack.
The Katyusha team naturally responded to the challenge.
There was no room on the track for them to form a 123 diagonal formation, so they simply followed behind the other teams.
"Henderson of the Lotto team launched an attack. Rojas of the Spanish Movistar and Van Poppel of the Dutch Wickensorre also started to shake their bikes. The German youngster Kittel was not to be outdone. The Katusha team responded, but it was not Huang Kevin who took the field. It was Alexander Christopher and Trofimov."
"Yes, this should be their strategy. We can already see that Nibali and Kevin Huang are prepared to wait a little longer before exerting their strength. Vincenzo Nibali is a very strong player. He was born in Messina, Sicily. Because there are many sharks there, he is called the Sicilian Shark. This player is very aggressive and has excellent downhill skills."
"Yes, and he has achieved good results in the Adriatic, Classics and Tour de France. Last year he won the overall championship in the Adriatic and was third in the Tour de France. Nibali and Kevin Huang are a strong combination, and we can expect more."
"Hehe, that's it. Although the Katusha team is not that strong overall, they can still find some great players. Huang Kaiwen and Nibali are also ranked among the 22 teams. The only problem is that Huang Kaiwen lacks experience in the Grand Tour. Although he has strong adaptability and strength, there are many unexpected events in the 22nd stage, which is one of our concerns."
In the Giro d'Italia in May, Nibali won the 20th stage solo in the heavy snow. He is already a favorite for the Tour de France.
If the money wasn't high and the main player was Huang Kevin, he would never have joined Katyusha.
He had no intention of being someone else's deputy general.
Of course, Kevin Huang is no ordinary person.
With five kilometers to the finish line, Nibali and Kevin Huang finally rushed forward.
There were already more than 40 riders ahead, including their teammates Christopher and Trofimov.
The two of them showed amazing offensiveness together.
The track before the finish line was relatively narrow, with riders riding in pairs or single file. Nibali was leading the way in front of Huang Kevin, rushing forward without sparing any energy, while Huang Kevin followed behind and also accelerated.
Rojas and his teammates of Spanish Movistar didn't want to be overtaken like this, so they had to speed up together.
The people behind started to shake their bikes, forcing the people in front to keep up with the pace. No one wanted to give up their position, and they maintained their position in order to launch an attack later.
At this time, there is only one choice: to keep up with the rhythm or be dragged down by the rhythm, or your physical fitness and body cannot keep up and be dragged down.
"Damn, the Russians are crazy!"
Miral from the Garmin team looked back and cursed.
"Thank you for the compliment!"
Trofimov grinned.
He and Christopher broke away from the main group and prepared to meet Kevin Huang and Nibali.
Dumoulin of the French team AG2R and his teammate Roman Balde followed the team and held the position behind the two people. If Huang Kaiwen and Nibali were allowed to join their teammates like this.
If they sacrificed one of the four leaders, they could continue to accelerate, but this was not what they wanted to see.
Now it is no longer a problem targeting the big star Huang Kevin, but the Katusha team really poses a threat to everyone.
These teams all chose to limit the positions of Kevin Nibali.
"Damn it, then we can only wait for the bend."
Nibali said.
Huang Kevin nodded.
Seeing that there was a bend ahead, Huang Kevin sped up immediately, rushed out from Nibali and rode in front of him. Nibali quickly accelerated as well, and Huang Kevin was ready to lead the way for him.
Both have pretty good cornering skills.
But the other drivers are not bad either. If you want to overtake in this situation, you can only take the risk of accelerating.
Many people will control their speed on curves to avoid danger.
But this was already the best opportunity. Seeing Huang Kevin accelerating, Nibali quickly followed suit and pedaled frantically.
The two men instantly surpassed the five people from the Danish Saxo Bank team.
The European car team also failed to gather successfully. Cousin and Shinjo Yuki could only follow behind other teams and found that Kevin Huang and Nibali were catching up.
Kausin asked, "Are you going up?"
"forget it."
Shinjo Yukiya shook his head vigorously, fearing that his teammates would not be able to hold back, and quickly persuaded them: "This is not a one-day competition, we don't need to consume too much energy."
Causin nodded along.
Shinjo Yukiya finally breathed a sigh of relief. He was really afraid that this teammate would not be able to control himself and would attack him.
It was too late for him to dodge when he saw Huang Kevin. Was he going to get slapped in the face?
Hey!
If he were to be lucky enough to beat Kevin Huang, those housewives in the country might not say anything good about him.
Of course, with Huang Kevin's abnormal strength across so many events, as well as the cycling strength he demonstrated in triathlon, Shinjo Yukiya feels that his chance of beating Huang Kevin is about the same as the chance of picking up an Ultraman transformation device.
How despicable is it to ask for food for free?
Now he wished he could hide his entire face in the helmet so that the camera wouldn't notice him.
If I accidentally appear on camera, I might be interrogated like those Japanese internationals.
"Finally we reached a relatively open section of the road. Kevin Huang and Nibali really made it to the front. Now the big teams in front are Quick-Step, AG2R, Lotto, West East Star, Garmin, Wickensore, Katusha and Agos-Shimano. But except for Katusha, the other teams don't have as many riders as these four."
"Yes, at this stage everyone is left with a main player and a deputy player, but the performance of the Katyusha team today is surprising. Are they planning to win the team championship? Will it be too exhausting to fight so hard on the first day of the competition?"
