Cycling: Racing into the Headwind

"A Cycling Optimization System?"

"This is—"

"I’m actually... the chosen one?"

Staring at the virtual panel that had suddenly appeared before his eyes, Huang Chong froze, then his heart erupted in ecstasy.

They always say that a reincarnator without a cheat system might as well not have been reincarnated at all.

He never thought his luck would turn around like this!

He was no stranger to systems.

During his days as a cashier back in his hometown, he had often killed his free time by reading web novels.

Without a second thought, he decisively recited in his mind:

"Yes!"

The system then displayed his personal data, along with the details of the novice test.

[Host: Huang Chong]

[Weight: 75 KG] 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

[FTP: 160W] (Max Average Power Per Hour)

[Cadence: 72]

[Sprinting Burst: 40]

[Bike Handling Skills: 31]

[Cornering Ability: 30]

[Terrain Prediction: 34]

[Mental Fortitude: 91]

[Basic Optimization Value: 0]

[Overall Evaluation: A cycling novice who hasn’t even gotten started. You urgently need to optimize your weaknesses and overcome the beginner’s wall.]

[Novice Test: Complete a 10km ride with an average speed of at least 20 km/h. Reward: 2 Basic Optimization Value points, 1x Training Recovery Energy Gel.]

[Training Recovery Energy Gel: After consumption, completely alleviates lactic acid buildup and physical fatigue from training within 12 hours, and repairs minor sports-related injuries.]

...

’So this is the reincarnator’s bonus! The web novels didn’t lie to me!’

A sharp glint appeared in Huang Chong’s eyes, but at the same time, he couldn’t help but laugh bitterly at how pathetic his stats were.

His stats were truly an eyesore; he was basically all weaknesses from top to bottom!

Only his Sprinting Burst and Mental Fortitude were somewhat decent. The former, however, was just a side effect of his slightly chubby physique, typical for a recent college graduate.

But the problem was, if he wanted to win the Tour de France, he had to become a GC Cyclist (commonly known as an all-around road cyclist) and conquer the high mountains of France.

At 178 cm tall (a bit too tall for a Road Cyclist), his weight of 75 kg was completely over the limit.

Worse, his current FTP was only 160W. Divided by his 75 kg weight, his Power-to-Weight Ratio (W/kg) was a pathetic 2.13.

What did that even mean?

A world-class Professional Cyclist has a Power-to-Weight Ratio of at least 5.7+.

His favorite cyclists, like Vingegaard and Pogačar, were about his height but weighed just over 60 kg. Yet, during a mountain attack in the Tour de France, they could maintain a terrifying Power-to-Weight Ratio of 7.0+ for over half an hour.

So for a GC Cyclist, the heavier you are, the worse you are at climbing hills.

As for his high Mental Fortitude, it was probably because in his previous life, he had crossed countless mountains on two wheels, long since forging a resilient and hardworking mindset. That’s why the number was relatively high.

But with the system, everything would be different.

’If I can just optimize my weaknesses, I can reach the top of the world?

Then with the system’s help, shouldn’t I be able to crush all the world’s top Road Cyclists like van der Poel, Ganna, Vingegaard, and Pogačar?

From this day on, I’ll quit—no, I’ll lose weight!!’

Huang Chong’s heart surged with excitement, and he immediately made up his mind.

He carefully checked the quest details to see if there was a penalty for failure, but found none.

He had to admit, the reward was a pleasant surprise. The "Basic Optimization Value" was clearly meant for directly improving his various weaknesses.

As for the Training Recovery Energy Gel, he could tell from the description it was good stuff, but he’d have to use it to know its true effects.

"Old Huang, what are you spacing out for? You weren’t actually pissed off by Zhou Ming, were you? You’re not that petty!"

Huang Chong saw Dewey waving a hand in front of his face and snapped back to reality, then gave a disdainful smile.

"Me, angry at him? What a joke. Let that punk Zhou show off in front of me for a few more days. Sooner or later, I’ll face him head-on. And when I do, I’m going to smoke him right in front of that Riding Beauty of his!!"

"That’s the spirit! Now that’s the you I know!"

Dewey clapped Huang Chong’s shoulder in approval.

His buddy was a little pudgy, but his features were actually quite sharp and handsome. If he lost some weight, he’d definitely be much better-looking than a pampered, pretty-boy fop like Zhou Ming. Unfortunately, the Riding Beauties were generally superficial and only cared about money.

He didn’t forget to add a reminder:

"But that guy Zhou Ming, his skill is just average, but he’s been riding a lot longer than you and his gear is better. If you need it, you can use my Lightning SL7 to compete against him.

Of course, you really do need to get your average speed above 30 km/h first to even have a chance of beating him."

"No need. A true rider relies on his legs, not his gear. What’s so hard about beating a rich brat who cruises at 30 on the flats? I’m the man who’s going to win the Tour de France!"

Huang Chong grinned, revealing a set of straight white teeth, but his eyes were as fierce as a wild wolf’s.

"Alright, alright. Looks like you’re really aiming high. In that case, when you upgrade from that Giant 9th gen TCR ADV 3, don’t you dare sell it on some second-hand app. You have to leave it for me."

Dewey went along with Huang Chong’s banter and started talking nonsense:

"When the time comes, I’ll hang it in the most conspicuous spot in my shop. I’ll tell everyone I meet that this was the first bike of a Tour de France champion. And not only is he my best buddy, but I’m the one who got him into this whole road cycling obsession in the first place!"

Since there was no tax on bragging, Dewey got more and more carried away.

But in reality, he was thinking, ’Beating Zhou Ming might not be a big deal for Huang Chong, but winning the Tour de France?’

’What a load of crap!’

’Never mind the fact that he’s only been into road cycling for a few months and isn’t even as strong as me yet—the guy has already graduated from college.’

’What athlete in the world turns pro after graduating from college?’

’You have to remember, their shared idol, Pogačar, had already won the Tour de France at 21. The guy started training when he was just a kid.’

"No problem. Like the old saying goes: when one person achieves greatness, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven. When I become the Tour de France champion, I definitely won’t forget Brother Kun’s guidance in getting me started!"

Huang Chong replied domineeringly, then pushed his entry-level ride out, ready to go for a spin.

It was after work hours, and he was eager to complete the novice test and get his system reward.

"I’m going out for a ride, don’t wait for me for dinner!"

With that, he went out the door. After reaching a nearby greenway, he waited until he’d built up to his optimal speed before silently reciting:

"Begin test!"

And with that, a slew of real-time data immediately appeared before his eyes:

[Avg Speed: 25], [Power: 156]

[Cadence: 70], [Heart Rate: 171]

[Gradient: 1%], [Distance: 0.5]

’Damn, this system is so smart it can even double as a bike computer?’

Huang Chong glanced at the data, then compared it to the numbers on the Magene bike computer he had bought and mounted on his handlebars. He found that the two were extremely close.

The only difference was that, since he hadn’t been riding for long and knew he was a novice, he hadn’t installed a power meter on his road bike yet. Thus, the Magene computer couldn’t display his specific power output.

The system’s data, however, showed his real-time power output with perfect clarity.

And this data represented his true current ability, already pushing the limits of what he could personally achieve in Zone 4.

...