Free Web NovelChapter 103: Chapter 92: Unsolvable Genius: Carries Teammates, Wins Championships with Ease
Brother Xiaoma gritted his teeth and pushed his max power output above 1300W.
Like a cheetah at full sprint, he shot out from behind the pack. Reaching a blistering 64.3 km/h, he left everyone in the dust and charged for the finish line.
The other riders, all of whom had been baited by Huang Chong into a premature 100-meter sprint, could only watch as Brother Xiaoma came from behind. He overtook them with absolutely crushing speed and left them in his wake, their hearts filled with regret and utter despair.
’Damn it, so that bastard Huang Chong wasn’t trying to win for himself when he started sprinting at the 200-meter mark. He was playing lead-out for his teammate—’
’He tricked everyone!’
By the time they realized this, they had already burned through their anaerobic reserves in that first 100-meter dash. They were completely unable to respond to Brother Xiaoma.
In the end, with Huang Chong’s all-out lead-out, Brother Xiaoma dropped all the riders around him at about the 90-meter mark. With a lead of about two full bike lengths over second place, he easily claimed the stage victory in the first professional road race of the year.
Wang Ruidong of the Tianjin Team took the silver medal for the stage, while Liu Chenglu of the Jiangsu Team won bronze.
As for Huang Chong, he had eased off the pedals long before, his job as lead-out for the team complete.
But in the end, he still crossed the finish line in eighth place.
This was because three other riders had sprinted hard for 150 meters and blown up even worse than him; they couldn’t even turn the pedals for the last fifty meters.
"Incredible! Absolutely incredible!! That was a textbook tactical execution!!!"
"Steak dinners! Xiaochen, those two are getting steak dinners tonight!!"
"Especially Huang Chong! Not to mention he pulled for Xiaoma alone for 40 kilometers today, in the final moments he even baited the other riders into an early sprint, which let Xiaoma break away at the perfect time and easily take the win!!!
That kid... he’s a once-in-a-century genius!!!"
At the finish line, after watching Brother Xiaoma take the team’s first victory, Coach Li, who was usually calm and composed, couldn’t help but roar with excitement.
This was a victory won in front of all the top riders in the country, and it was the first of the season. How could it not be important?
How could he not be excited?
Besides, he had two top-tier riders on his team, and they could execute such brilliant teamwork the very first time they raced together. He couldn’t even begin to imagine how many titles they would win from now on.
Chen Junyi had spent the winter break studying the finer points of professional road cycling, so she now understood the basic rules of the sport.
So when she saw Huang Chong execute the team’s strategy to perfection and help his teammate secure the win, she too felt a surge of excitement and happiness.
Coach Li was absolutely right. Huang Chong was an unstoppable genius.
It would be difficult for another rider of his caliber to appear in the country for at least the next ten—no, twenty years.
On flat stages, he could help a teammate with a stronger sprint easily take a victory. Yet in races with tougher terrain and longer courses, he could win all by himself.
His physical talent was world-class, and his tactical execution and timing for attacks were equally top-tier. He was the complete package, with no weaknesses whatsoever.
’So,’ Chen Junyi suddenly thought, ’if even Huang Chong can’t make it to the level of a World Tour Cyclist, who in this country possibly can?’
...
The day after the city criterium, it was time for the individual time trial.
Due to road issues, the race distance was slightly different from the National Championships. The men’s field had to complete a 41-kilometer ride on their TT bikes.
The race started in Yunmen Village. The course was not flat, featuring several climbs of varying lengths.
The route went out for 20.5 kilometers before a U-turn brought the riders back toward the finish in Yunmen Village.
As the reigning National ITT Champion, Huang Chong was scheduled by the race organizers to start last.
The riders starting just before him were all familiar faces: a cyclist from the Longjiang Team, Xue Ming from the Tianjin Team, and Liu Yunyou from the Hong Kong Team, among others.
