The Slovenia Team, clad in their bright green jerseys, made their intentions as clear as day. Right from the start, they took control of the race's pace.
With them leading the chase against any breakaway attempts, the riders from weaker nations who had hoped to launch an early attack and get some screen time for their country saw their ambitions immediately shattered.
The first to attempt a breakaway were four riders: Riley Sheen from the US Team, Ivo Oliveira of Portugal, Emīls Liepiņš of Latvia, and Piotr Pękala of the Poland Team.
But even though the four of them gave it their all at the front, they didn't even last a single kilometer before being caught and swallowed up by the peloton.
Huang Chong, riding at the very back, was conserving his energy.
Although he could easily keep up with the main group using less than 300 watts of power, he could still clearly feel just how fast the pace of today's one-day race was.
