Cycling: Racing into the Headwind

"Old Huang, I don’t mean to call you out, but you’re just like that Wu Fang chick now. The first thing you do when you wake up is get on the scale. I swear, you two are possessed!"

Dewey, his eyes still heavy with sleep, had woken up unusually early today. The moment he stepped out of his room, he saw Huang Chong standing on the digital scale and immediately started to lay into him:

"I don’t see any change in your build. Aren’t you just torturing yourself for nothing?"

Huang Chong glanced over at him and replied with a chuckle:

"Old Du, don’t underestimate me.

The only reason you haven’t noticed I’m thinner is because we see each other every day, so you’ve gotten used to it.

Truth is, I’ve already lost 5 KG."

Huang Chong himself wasn’t surprised about losing 5 KG so quickly.

Anyone who’s ever tried to lose weight knows that when you first start dieting, as long as you control what you eat, the pounds come off fast in the first few days.

An overweight person, for instance, might even shed two or three kilograms on the very first day.

This isn’t because body fat is being burned right away, but because the body sheds a large amount of water weight first.

As time goes on, the rate of fat loss slows down, and as fat is consumed, muscle mass is also lost.

Fortunately, he didn’t have to worry about that. He decisively retrieved the Fat-Burning and Muscle-Preserving Pills, automatically stored in his system’s inventory. They looked like Maltesers, and he popped one into his mouth and swallowed.

It still didn’t taste great—like a mouthful of herbal medicine—but he knew exactly what it did.

This stuff not only helped him preserve the abdominal and leg muscles that the system had already optimized, but it also accelerated his subsequent fat-burning rate.

"What? You’ve already lost 5 KG? No way!"

The number jolted Dewey, who had been in the middle of a yawn, wide awake.

’It’s only been a few days. How is that possible?’

He glanced down at the scale’s display and saw that, sure enough, it read Huang Chong’s weight: 70 KG.

He couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise:

"Get off, let me check my weight. This scale has to be broken. How could you lose so much in just a few days?"

But as soon as Dewey stepped on, the numbers on the scale shot up, quickly settling at 78.3 KG.

"Holy shit, how did I gain weight? And you actually lost 5 KG? How is that fair?"

Huang Chong shrugged and spread his hands.

Facts speak louder than words.

"Old Du, when have I ever lied to you? You still don’t believe me?

I don’t mind telling you, in another month or so, I’ll hit my ideal weight of 60 KG.

By then, my Power-to-Weight Ratio will probably be close to 4.0. Climbing will feel like riding on a flat road!"

"You think you’re a gecko? ’Climbing will feel like riding on a flat road’—"

Dewey couldn’t help but glare at the smug-looking Huang Chong and continued:

"Bro, I’m not trying to be harsh, but for someone our height, getting down to 60 KG... wouldn’t you just be skin and bones?

Your fat loss rate is impressive, sure, but you’re bound to lose leg muscle as your weight drops.

Forget about hitting a 4.0 Power-to-Weight Ratio; it’ll be a question of whether you can even maintain your current power output!"

Getting his weight down to 60 KG, Huang Chong knew his body fat percentage would have to be incredibly low.

He’d definitely look like skin and bones.

’But neither his leg muscles nor his abs would shrink. And his FTP Power couldn’t possibly decline. After all, he had the supplements to back him up.’

Still, he didn’t feel the need to explain too much to Dewey. Getting down to 60 KG was just an experiment, anyway.

If he ended up getting too thin, he could always gain some back and maintain his weight at 65 KG.

"We’ll see when the time comes. In any case, our cycling abilities are definitely not on the same level anymore."

"Bullshit! Just because I was busy grinding to finish a game for a couple of days, you rode a bit more than me, joined some amateur team, and now you really think you’re a Professional Cyclist?

And you’re already looking down on your big bro?

After work tonight, let’s ride around West Lake again. No drafting this time. We go hard for five full laps. Let’s see who has the last laugh!"

Huang Chong didn’t plan on doing his usual rides for the next week. Instead, he wanted to first master the five entry-level Car Control Techniques that Li Zifan had taught him.

Besides, completing these moves would also earn him Basic Optimization Value rewards and wouldn’t hinder the improvement of his FTP Power.

He had to practice Car Control Techniques sooner or later. Better to do it now before he started entering races, to work on these crucial, life-saving skills he was weak in.

So he refused Dewey’s challenge:

"I’m busy for the next week. I have to practice mountain Car Control Techniques. Let’s talk after the Tour de France is over.

Didn’t Zhou Ming invite you to his group ride?

We can team up then. We’ll knock that rich kid down a peg, drop all those posers, and settle the score between us at the same time!"

"What the hell? You’re going to practice mountain Car Control Techniques?"

Dewey ignored the part about Zhou Ming and asked doubtfully:

"What’s this all about now?

Just a few days ago, you were saying you wanted to be a Professional Cyclist for road racing.

What gives? You’ve only been training for a few days. Decided improving on a road bike is too hard, figured you don’t have what it takes, and now you want to be a mountain biker instead?"

Huang Chong rolled his eyes at him and retorted,

"Am I the kind of person who just acts on a whim?

I’m practicing mountain Car Control Techniques because they’re just as important for road cycling.

Especially since my cycling speed is bound to get faster and faster as my power output increases.

Having good Car Control Techniques will allow me to handle collisions when riding in a pack without getting taken down in a crash.

It also means that if my wheels happen to slide out in a corner, I’ll be able to save it."

"You really think far ahead. You’ve clearly thought through such low-probability accidents. I can’t tell if I should call you meticulous or a worrywart."

Dewey let out a short laugh, but it wasn’t mocking.

He just knew this was Huang Chong’s personality. Before starting anything, he always had to be thoroughly prepared.

Huang Chong was rarely like him, getting carried away and acting on impulse—an ’if you don’t like it, let’s fight’ attitude where you just throw caution to the wind.

Even though he couldn’t be that way himself, he actually admired Huang Chong’s cautious and methodical nature.

For one thing, during their four years of undergrad, Huang Chong had bailed him out of academic trouble more times than he could count.

If not for him, he probably wouldn’t have even gotten his diploma and would’ve had to return to retake a ton of classes after graduation.

"Well, do what you think is best. The shop has plenty of bikes, anyway.

Whether you need a mountain bike or a trials bike, just go to the warehouse, grab the parts, and build it. Practice all you want!"

Huang Chong grinned. That was a true friend.

When it came to providing the means and opportunity to train, Dewey was truly second to none.

He replied,

"I started practicing yesterday. I’ve already learned Lifting the Front Wheel, and today I’m planning to practice a new move: Static Bike."

Dewey nodded. As he headed to the bathroom to wash up, he mumbled indistinctly,

"Alright. Once you’ve learned it, show me what you’ve got. Broaden my horizons a bit. Anyway, I have to go to the shop today."

Later, after Huang Chong and Dewey went to the bike shop and finished a hard day’s work, Huang Chong carried a trials bike out to the open space in front. As he prepared to practice the new move, the system intelligently displayed a new message:

[Host detected practicing mountain Car Control Techniques. Please complete Static Bike for 30 seconds. Reward: 2 Basic Optimization Value points, specialized Car Control Techniques Optimization Value +2, Rapid Healing Ointment for Sprains and Fractures x1]

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