Cycling: Racing into the Headwind

It was only natural for a family man like Zhang Yi to have his own interests at heart.

It was no longer as simple as when he was an athlete, when his focus on the road was purely on results and glory.

Once a man becomes a husband and a father, his thinking inevitably becomes tied to practical concerns.

After all, a person’s energy is finite. If he was going to invest time in running a team, he naturally had to think about supporting his family.

Fortunately, his wife was also an athlete. Though both had retired, she now had a stable job. Thanks to her excellent track record, she had transitioned from athlete to assistant coach within the provincial team system and was now training new talent.

This greatly eased the pressure on Zhang Yi.

Even so, as a man, he still had to consider his own career growth.

To put it bluntly, if he was going to invest significant energy into training Huang Chong, would there be a corresponding return for him?

This was what Zhang Yi was subconsciously mulling over.

Huang Chong certainly offered no commercial value at present, but Zhang Yi saw long-term potential in him.

Huang Chong possessed a level of innate talent that was far beyond the reach of an ordinary person. As a former Professional Road Cyclist, Zhang Yi was certain he wasn’t mistaken about this.

Chen Li saw her husband sitting in the living room, frowning in deep thought and staring blankly at his phone. Knowing something must be up, she asked:

"What’s wrong, honey? You look so out of it. Did something happen at work?"

Zhang Yi looked at his supportive wife and forced a smile, shaking his head.

"It’s not about work!"

"Then what is it?"

Seeing his wife press on, Zhang Yi thought for a moment and decided not to hide it from her, so he told her all about Huang Chong.

Chen Li knew her husband’s dreams and ambitions. As former athletes themselves, they had spent more time on their sport than anything else growing up.

The thought of completely leaving the world they knew so well was a painful one, a feeling of being unable to let go.

So she knew her husband’s dream was to establish a road cycling training academy with the goal of discovering and cultivating new talent.

After listening, she thought about it carefully. She didn’t make the decision for her husband, but instead asked with a serious expression:

"Zhang Yi, are you certain this young man, Huang Chong, is really that talented?"

Zhang Yi understood the meaning behind his wife’s words. He hesitated for a moment but still nodded.

"I’m fairly certain. You can see it in his data. Combined with his performance last week, that kind of heart rate variation is impossible to achieve through training alone. It has to be natural talent."

"’Fairly certain’ isn’t good enough. You need to be positive!"

Chen Li said,

"Training an athlete is a serious commitment. It has to be done scientifically and rigorously.

From what you said, you’ve only ridden with him once, right? How can you draw any real conclusions from a single set of heart rate data?

Instead of sitting here agonizing over it, why don’t you find an opportunity to test Huang Chong’s actual level for yourself? You could also take him for a proper athletic physical.

If he’s really as gifted as you say, then whether or not he stays to win medals for your team is completely unimportant.

Besides, who’s to say you could even keep him? And let’s be honest, professional road cycling isn’t a big deal in China right now, is it?

Do you really think having him win a bunch of domestic amateur races for you will be enough publicity to attract a flood of new trainees?

You should just be purer in your motivation. Follow what your heart is telling you and just focus on properly guiding him into the sport for now.

If he can really reach the threshold of a Professional Cyclist, you can use your connections to get him a spot on the provincial team. He’ll never forget that favor.

Why worry so much now about what you’ll get in return down the road?

As they say, the final stretch is always the hardest part of the journey. But you can’t finish a race you don’t start. You have to set out on the path first!"

Hearing his wife’s words, Zhang Yi felt a flush of shame, but at the same time, everything suddenly became clear.

’She’s right. If Huang Chong isn’t actually that good, then no matter how much I plan, it’s all just a fantasy.’

’But if he really is talented... if I get him into the provincial team, and he goes on to the World Tour and becomes a world-class rider... as the one who first guided him, there’s no way I’d be forgotten.’

’At that point, forget just starting a cycling club. The provincial leadership would probably beg me to come back and coach, to help discover more talent.’

"Honey, listening to you really cleared things up for me. Thanks. I know what to do now."

Zhang Yi smiled, letting out a breath of relief. He gave his wife’s hand a gentle squeeze and, without further hesitation, sent Huang Chong a message on WeChat to arrange a ride.

... 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

After Huang Chong got home, he went through his usual routine of showering and making a low-fat meal. By the time he finished eating, it was already around ten o’clock.

Afterward, before going to sleep, he glanced at his phone and found that his team captain, Zhang Yi, had surprisingly sent him several messages.

The messages said that Wang Qiang had told him about the huge progress he’d made this week. The team was going to participate in a Tour of Tai Lake cycling event next week, hosted by a company in Suzhou, and Zhang Yi was asking if he wanted to compete.

If he competed, the team could give him one of the spots.

Zhang Yi also asked if he was free this weekend to go with the team to Tai Lake and train on the route ahead of time.

After seeing the message, Huang Chong replied almost without thinking:

"Captain, please, you have to include me in the race! I’ll sign up. And yes, I can go with the team to train at Tai Lake this weekend!"

After receiving the reply, Zhang Yi glanced at his wife beside him in bed and said with a smile,

"It’s settled. The moment that kid hears about a race, he gets all fired up. I’ve invited him to train at Tai Lake this weekend. We’ll see what he’s really made of then!"

"Conveniently, flat routes are my specialty, so I’ll be able to get a much better read on his true abilities."

"Mm, just go without worry. Suzhou isn’t far anyway. I’ll drop our daughter off at my parents’ place and have them look after her for a bit!"

Chen Li was an exceptionally understanding woman who never interfered with her husband’s life or his passions. Even though she had to work overtime this weekend, she would make sure everything was handled.

But while things were proceeding smoothly for them, Huang Chong was balancing work at the shop with his daily training. The weekend finally arrived, and just as he was packing for Suzhou, an unexpected visitor showed up at Dewey’s shop.

Zhou Ming had actually come by today to order another bike. As a collector, he couldn’t pass up the chance to own the Cervelo S5, the bike ridden by the new Tour de France champion, Vingegaard of the Jumbo Team.

But after finishing his business with Dewey, he found Huang Chong, who was just getting ready to pack for Suzhou. Zhou Ming issued him a new challenge, stating bluntly:

"Huang Chong, I lost to you by a bike length last time, and to be honest, it really pisses me off. I want a rematch on a flat route tomorrow morning. You got time?"