Vingegaard had a rather introverted personality, but he never expected Huang Chong to take the initiative and suggest they work together.
Fighting Huang Chong for second place on the stage was far less important to him than closing the gap on Pogačar.
If the three of them could cross the finish line in the same group, even though his sprint on a flat finish was far inferior to Huang Chong's and Pogačar's, getting third place would be far better than letting Pogačar pull away by more than half a minute, just as Huang Chong had warned.
Third place also came with a four-second time bonus. Even if Pogačar crossed the line first, he would only lose six seconds.
So, after a moment's thought, he made a decisive choice and replied:
"Alright. Once we reach the foot of the mountain, I can take turns pulling with you!"
Now that he had Vingegaard's agreement, Huang Chong wasn't worried he would go back on his word.
