Cycling: Racing into the Headwind

[Rapid Healing Ointment for Sprains and Fractures: This ointment helps the host achieve 100% recovery from internal structural damage caused by exercise, preventing any lingering effects from injuries.]

...

When Huang Chong saw the description for this new supplementary medicine for treating internal injuries, he was completely stunned.

’This ointment can actually achieve 100% recovery from structural damage?

Isn’t that completely overpowered?

Taken literally, does that mean even if my bone snapped in two and was displaced, it could help put it back together?’

He knew a little about sports-related injuries.

The most devastating injuries for an athlete were definitely not things like simple fractures or dislocations.

Rather, they were permanent, non-regenerative injuries like meniscal or ACL tears in the knee, which required surgical removal of tissue.

Take NBA players, for example. The number of talented players whose careers were ruined by knee injuries was simply countless.

Figures like Brandon Roy of the Blazers Team, known as the "Yellow Mamba," and Derrick Rose of the Bulls, the "Wind City Rose," were classic examples that left countless fans full of regret.

Normally, cycling was considered a relatively healthy sport compared to something like basketball, which involves constant high-intensity collisions.

The frightening part was, if you got caught in a crash, the consequences could be unimaginable.

Especially on a road bike at high speed, a crash would, at best, lead to sprains and fractures, and at worst, could even cost you your life.

So, the appearance of the Rapid Healing Ointment for Sprains and Fractures gave Huang Chong a major boost in the courage and confidence to push his limits in the future.

As long as he didn’t die instantly in an accident, he could at least make a full recovery from his injuries. This was like having a massive cheat code.

’I don’t have to use this divine medicine. In fact, it would be best if I never have to use it my entire career—

but since it appeared as a reward, I have to get my hands on it.

As long as it’s sitting in my inventory, it’s my guarantee of future health.’

Huang Chong mulled this over, then without further hesitation, he immediately followed Li Zifan’s instructions and began practicing the Static Bike.

Compared to other dynamic bike control techniques, the Static Bike was undoubtedly the simplest.

Following the key points Young Master Li had taught him, Huang Chong first squeezed the front and rear brakes of the street trials bike hard. Then, instead of pointing the handlebars straight ahead, he deliberately turned them toward the side of his center of gravity.

He then stood on the pedal opposite his center of gravity with one foot and slowly lifted his other foot off the ground.

The first time, he only managed to hold the static bike for 5 seconds.

The 20th time, 13 seconds.

The 100th time, 18 seconds.

Finally, after nearly two hours of practice and hundreds of failures, he found the sense of balance needed to keep the bike stationary for over 30 seconds without falling.

[Congratulations! You have successfully learned the mountain bike control technique: Static Bike!]

[Reward received: 2 Basic Optimization Value points, +2 to specialized Bike Control Technique Optimization Value, and 1x Rapid Healing Ointment for Sprains and Fractures.]

...

The moment the system’s reward notification appeared, Huang Chong’s mind and body gained a much stronger understanding and muscle memory for the Static Bike technique.

It felt as if the skill had been completely and utterly etched into his very cycling DNA.

"Old Du, see this? I’ve learned the Static Bike! As long as I don’t run out of energy, I can hold this stationary position indefinitely."

Dewey watched in amazement, genuinely impressed.

The Static Bike control technique wasn’t actually that practical unless you were in some kind of acrobatic performance, like riding a bike on a tightrope or across the edge of a glass pane.

At most, it was useful for waiting at a red light in the city, allowing you to stay on the bike without having to unclip your cycling shoes and get off.

Well, besides that, it could also reduce the chance of a zero-speed fall.

This was especially true for newbies who had just started using clipless shoes.

After all, getting used to the combination of clipless shoes and pedals takes a lot of time. If a rider forgets to unclip, their shoes stay locked to the bike, and a fall is guaranteed.

It’s one thing if it happens when no one’s around, but having a zero-speed fall at a busy intersection in front of everyone is so embarrassing you’d want the ground to swallow you whole.

"You learn fast, kid. Did you learn this online? What’s with the sudden interest in mountain bike control techniques?"

When Huang Chong heard the question, besides the fact that his system panel had a requirement for bike control techniques, the first image that came to his mind was the crash involving top riders like Vingegaard, Evenepoel, Roglič, and Vine during a high-speed downhill corner in Stage 4 of the 2024 Tour of the Basque Country.

Among them, Vingegaard and Vine were seriously injured, even losing consciousness on the spot.

However, during that same incident, a rider with excellent mountain bike control skills used a Dolphin Jump at the critical moment to leap directly over a ditch on the corner, ultimately landing safely without any injuries.

This had left an extremely deep impression on Huang Chong at the time.

Having good bike control techniques could literally save your life when facing such complex and treacherous terrain.

"I didn’t learn it online. You know I serviced Young Master Li’s mountain bike before, right? When he came to pick it up yesterday, we got to talking about this stuff. I was interested, so I just had him teach me personally. I even took a video, want to see?"

After watching Li Zifan’s video, Dewey looked at Huang Chong with an impressed expression and gave him a thumbs-up.

"You really know how to seize an opportunity, Old Huang. Young Master Li was probably just being polite, but you actually dared to make a rich young master your teacher.

Do you have any idea about that kid’s family background? In Hangcheng, they’re easily in the top ten.

Oh, right, his family has been one of the sponsors for our Tour of Zhejiang Province cycling challenge since last year.

It’s a shame the kid only does mountain biking. He’s not in the same field as you, so you can’t ride his coattails.

Otherwise, with his family’s status, forget getting you into the provincial team—he could definitely get you a spot on the Hangcheng road cycling team."

Huang Chong really didn’t know about Li Zifan’s family background; he only knew the other guy was a rich young master.

But even if he had known, he wouldn’t have considered what Dewey was suggesting.

Although paying your way onto a team was common in the road cycling world, joining a mere city-level team was completely useless.

His goal was a World Tour Team. No matter how rich Li Zifan was, he couldn’t help him pull strings with the UCI.

So, he still had to rely on himself to earn system rewards, continuously improve on his weaknesses, and quickly raise his personal strength.

"It’s important to know your own limits, Old Du!

Young Master Li and I are just passing acquaintances. The fact that he wasn’t arrogant and personally taught me these mountain bike control techniques is already a great kindness.

How could I covet his connections and try to take a shortcut?

I’ll just stick to training honestly!"

Huang Chong was naturally open-minded, and besides, he had a cheat system, so he didn’t feel any regret.

In any case, as long as he persisted, he could get into the provincial team, an Intercontinental Team, and then a World Tour Team, all on his own!

However, as he continued practicing the remaining mountain bike control techniques taught by Li Zifan, he found the difficulty far exceeded his imagination.

For example, just learning to lift the rear wheel took him a full three days to succeed, and he fell flat on his face multiple times, nearly ruining his handsome face.

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