Cycling: Racing into the Headwind

Chapter 100: Chapter 91: The Opening Race, Becoming a Top Lieutenant

They all have the ability to break away and sprint, making them extremely strong all-rounders. You must keep a close eye on them throughout the entire race.

Does everyone understand?"

Huang Chong had no objections to Coach Li’s plan.

If it really came down to a sprint on a flat finish, given his current maximum power output, he probably couldn’t beat Brother Xiaoma.

He was a pure sprinter, after all. The Guangdong Team had been focused on strengthening his flat-road sprint, and he had trained until his physique was increasingly burly.

For him and the four other teammates to act as a lead-out train, breaking the wind for Brother Xiaoma on the flat sections to ensure he reached the final sprint, was the best tactical choice.

Especially since the distance of the city circuit race was so short—not even 100 kilometers.

For Huang Chong to win a race like this, he would have to rely on his individual strength to drop every single top-tier rider during the Peacock Lake circuit race.

But in such a short race, with no particularly difficult climbs on the course, that was basically impossible.

Furthermore, Brother Xiaoma’s sprinting was among the best in the nation. This was why he would later become a core member of the National Team, making him indispensable in major competitions.

The circuit race in the Mang City stage was, in essence, a sprinter’s stage. Therefore, Huang Chong just needed to do his job as a domestique.

Road cycling is all about team strategy. The same rider doesn’t have to win every single race.

...

「The next day, at 8:00 a.m., the race was about to begin.」

The number of competitors this time was over 280, representing 17 provinces and 33 teams.

Clearly, the number of participants alone was nearly two hundred more than at last year’s National Championships.

The men’s field was slightly larger than the women’s, so there were about 150 riders at the starting arch this morning.

The scale of this race was completely on par with the number of riders in a World Tour event.

There are only 18 World Tour Teams. Aside from the three Grand Tours—which grant extra wildcard slots to a few Pro Teams, thus increasing the total number of riders—other races typically have a field of around 150.

Before the race, since this was the highest-level domestic road cycling league—the equivalent of the Chinese Super League in soccer or the CBA in basketball—the local government had arranged a special dance performance by the Jingpo ethnicity.

These young ladies served to both warm up the crowd for the event and promote the local ethnic minority’s culture for tourism.

It was no exaggeration to say that Mang City had the most cycling fans of any city in the country right now.

Cycling culture had been promoted and deeply rooted there for many years, and the local people would line both sides of the race course to cheer for the riders.

It was the place with the most vibrant cycling culture.

For instance, lining the course today were not only numerous reporters and media personnel but also large groups of local spectators.

Of course, there were also veteran cycling industry professionals and fans from all over the country who had made a special trip to Mang City for both tourism and to watch the road race.

In short, as the first stop of the domestic league, the atmosphere was absolutely electric, with endless sounds of cheering.

The association certainly knew how to pick a location. If any other city had been chosen as the first stop of the season, the cycling atmosphere definitely wouldn’t have been as passionate as it was in Mang City.

For example, the memory of the lukewarm reception at last year’s National Championships in Changzhou still lingered in Huang Chong’s mind.

Soon, the dance performance concluded. Following a countdown over the microphone by an official and the sound of the referee’s whistle, the race officially began. freewebnσvel.cøm

Huang Chong, Brother Xiaoma, and the others set off from under the starting arch. They quickly fell into their team formation, positioning themselves on one side of the peloton and riding abreast with the other teams.

They had been practicing this kind of formation riding for over two months and had long since developed a tacit understanding.

Since Coach Li had designated Brother Xiaoma as the Core Commander, the entire team had to race around him in the middle of their formation, acting as his domestiques and lead-out riders.

Huang Chong didn’t rush to the front to pull at the beginning. The pace of today’s race was incredibly fast, and he needed some time to acclimate.

Moreover, he could feel many riders glancing his way from time to time.

’It seems Zhang Guowei was right. The consequences of winning two championships last year are here. A lot of people see me as their main rival for the title.’

The riders from the Longjiang Team knew Huang Chong’s strength best. After all, the shadow of their frustrating loss in the mass start race, where they failed to catch him even with a three-on-one advantage, had yet to fade.

After winter training, they were all eager for payback and focused their attention on the Hengxiang Team almost from the very start.

And any rider who had come to Mang City for winter training basically knew that Huang Chong had joined the Hengxiang Team.

Although many riders didn’t understand why he hadn’t chosen Huaxing, the strongest team overall, that wasn’t important.

What mattered was that wherever he went, the threat of a champion followed.

...

"See that rider from the Hengxiang Team at the back of their line, the one on the Lightning SL7? That’s last year’s double-championship winner: Huang Chong!"

"So that’s Huang Chong. The kid really did become a core rider for the team, and he still loves to hang back and draft at the very end of the line—"

...

"This guy’s cunning as a fox. We have to watch his every move. The second he attacks, we have to form a group and chase immediately. If he gets away on a solo break, we’ll never catch him!"

"Yeah, that attack he made at the championships last year showed how strong his anaerobic power is. Luckily, today’s stage is mostly flat and the race is short. It won’t be so easy for him to launch a solo break and drop us again!"

...

Huang Chong had guessed correctly. Riders from the Longjiang Team and other teams alike all viewed him as the Core Commander.