"Let's not guess the intentions and ideas of the coaching staff. I know this when I commentate on football. Those famous coaches always have unexpected tactics. The coaching staff of road cycling will definitely have many ideas for the 22 stages."
"Yes, I think so too. Judging from today's performance, the Katusha team is stronger than we thought."
[Lost indefinitely].
"There is another key point. Joaquin Rodriguez gave up his personal time trial. He was leading Katusha in the front."
"This is actually quite good. Huang Kaiwen is top notch in terms of endurance and explosive power. Let him compete for a few honors, and the others can take turns to create good results and strive to get three good time on each race day."
“Indeed, this is a team comparison, but most people rarely give up their personal overall results, which in itself represents their status in the team.”
"Not necessarily. The Lord will encounter something and they must go to rescue him."
"But a team has several main players. For example, the sprint leader needs to be accompanied by a deputy. Look at Huang Kevin, he is awesome, but he was blocked by someone just now."
"There are too many key opponents. If it's a one-on-one duel between two teams, do you believe that Kevin Huang can fight 17 alone? He'll beat them all, and his teammates won't tolerate him! It's really hard for him to move forward when there are so many people. I guess after he gets used to it on the first day, he might have the chance to go solo."
"I think so too. On the court, he often relies on his personal ability. Although this guy's character is not very good, his personal ability is really beyond reproach."
There are only two kilometers left in the race.
Almost all teams started to speed up and launch attacks.
There is another bend before the finish line, and the position of this bend basically determines who will be the first today.
Rowlands and Henderson of the Lotto team were the first to accelerate and this move immediately intensified the competition. Quick-Step and Movistar were not to be outdone and joined the competition.
Huang Kaiwen and Nibali took the opportunity to reunite with their teammates and form a long dragon.
"Kevin, can I lead the ride?"
Christopher suggested.
"We'll talk about it later. We can't change positions in the current situation."
Huang Kaiwen said with a smile.
He breaks the wind in front, and his teammates can also join the sprint, as long as someone helps him to occupy a good position in the final stage.
After the first day of competition, Huang Kaiwen felt good.
When discussing tactics with the team leader in the evening, he had some new ideas.
"It's a change of player Kevin!"
As the bend was approaching, Nibali hurried to the front.
Christopher and Trofimov followed behind the two men. The premise for them to ensure their personal results was to help Nibali and Huang Kevin first.
Argos Shimano has picked up speed.
Everyone is scrambling for position to enter the turn.
Nibali reminded: "Follow closely, Kevin!"
After saying this, he immediately sped up.
Christopher chose to follow behind the two people, and Trofimov suddenly moved to the left lane and slowed down, tactically filtering out some opponents.
The leading group was instantly split apart.
Some athletes' lieutenants and even some teams' captains were left behind.
Although the lead is only a few seconds, it is enough in the flat road stage.
"come on!!!"
The spectators on both sides of the road cheered wildly.
Several teams competed fiercely for the order of entering corners.
Van Poppel and Berkmans of the Dutch team Wijkensoorre took up the front position, and Kittel had to follow behind them because he was separated from his lieutenant.
Nibali was pedaling frantically in the front, preparing to take Huang Kevin into the sharp corner close to the guardrail to grab a position.
Such a move was very thrilling, but both he and Huang Kaiwen accelerated very obviously, catching up with the two drivers of Wickensore at a speed visible to the naked eye.
After successfully entering the turn, the two of them occupied the front position.
The only regret was that Christopher couldn't keep up due to his explosive power, but he didn't fall behind too much either.
boom--
"Saint Kevin!"
"Saint Kevin!"
"Saint Kevin!"
The audience at the scene really didn’t expect that Huang Kaiwen would have such a wonderful performance in the first stage.
Crudelli shouted frantically in the live broadcast room: "Nibali has completed his mission. He is still riding for Kevin. Next, Kevin will show his sprint speed. Kevin sprinted. It's a bit early. I think Kevin means to take Nibali to the finish line. Kevin is such a great person. Even if he gives up a few seconds of personal performance improvement, he is willing to help his teammates."
Huang Kaiwen did not slow down after overtaking. He looked back and chose to lead the race in front of Nibali.
At this time, Kittel and Christopher caught up and formed Katyusha to encircle and suppress the Germans.
Kittel had great explosive power, so Huang Kevin did not hold back and started to accelerate and rush forward. Under the attention of the whole audience, Huang Kevin crossed the line first.
"With a time of 4 hours, 56 minutes and 46 seconds, Kevin Huang was the first rider to cross the line. He won the first place in today's stage. Tomorrow Kevin Huang will wear the yellow jersey. Today he also won the green jersey and the polka dot jersey. It is amazing that he has such an outstanding performance in his first Tour de France."
Kittel followed Kevin Huang across the line with a time of 4 hours, 56 minutes and 52 seconds.
Christopher was next in line with 4 hours, 56 minutes and 58 seconds.
Fourth place was Dutchman Van Poppel, with a time of 4 hours 57 minutes 03 seconds.
Nibali finished seventh with a time of 4 hours 57 minutes 14 seconds.
This result is normal for him, but considering his contribution today, it is not easy to get seventh.
Huang Kevin slid for a few dozen meters, then immediately turned around and gave Nibali a thumbs up.
Vincenzo Nibali also gave a thumbs up. This was his first time to win the team championship, even if it was only on the first day of the race.
(End of this chapter)