Cycling: Racing into the Headwind

Based on his memories from his past life, the difficulty of the annual Road Cycling World Championships was on a whole other level—far more difficult than winning an Olympic championship.

Because the favorite cycling jersey of the Mars People, Pogačar, was the Rainbow Jersey, which only a World Champion could wear.

He participated in the World Championships every single year.

Any other cyclist who wanted to wear the Rainbow Jersey had to defeat him.

As for the Rainbow Jersey for the World Championships ITT event, it was completely dominated by the "Little Cannon," Evenepoel.

In short, the difficulty of winning the Road Cycling World Championships definitely ranked in the top three of all road cycling events.

"Time really flies. In the blink of an eye, I’ve already been with the team for four months!"

Huang Chong took the form, signed his name without even glancing at the contents, and remarked reflectively.

In truth, he could sense the imminent separation.

He hadn’t felt this conflicted during his farewell dinner with Dewey.

Because Dewey was his good friend and would always be waiting for him in Hangcheng.

He could see him whenever he went back.

’But Chen Junyi is different. Even though I said I’d come back to Hangcheng to consult with her and ask for her guidance, as a Road Cyclist, will I really have the time once I get busy?’

’Most importantly, once people part ways, a sense of distance grows between them.’

’We aren’t related at all. If we end up in different fields, how could I possibly maintain our current friendship the way I can with Dewey?’

But Huang Chong couldn’t say any of this to her directly, which left him feeling quite frustrated. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Seeing that he didn’t even look at the form’s contents before signing his name and handing it back, Chen Junyi criticized him very seriously:

"This is a very bad habit, Huang Chong. You should at least check if the contents are accurate or if there are any omissions before you sign and give it to me!"

Huang Chong hadn’t thought that far ahead and replied casually:

"Does it need checking? When you handle things, I have nothing to worry about!"

"You trust me that much? What if I gave you a money transfer form? Would you still sign it without looking and just hand it over?"

Hearing the serious tone in Chen Junyi’s voice, Huang Chong didn’t dare to be flippant anymore.

He quickly picked up the form, read it over carefully, and only after confirming there were no problems did he hand it back to her and say:

"I admit my mistake, Assistant Chen. From now on, I’ll take every little thing seriously.

It’s just that when I think about leaving you—uh, leaving my teammates and masters—I get a little sentimental!"

But Chen Junyi didn’t respond to that. She simply took the form and walked away.

In reality, however, she was actually very happy at that moment.

Because she knew that Huang Chong was also reluctant to part with her.

’It’s just that this guy is a coward and doesn’t dare to say it out loud.’

「Three days later.」

Huang Chong, who was still training with the team, received a notice from Zhang Guowei.

It said that the team had finalized the contract terms with the Intercontinental Team, and he could go sign the rider transfer contract.

Huang Chong carefully read through the contract terms and discovered it was a two-way contract between the provincial team and the Intercontinental Team, a kind of mutual cooperation.

Under normal circumstances, Huang Chong would compete as a rider for the Intercontinental Team in domestic leagues and UCI-sanctioned events.

But when the country needed him to compete in the four major international events—the Olympics, the Asian Games, the World Championships, and the Asian Championships—he had to prioritize returning to the provincial team and accept the call-up from the National Team.

Huang Chong had no objections to this.

If his country needed him to compete, it was an undeniable duty and a great honor in itself.

The provincial team was already being very accommodating by not requiring him to represent them in national-level competitions.

However, just as Huang Chong was about to sign the contract after reading it, he suddenly noticed another name among the provincial team members transferring with him to the Intercontinental Team.

It was clearly written: Chen Junyi.

Only, he was transferring as a rider, while she was still listed as a Data Analyst and nutritionist.

He looked at Zhang Guowei, his face a mask of shock, and suppressed the joyous surprise in his heart as he asked the now-redundant question:

"Master, is Assistant Chen coming with me to the Intercontinental Team too?"

Seeing his shocked expression, Zhang Guowei pursed his lips, his own expression souring.

He had known for a while. Not only had Chen Junyi convinced her overbearing old father to let her stay and continue her research in road cycling, but she had also been present during their negotiations with the Intercontinental Team, applying for the positions of Data Analyst and nutritionist.

The Hengxiang Team had expressed high praise for Chen Junyi’s abilities and was very eager for her to join them.

This made Zhang Guowei feel terrible.

Because not only was he losing a top-tier cyclist who had just won him a national gold medal, but he was also losing a top-tier data analyst.

But since Chen Junyi had actively requested to transfer along with Huang Chong, he had no choice but to obediently let them go.

Otherwise, that old coot Chen Mingyuan would have definitely made a federal case out of it with him.

’After all, with Huang Chong no longer on the team, what was the point of keeping the man’s precious daughter in the road cycling program? And Chen Junyi wouldn’t work as a data analyst for just any ordinary cyclist.’

"That’s right. You’ll be transferring together. Her position will be the same as before; she’ll still be your personal Data Analyst and nutritionist. You can report to the team after the New Year!"

Zhang Guowei said irritably.