Cycling: Racing into the Headwind

Watching their teammate cross the finish line first, just ahead of the Longjiang Team rider, the cyclists from the Zhejiang Team went absolutely wild.

After all, Huang Chong had just won one of only two gold medals in the entire competition that hadn’t been swept up by the Longjiang Team.

Zhou Zitong had been waiting at the finish line, eagerly anticipating Huang Chong’s arrival. Now that he was right in front of him, he was overcome with excitement.

To look at him, you’d think he was more excited than if he had won the championship himself.

As soon as the officials gave Huang Chong permission to leave the course, he rushed forward to help him off his road bike.

"Bro! My man!!!"

"You’re so fucking awesome! Another gold medal!!!"

"That solo break in the last two laps... you’re a goddamn legend!"

"Bro, I swear, you need to get those legs of yours insured like Lang Lang’s hands. They’re just too precious!"

Zhou Zitong went in for a huge hug, not caring one bit that Huang Chong was drenched in sweat.

Afterward, the other team members, including Chen Guangyi, all came over to give Huang Chong a celebratory hug.

They escorted Huang Chong from the track back to the team tent like a band of soldiers flanking their triumphant general.

"Huang Chong, you’re incredible, kid! Just how many more tricks do you have up your sleeve? Spill the beans."

Xie Kun was emotional as well. He gripped Huang Chong’s hand firmly and spoke with a voice thick with emotion:

"I figured, since this was your first time in a major national competition, you’d be short on experience. That’s why I just wanted you to hang back in the peloton and try your luck in the final sprint.

I never imagined that you’d go and win a double championship in both the road race and the ITT at your very first National Road Cycling Championships!!!

Do you have any idea how many cyclists work their entire lives and never achieve what you just did?!"

Xie Kun had a point. Unless a Road Cyclist was exceptionally gifted, winning both the ITT and the road race title in a major competition was incredibly difficult.

After all, some cyclists specialized in the ITT, while others focused on the road race.

In short, an all-around GC Cyclist whose abilities were all at the highest level was essentially a world-class rider.

Like Pogačar and Evenepoel, for instance.

In any case, it was rare for such an all-around GC Cyclist to emerge in China.

Huang Chong responded to Xie Kun’s praise with a few polite pleasantries and didn’t say much more.

Afterward, once all the other team members had finished congratulating him, Chen Junyi, who had been waiting patiently on the sidelines, walked over, handed him a bottle of mineral water, and said with a smile:

"Congratulations, Huang Chong. You’ve definitely made a name for yourself in China’s professional road cycling scene with this one.

A double championship at the National Road Cycling Championships... that title has a much better ring to it than being a double champion at the provincial games.

From this moment on, your professional career as a Road Cyclist is truly beginning."

After winning the race, the first thing Huang Chong had wanted was to hear congratulations from Chen Junyi.

But that was the nature of team sports. With a teammate as enthusiastic and outgoing as Zhou Zitong, everyone else had to step aside.

Huang Chong understood the subtext of Chen Junyi’s words.

As this was the top road cycling event in China, there were undoubtedly many people in the industry now watching his every move.

Especially since he seemed to have skipped the junior development phase and burst onto the scene out of nowhere.

A cyclist who came out of complete obscurity, making a thunderous debut by sweeping a national double championship, was just too sensational.

And just as Chen Junyi had predicted, things unfolded exactly that way.

After he accepted his awards, completed the doping control, and had his results officially confirmed, the managers of three different Intercontinental Teams approached him, one right after the other, that very evening after dinner at the hotel.

Their purpose was simple: to invite him to join their respective Intercontinental Teams.

Overnight, Huang Chong became the most sought-after unsigned rider in China’s professional cycling scene.

It went without saying for the Huaxing Team; Huang Chong already knew everything about them from his past life, like the back of his hand.

It was just that in his past life, the idea of him becoming one of their riders had been nothing more than a pipe dream.

The Huaxing Team’s manager was the first to visit. He opened by introducing his team’s background and its founding objectives.

Huang Chong summed it up and found that it was more or less the same as what he remembered from his past life:

The team was backed by the China Cycling Association with the goal of developing riders for the National Team. They also brought in European coaches and riders and participated in numerous international UCI events.

Additionally, the team had training bases in Europe and in many provinces across China—

In short, the team’s resources were outstanding.

After the manager from the Huaxing Team left, the manager from the Li Ning Star Team came to visit.

Huang Chong didn’t know as much about this team’s background.

He only knew that Li Ning Star had both men’s and women’s Intercontinental Teams and that their record in China was sensational.

Much like how the Longjiang Team had dominated this year’s championships.

He seemed to recall that some of the riders from this year’s Longjiang Team had actually joined the Li Ning Star Team.

And in the 2025 UCI team rankings, Li Ning Star was also the highest-ranked team from China.

In any case, joining their team to compete in the 2023 season would also be an excellent choice for Huang Chong.