Cycling: Racing into the Headwind

"Brother Liu, give me a break."

This is a 20-kilometer HC Level climb. The average gradient for the last 10 kilometers is over 8%, with a maximum gradient that can even hit 12%.

"I’m already using every ounce of strength I have just to keep up with you. And you want me to pull for you guys?"

"Are you trying to make me get dropped and look like a fool on purpose?"

Huang Chong replied with a wry smile.

He had been riding all the way from Lin’an District, tackling several long and short rolling hills. His stamina was severely depleted.

After all, this body had only been into road cycling for a month. Even with the system constantly optimizing his weaknesses, he had never climbed a winding mountain road before.

And now his first time was a long, HC Level climb. Honestly, if he weren’t a reincarnator with a wealth of climbing memories in his head, he might not have been able to finish this ascent in one go.

He was putting out over 200W of power at full effort the entire time; he couldn’t afford to slack off for even a second.

His heart rate was constantly hovering near 180, right at his Zone 4 threshold.

Huang Chong knew that once he reached the foot of the mountain for the last 10 kilometers and started up the hairpin turns, his heart rate would definitely climb higher, possibly even pushing into his anaerobic Zone 5.

But as the gradient steepened and his legs grew heavier, the system, which had been silent for dozens of kilometers, finally displayed a new mission:

[Host detected in climbing training. Please complete at least 10KM of continuous climbing. Rewards will be distributed based on the final distance and gradient level completed. Reward: Basic Optimization Value, Heart Rate Threshold Enhancer x1]

[Heart Rate Threshold Enhancer: After consumption, this agent will enhance the host’s endurance during high-threshold cycling, allowing the host to perform at high heart rates for at least twice as long.]

...

This was the first time Huang Chong had seen the system offer a reward of Basic Optimization Value that wasn’t a fixed amount, but would instead be based on his final performance.

He didn’t suspect the system was trying to mess with him, of course.

But there was no doubt this challenge was far more difficult than any of the previous ones he’d encountered.

’At least 10 kilometers of continuous climbing?’

’At the current gradient, completing the mission won’t be hard. But if I only ride these next 10 kilometers, the cumulative climb will be a Category 3 at best.’

’Only by finishing the entire 20 kilometers in one go, including the incredibly difficult hairpin turns in the final 10 kilometers, can the whole climb qualify as HC Level.’

’There are three whole categories between a Cat 3 and an HC Level climb. The difference in the final reward will undoubtedly be worlds apart!’

’Is the system trying to tempt me into grinding myself into the ground with this flexible reward scheme?’

Huang Chong suddenly realized that just meeting the mission’s minimum requirement wasn’t that hard.

But the amount of Basic Optimization Value he’d ultimately receive depended entirely on how much effort he put into the coming climb.

If he could finish the remaining 20-kilometer ascent in one go, he would get the highest-level reward.

’Damn it, the rewards are waiting right there at the summit. Who could possibly resist that?’

’Looks like I have to go all out.’

’Anyway, the system didn’t specify any time limit. As long as I don’t stop and rest during the climb, it shouldn’t count as an interruption.’

’Worst case, I’ll drop to the small chainring and the largest cog and just grind my way up, bit by bit. I have to finish this entire climb!’

In the end, Huang Chong couldn’t resist the system’s tempting offer. Without a second thought, he decided to grind it out to the very end.

For now, at least, he still had enough energy to stay with the main group and ride to the foot of Taizi Peak Mountain.

And once he hit the hairpin climbs, if his energy ran out, he could just use one of his items. His inventory was well-stocked, so he wasn’t short one Rapid Recovery Energy Bar.

Soon, after exchanging a few more words of banter with Liu Junjie, he focused all his attention back on cycling.

But it was obvious that the time between the system’s five-kilometer mileage updates was much, much longer than it had been during the earlier part of the ride.

After he completed the first kilometer of the climb, nearly 20 minutes passed before the system notified him that he had completed five kilometers.

"I can’t hold on, Captain! I’m going to get dropped if I keep climbing at this speed and power!"

"Me too, Captain. I’ve given it my all just to make it this far. I’ll have to take the hairpin climbs ahead slowly."

As the main group reached the foot of Taizi Peak Mountain, the three female riders who had managed to hang on until now looked up at the road coiling around the mountainside like a great serpent and gave wry, helpless smiles.

The mere sight of the zigzagging mountain road and its steep gradient was enough to make one’s legs turn to jelly.

Still, the fact that they’d held on for this long already made them incredibly formidable among amateur female cyclists.

In Huang Chong’s opinion, while they might not have a shot at the podium in a major tour, their skill level was definitely high enough to secure a respectable overall ranking.

"It’s okay. You three have done an outstanding job just by making it this far."

"For the rest of the way, just stick together and ride at a comfortable pace for you. Try to stay in formation and take turns pulling to finish these last 10 kilometers."

"If you really can’t keep going, slow down and wait for the guys who got dropped earlier to catch up. You can ride with them to the summit."

As the team captain, Zhang Yi was retired, but his steady, unruffled riding style made it clear he still trained regularly.

Strictly speaking, his physique wasn’t suited for climbing high mountains.

But the gap between a Professional Cyclist and an amateur was wide enough that he could still easily crush every other member of the team on an HC Level climb.

But as Zhang Yi turned to watch the three women fall to the back of the group, he noticed that the newcomer Wang Qiang had introduced him to last night was still keeping pace with their strongest six-man group, showing no signs of getting dropped. He couldn’t help but be surprised.

He knew exactly what his team members were capable of.

Wang Qiang and his two companions, in particular, were arguably the strongest riders on his team.

Whenever there was an amateur race and their schedules permitted, he would arrange for those three to compete.

But he never expected this newcomer, without any of his professional-style training, to have kept up with his veteran team members who had been training for two or three years.

’Something’s up with this kid. The strength he’s showing today is far beyond what Wang Qiang described last night.’

’Based on Wang Qiang’s description, I thought it would be impressive if he just managed to finish the entire climb.’

’But now it looks like he might even be able to stick with us all the way to the summit?’

Zhang Yi suddenly felt a sense of anticipation regarding Huang Chong.

Although he hadn’t yet agreed to let Huang Chong join the team, seeing him keep up this far, Zhang Yi decided he would definitely recruit him, even if he couldn’t handle the final 10 kilometers of hairpins and got dropped.

This was a pure amateur cyclist, with less than a year of riding experience and no professional training, who could average over 200W on a climb.

A performance like that was truly outstanding.

’If I train him properly, could he have a shot at winning the championship podium in amateur races in the future?’

Zhang Yi couldn’t help but wonder.

Although his team wasn’t a for-profit organization, if one of his riders won a championship, it could potentially be turned into a legitimate, fee-based cycling training program—an opportunity for him to turn a profit.

And what’s the best advertisement for a training program?

Without a doubt, it’s having a real, honest-to-goodness champion cyclist on the team.