Cycling: Racing into the Headwind

[Congratulations! You have successfully learned the mountain bike handling skill [Lifting the Rear Wheel].]

[Reward received: 2 Basic Optimization Value points, +2 specialized Bike Handling Skill Optimization Value, 1x Viral Immunity Elixir.]

[Viral Immunity Elixir: After taking this drug, the host will be permanently immune to all types of viral infections, such as wound infections, communicable infections, and opportunistic infections.]

...

After three days of arduous practice, Huang Chong finally learned [Lifting the Rear Wheel]. His only consolation was probably receiving this Viral Immunity Elixir.

Of course, he was terrified of viral infections. This was especially true now, during a time of mask-wearing when lockdowns hadn’t been fully lifted.

After an athlete gets injured, there’s also the risk of contracting or developing a viral infection during recovery.

For example, the "Manx Missile" Mark Cavendish crashed during his peak and contracted the Epstein-Barr virus, which prevented him from regaining his form for a full five years.

If the owner of the Quick Step Team hadn’t acted as his patron and given him one last contract, he never would have been able to return to the Tour de France after such a long decline.

Let alone win those final few stages and make history.

Without a second thought, Huang Chong took the elixir. Then, he transferred the [Lifting the Rear Wheel] skill from his trials bike to his road bike and received 5 specialized Bike Handling Skill Optimization Value points.

Then, another day passed. On July 21, 2022, he went on to master the fourth bike handling skill: the Double Wheel Jump.

Since he had already mastered the three bike handling skills of [Lifting the Front Wheel], [Lifting the Rear Wheel], and [Static Bike], the Double Wheel Jump was no longer difficult for him.

The core principle of this move was to lock the brakes and stand steadily on the pedals in a static position. Then, he had to crouch down and use the explosive power of straightening up, quickly tucking his legs to lift the entire bike off the ground.

Of course, the system had slightly increased the difficulty this time. It didn’t just ask Huang Chong to perform a simple jump. Instead, it required him to use the skill to side-hop up ten consecutive stairs, performing the move with his front wheel on a higher step.

This method undoubtedly increased the test’s difficulty. Huang Chong had to try several times before he finally completed the task and received his reward:

[Congratulations! You have successfully learned the mountain bike handling skill [Double Wheel Jump].]

[Reward received: 2 Basic Optimization Value points, +2 specialized Bike Handling Skill Optimization Value, 1x Extreme Anaerobic Threshold Enhancer.]

[Extreme Anaerobic Threshold Enhancer: After taking this enhancer, the host can increase their maximum heart rate threshold during extreme anaerobic sprints, extending endurance and explosive power in the anaerobic zone.]

...

After so many days, Huang Chong was quite excited to see another enhancer that could raise his heart rate threshold and strengthen his heart.

The more time he spent exercising, the more he appreciated the importance of cardiorespiratory fitness.

Having a congenitally strong heart already gave one a huge advantage over others in terms of raw talent.

Take Pogačar, for example. His heart was drastically superior to others’.

Not only could his maximum heart rate easily exceed 200+, but his resting heart rate was also terrifyingly low, not even reaching 40—just 38 beats per minute.

Fortunately, although Huang Chong’s leg power was still far from that of a world-class cyclist like him, the auxiliary medicines rewarded by the system were crazily boosting his own physiological potential.

And these enhancements were permanent optimizations, not one-offs.

’I wonder what other insane drugs the system will come up with. If I keep getting optimized like this, I feel like my physical talent will make me world number one before I even become a Professional Cyclist!’

Huang Chong could feel his own powerful, thriving heart, his increasingly lean figure, and his strong, tight thighs. He could clearly sense that he was now terrifyingly strong.

Especially since his current weight, with the help of the continuous effects of the Fat-Burning and Muscle-Preserving Pills, had successfully dropped to 65 kg, officially starting the third phase.

However, as his weight decreased, his FTP Power didn’t regress in the slightest.

Instead, from the previous 224W, it had risen to 242W under the dual effects of the Basic Optimization Value from completing bike handling skills and the natural improvement from his daily training.

So as of today, his power-to-weight ratio had reached 3.72—a level that would take a veteran amateur cyclist years of training to achieve.

With this power-to-weight ratio, as long as he wasn’t affected by adverse weather like headwinds, crosswinds, rain, or snow, he could even maintain an average speed of around 40 km/h while cruising on flat roads.

To put it in perspective, Dewey was originally slightly stronger than him at the beginning. But if the two of them were to go out and compete now, Dewey would be completely dropped by him right from the start.

"Damn it, Zha Zi’s overall victory is gone. It’s really gone this time. Congratulations to Vingegaard for locking up the champion’s Yellow Jersey early!"

Tour de France Stage 18.

Just as in real life, with the help of his top domestique Van Aert who broke away early, Vingegaard once again pulled away from a crashed Pogačar in the final phase. He gained over a minute, extending his overall lead to three and a half minutes and completely securing this year’s Tour de France overall victory.

Although Dewey congratulated Vingegaard to appear magnanimous, his eyes were full of resentment as he looked at Huang Chong.

He truly hadn’t expected that his friend would actually predict the Tour de France’s finale, and that his previous analysis would be spot on.

Thinking about it now, his friend’s understanding of the race was truly terrifying.

"Old Huang, I’m starting to believe you can actually make it as a Professional Cyclist.

Putting everything else aside, just your perseverance with this weight loss is enough to make me look at you in a new light!

How much do you weigh now? 65 kg?

But something about this change in your physique seems a bit off.

Even though you’ve slimmed down all over, how did you naturally get muscles on your thighs and your abs? They’re as hard as a rock!

Haven’t you been training mountain bike skills recently?

I haven’t seen you hitting the gym to lift weights, or doing any dedicated ab workouts like sit-ups or planks!"

After saying that, Dewey even reached out and squeezed Huang Chong’s thigh.

It really was rock solid!

Huang Chong slapped away his friend’s dog-like paws that were groping all over him and replied coolly:

"You think mountain bike handling skills only rely on arm and leg strength?

Don’t you know that to lift the bike’s wheels, a rider actually needs their entire upper body strength and a strong core?

Let me tell you the truth, Old Du. Mountain downhill racing puts more emphasis on upper body strength, which is why those downhill riders are all built like bulls.

That stuff is all high-speed downhill; you barely pedal at all during the whole run.

But with the bike flying through the air, making sharp turns, drifting, and whipping the tail through rocky sections—do you think you could do any of that without upper body strength to support you?"

Dewey knew nothing about mountain biking, but he could tell that Huang Chong wasn’t just making things up.

So, he could only look at his friend as if he were a monster, purse his lips, and say:

"Alright, alright, you know best. You’re the expert.

In that case, Zhou Ming invited us to ride at Qiandao Lake this Sunday. You can be my dedicated domestique, and I’ll get to see if you’re really as amazing as you talk yourself up to be.

You’d better not be a king with your mouth but a bronze with your legs.

Otherwise, if we lose to Zhou Ming, neither of us will be able to hold our heads high in front of him again. He’ll treat us like a joke!"

’I’m very confident in my abilities. With my current strength, I should be one of the top one or two riders in the Windward Team. How could I possibly be out-ridden by some kidney-deficient playboy who spends all day lying on top of women?’

’Who does he think he’s looking down on?’

He replied with overwhelming confidence:

"If I lose to that embroidered pillow, I won’t eat for the next month! I’ll eat this 100-inch television screen of yours instead!"