The Jiyuan Station race featured a circuit in Nanshan Forest Park, with each lap spanning 47 kilometers.
The most difficult climb had a gradient of about 6.2% and a length of 1.3 kilometers, located between the 39.2 and 40.5-kilometer marks of the lap.
After this climb, the route to the arch in Chengliu Town—which served as both the lap's starting point and the stage's finish line—was mostly free of difficult ascents.
By the time Huang Chong's group entered the second lap, it had dwindled to only about seven riders.
Among them, the biggest threat to his first-place overall standing was undoubtedly Niu Yikui, a Longjiang Team rider wearing the Li Ning Star Team jersey.
But in reality, though he was a Longjiang Team rider, he was actually from Henan.
The race continued.
Huang Chong, who was drafting behind the others, was also in constant communication with the coach in the team car.
