Cycling: Racing into the Headwind

[Congratulations! You have completed a continuous high-speed descent. Your average descent speed and cornering fluidity far exceed the system’s initial values. Your cornering ability will now be re-evaluated.]

[Re-evaluation complete. Your cornering ability is now: 64.]

[Overall Assessment: Your cornering ability has reached the level of an experienced amateur cyclist.]

[Rewards Received: 2 Basic Optimization Value points, Cognitive Enhancement Agent x1.]

...

’Huh? My personal stats can be re-evaluated?’

Huang Chong had safely descended the steep slopes of Taizi Peak and was now riding quickly with his teammates on a longer, gentler downhill section. When the system displayed a reward notification that completely exceeded his expectations, he couldn’t help but freeze in surprise.

But after a moment of calm reflection, it actually seemed quite reasonable.

The reason was simple: the body he had when the system activated belonged to his reincarnated self.

At the time, he had been out of college for less than a month. He hadn’t been riding for long, and he’d never even climbed or descended a single hill.

He had spent the entire month riding on the various greenways in Hangcheng.

Therefore, since he hadn’t done any descents yet, the system could only use his current body’s physical abilities as a baseline.

However, descending ability isn’t a test of leg power. It’s a test of one’s awareness and control over the bike’s balance.

So when he was reborn with the memories of his past life, he had effectively brought over all the cornering experience he had accumulated.

The system re-evaluating him now, based on the descending ability he’d accumulated over two lifetimes, just proved how intelligent it was. It wasn’t some rigid, lifeless program that ran purely on initial data.

’So my cornering ability from my past life was already at 64 points?

If the maximum score for these abilities is 100, I guess that counts as a passing grade, right?’

Huang Chong was quite satisfied when he saw his re-evaluated stats.

Looking at the weaknesses listed on his personal panel, it seemed only his cornering ability could be re-evaluated. Still, having one stat reach the passing mark ahead of schedule was much better than the system rating all of his abilities in the pathetic thirties and forties.

His initial stats had been truly cringe-worthy—total noob numbers.

After the ’experienced amateur cyclist’ rating, the next level was likely ’entry-level Professional Cyclist’.

However, based on the system’s numerical ranges, he estimated he’d have to raise his cornering ability to 70 points to reach the entry-level Professional Cyclist tier.

’Looks like I’ll have to do more climbing and descending. That’s the fastest way to improve my skills.’

Having received generous rewards from the system for both climbing and descending Taizi Peak, Huang Chong began to form a new plan.

There were plenty of climbing routes in Hangcheng.

For example, he knew there were several challenging climbs near Xiao Mountain, like Yunfeng Mountain and Anding Mountain, that were perfect for daily training.

The only downside was that these peaks weren’t very high, so the climbs weren’t nearly as long as the Zhejiang Western Sky Road.

’I won’t worry about that for now. Since I’ve joined the team, I’ll be able to train with them every weekend.

Knowing the captain’s habits, he’s definitely more of an expert at choosing training routes than I am. Following his lead is the best path to professional-level training.

I just wonder when he’ll have me participate in an official amateur race?’

Even though it was only his first day on the team, Huang Chong’s obsession with becoming a Professional Cyclist made him wish he could join them for a race tomorrow.

He was well aware that with his current FTP Power of just over 220W, a podium finish was out of the question. He’d probably just end up with a participation medal.

But if he could use races to continuously work on his weaknesses, the experience would still be incredibly valuable.

At the very least, he could gain a more comprehensive understanding of the racing atmosphere, the rhythm of the pack, and more.

It would also be excellent preparation for when he eventually started competing in professional races.

If Zhang Yi knew what Huang Chong was thinking, he wouldn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Sure, he’d performed well on the Taizi Peak climb, but his ability to cruise on flat roads was nothing special.

His FTP Power was too low, and his Sprinting Burst was weak.

If they actually took him to a race, the best he could do would be to act as a domestique for Wang Qiang and the others.

In any case, his current strength was nowhere near enough to be a team leader on a flat stage.

Of course, Huang Chong wasn’t opposed to starting as a domestique.

Every team leader has to go through a period of growth, and they have to prove their strength as a domestique before they can become one.

He wasn’t one of those people with sky-high ambitions and a fragile ego.

Maintaining a realistic, positive, and forward-looking attitude at every stage of development was the most basic mental attribute for a Professional Cyclist.

After confirming on his personal panel that his cornering ability had been raised to 64, Huang Chong brought his focus back to the ride.

He didn’t plan on taking the Cognitive Enhancement Agent while he was still riding.

On the gentle descent, the riders at the front were pushing the pace, and the group had quickly reached an average speed of around 50 km/h.

He didn’t dare let his guard down for even a second at that speed.

If he accidentally clipped the wheel of a teammate in front of or behind him while trying to take the agent, it would undoubtedly cause a massive pile-up.

So, he waited until the team had returned safely to the Lin’an District. It was only when they were all at a restaurant for a meal that he found a moment, when no one was looking, to swallow his newly acquired agent.

It was incredibly astringent, like drinking the juice of an unripe persimmon.

Even though he had braced himself, the bizarre taste still made his scalp tingle.

Fortunately, Huang Chong had brought plenty of bottled water and immediately took a few large gulps, washing the awful astringent taste from his mouth.

After the intense ride, his teammates were devouring their food like a pack of wolves. He, on the other hand, was quietly sensing the profound changes spreading through his body as the agent took effect.

He soon discovered that his conscious reactions were, indeed, different than before.

For instance, his teammate Wang Qiang, who was sitting next to him, stood up to grab some food. As he was sitting back down, his hand accidentally knocked against a pair of unused chopsticks—

Just as the chopsticks were about to hit the floor, he shot his hand out under the table and caught them mid-fall.

Before taking the agent, he was certain he wouldn’t have been able to react that fast.

’Whoa... after this massive boost to my cognitive reaction, my perception of time hasn’t changed—a second is still a second.

But my body’s ability to react to my thoughts has clearly been enhanced.’

Huang Chong was deeply shaken.

He watched his teammates at the table reaching for food and had a strange intuition.

The moment a teammate reached out with their chopsticks, he felt like he knew in advance which dish they were going for and what they would grab.

It was, he had to admit, a truly wondrous experience.