Moreover, a Vuelta a España stage win doesn't hold nearly the same value as one in the Tour de France.
Merckx, after all, once won seven stages in a single Tour de France—
The Tour de France is basically 21 one-day classics.
Riders have to go all out every single day just to have a chance at temporarily reaching the highest peak.
But the Vuelta a España has far too many stages where you can just cruise.
It's also the least prestigious of the three Grand Tours, ranking even below the Giro d'Italia.
Of course, as a super-rookie in his first year with a World Tour Team, winning the Vuelta a España overall and taking second in the Tour de France was an achievement Huang Chong himself was definitely satisfied with.
After all, Pogačar also competed in the Vuelta a España during his rookie season but only managed third place in the general classification.
