If his teammates were too weak, it wouldn't matter if he handed them a feast fit for an emperor mid-race; they were still bound to lose.
But he couldn't defy the team's orders. After a successful hand-off with the team car, he got out of the saddle and hammered the pedals, unleashing over 400 watts of anaerobic power. Braving the 40°C heat, he began to chase down the peloton ahead.
He successfully merged back into the main group before the descent and found his six teammates.
He handed out the custom-formulated water bottles from the team nutritionist to his teammates one by one, and also distributed the Energy Gels from his supply bag.
His actions were, of course, captured by the race broadcast director and shown on the live feed.
When fans back in China saw that he had joined a World Tour Team only to end up as a water carrier, they grew indignant.
