Cycling: Racing into the Headwind

There are no shortcuts when it comes to training mountain bike Car Control Techniques.

Huang Chong had no other choice but to train hard.

A full afternoon and evening of diligent training only allowed him to learn the most basic bike control maneuver: Lifting the Front Wheel.

He lost count of how many times he landed on his butt, or how many times the BMX bike’s pedals smacked against his shins.

And this result was only achieved because Li Zifan was there to personally demonstrate and explain things. Plus, the fact that Dewey’s shop actually had a street trials BMX bike provided him with the best possible training conditions.

The only good news was that once the system detected he had successfully met the standards for the [Lifting the Front Wheel] maneuver, he found that he seemed to have completely mastered the move, both consciously and instinctively.

This was undoubtedly the system, once again invisibly granting him a buff like a memory capsule.

Normally, when an average mountain bike enthusiast learns a bike control maneuver, even if they grasp it in one day, they still need to spend a significant amount of time practicing and reinforcing it.

Only then can they develop the muscle memory to truly master the technique.

If they stop practicing for a while, even a mastered skill can become rusty.

But Huang Chong was spared this process.

Once he learned it, he had learned it forever.

However, when he tried to perform Lifting the Front Wheel on his road bike to get those extra 5 points of specialized Car Control Techniques Optimization Value, he quickly discovered that performing the same maneuver on a different type of bike was extremely difficult.

The reason was that the street trials bike was so small, making it not only easy to handle but also lacking a high seat to restrict his center of gravity.

A road bike, on the other hand, was different. It requires the rider to lean forward, lowering their center of gravity.

In addition, a road bike’s seat is set to the highest manageable position for the rider.

So, Huang Chong spent another hour or so trying on the road bike. He even had to remove the seat before he finally succeeded in transferring the [Lifting the Front Wheel] maneuver from the street trials bike to the road bike.

[Congratulations! You have successfully performed the [Lifting the Front Wheel] maneuver on a road bike. You have received an additional reward: 5 points of specialized Car Control Techniques Optimization Value. Your current Car Control Techniques has increased to: 45]

[Please continue to learn more Car Control Techniques and improve your weaknesses.]

...

’Damn it, I can’t believe it. Lifting the Front Wheel seemed so simple in my head, but it’s so hard to actually learn.’

’I used to watch videos online of people spending a month, or even several months, learning a single mountain bike trick, and I’d think they were just slow learners.’

’Turns out I’m no better than they are.’

’Sigh, this session nearly wrecked my legs!’

After finishing his practice, Huang Chong went back to the shop for some water. He rolled up his pant legs to check on his shins and found they had been scraped up by the street trials bike’s pedals during training. There were not only large bruises but also traces of blood.

Fortunately, the injuries weren’t too serious. He thought for a moment and decided against using the ointment he had just acquired. Instead, he just took out a Training Recovery Energy Gel and ate it.

He hadn’t used any recovery items after his half-day ride that morning.

But with the addition of the afternoon and evening Car Control training, he felt his body had reached its limit, which was why he was using the Energy Gel to recover now.

Afterwards, he turned off the water and electricity, locked the doors and windows, and after confirming everything was in order, was the last to leave the shop and head home.

Dewey, with his reversed sleep schedule, was indeed just getting up as night fell.

But after pulling two all-nighters in a row, he looked completely exhausted, like he was on his man period or something.

"Old Du, you’re not planning on pulling another all-nighter, are you?"

"Is Elden Ring really that hard? It’s been out for months and you still haven’t beaten it?"

"I swear, you’re so stubborn. You know you’re not a natural at gaming, so why not just look up a walkthrough online?"

Dewey, who was currently watching the live broadcast of Stage 14 of the Tour de France, heard Huang Chong’s remark and immediately waved a hand, saying weakly:

"No, no, no all-nighter tonight. I’ve already beaten it!"

"But Old Huang, your whole way of thinking is flawed. How can you look up a guide while playing a game?"

"That’s just cheating. It’s like buying the answer key before an exam. How is that a display of personal skill and perseverance?"

Huang Chong was left speechless.

He really couldn’t find a way to argue with him.

That was just Dewey’s personality. Once he decided to do something on his own, he would see it through to the end with single-minded determination, absolutely refusing any outside help.

If he succeeded, you could call it being strong-willed and tenacious.

But if he failed, he was just being plain pig-headed.

So, to be good friends with someone like Dewey, it was important to find the right perspective and learn to appreciate his mixed bag of a personality.

"Fine, whatever. At least you finally beat the game on your own. That’s worth something. How about I reward you with a fried egg?"

Huang Chong, who was in the middle of making his diet meal, thought for a moment and offered the praise with a smile.

But Dewey shook his head and politely refused.

"Nah, I already ordered takeout. It’ll be here soon."

"Tonight, I’m having beer, barbecue, and crayfish to celebrate beating the game and watch the Tour de France."

"That diet food of yours isn’t filling at all, and it has practically no grease."

"I’ve been eating it for the past two days and I feel totally drained. If I keep this up, I’m afraid I’ll go to sleep and never wake up!"

Huang Chong couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

Diet meals were all about controlling calorie intake. If not paired with exercise, it could indeed lower one’s immune system, leading to things like colds and fevers.

And not only had Dewey barely moved for the past two days, his sleep schedule was also a complete mess.

So he didn’t say anything more. He just made himself a vegetable salad with a piece of grilled chicken breast and joined Dewey in the living room to watch the Tour de France live.

Well, for Dewey and the rest of the world, it was a live broadcast.

But for him, it was like re-watching history unfold.

As expected, the hilly stage was won by Michael Matthews, the Jieke Cyclist sponsored by Giant, who took the victory from a breakaway. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Meanwhile, Pogačar, who Dewey was desperately hoping would make a comeback, crossed the finish line alongside Vingegaard, nearly 12 minutes behind Matthews.

There was no change in the overall standings. The yellow jersey remained on Vingegaard, who maintained the lead he had established over Pogačar back in Stage 11.

"Hey, Old Huang," Dewey sighed, "you don’t think this year’s Tour de France is actually going to turn out like you jinxed it, do you? With Vingegaard keeping the lead all the way to the end and winning the whole thing?"

Dewey found the stage completely uninteresting, as it had nothing to do with either Vingegaard or Pogačar.

But the thought of his idol still being behind got him worked up again.

Huang Chong heard the question but couldn’t be bothered to answer.

’As long as I’m not strong enough to shake things up on the World Tour and change the outcome, the original course of history won’t be altered.’

’So there’s no chance of Pogačar making a comeback in this Tour de France.’

He patted Dewey’s shoulder and replied with a sigh.

"Old Du, just go get some rest. You really need a good night’s sleep."

「The night passed uneventfully.」

When he opened his eyes, it was the next morning. After getting up and relieving himself, Huang Chong went to the electronic scale in the living room for his usual weigh-in.

The moment the scale displayed the number—70 kg—the system’s reward notification appeared before his eyes:

[Congratulations! You have successfully lost 5 kg of body weight, completing the Tier One fat-loss objective.]

[Reward Acquired: 5 points of Basic Optimization Value, Fat-Burning and Muscle-Preserving Pills x1]

[The Tier Two mission is now officially active. Keep up the good work!]

...