An ITT is a pure test of individual ability. There’s no teamwork involved whatsoever.
Each rider starts individually.
To be honest, a 41-kilometer course is considered long even for an ITT in the Tour de France.
However, the difference was that domestic ITTs primarily consisted of flat roads and short, low-difficulty climbs.
In contrast, Tour de France ITTs are held after many grueling days of racing. The second time trial in the Tour often includes difficult climbs, so the two can’t even be compared in terms of difficulty.
Since he was starting last, the race had already been underway for over two hours by the time it was Huang Chong’s turn.
But in road cycling, whether in an ITT or a mass-start race, the most exciting part always comes at the very end, no matter how long the event.
This is because organizers seed the riders in reverse order based on their previous results or, in a stage race, their overall classification.
The best rider gets the final start time.
Huang Chong was a seasoned veteran when it came to ITTs. Plus, he had already pre-ridden the Mang City course on his TT bike.
So after the start, he just had to maintain his threshold power and stay in the most aerodynamic position possible.
Team cars are allowed to follow during an ITT, and radio communication is permitted. As such, Coach Li and Chen Junyi were right behind him.
This time, however, Chen Junyi was driving the support car, while Coach Li was on the radio, communicating with Huang Chong.
The other five Hengxiang riders had already completed their runs.
But even Brother Xiaoma, who had won the previous day’s stage, posted a very average ITT time.
In fact, none of them even broke into the top ten.
The ITT is all about a rider’s ability to ride at their threshold; it’s a test of pure, sustained endurance.
As a sprinter, Brother Xiaoma specialized in short, explosive bursts. When it came to endurance, he couldn’t hold a candle to a GC Cyclist like Huang Chong.
When Huang Chong passed the first time check at the 15-kilometer mark, his split was compared against the current leader’s.
Coach Li spoke to him over the radio:
"Huang Chong, your average speed is 45.3 km/h. Your time for the first 15 kilometers is 19 minutes, 48 seconds.
Right now, the fastest time at the first check is from Xue Ming of the Tianjin Team. His average speed was 45 km/h, with a time of exactly 20 minutes.
You’re 12 seconds ahead of him. Keep holding this power."
Huang Chong wasn’t surprised to hear that Xue Ming had posted the fastest time so far.
’That kid can hit an average of over 51 km/h in a dead-flat ITT. It’s only these rolling hills in Mang City that are holding him back, dropping his average to around 45.’
’Of course, my own average speed has dropped too.’
’After all, I’m holding 350 watts right now. It just goes to show how much of an impact the climbs have on an ITT.’
By the time he’d ridden 30 kilometers, rounded the turnaround, and reached the second time check with only 10 kilometers to go, Coach Li’s voice crackled over the radio again:
"Huang Chong, your average speed at the second check has dropped slightly to about 45 km/h. Your total time is now 39 minutes, 51 seconds.
Xue Ming’s average speed through the second check was also around 45 km/h. His time was 40 minutes, 1 second. He’s closed the gap on you a little.
You’ll need to lift the power a bit for the last 10 kilometers. Then, save something for an anaerobic burst in the final 100 meters."
In reality, Huang Chong still hadn’t gone all-out at any point on the course.
’Even so, I rode the first 30 kilometers at 350 watts, and Xue Ming was only 10 seconds behind. That guy’s strength is no joke.’
’Xue Ming has a bigger build than me, so to match my average speed, his power output would have to be even higher.’
However, for the final 10 kilometers, Huang Chong did as Coach Li asked, raising his power to 360 watts. His average speed climbed to around 46 km/h. Adding in a Zone 5 anaerobic burst in the final 100 meters, his final time was 52:55.37.
Xue Ming was indeed the next-best finisher, securing the silver medal with a time of 54:41.23.
However, while the final times for first and second place seemed close, those who had been watching the splits—like Coach Li and the National Team’s head coach, Coach Han—were stunned. They realized that in the last 10 kilometers alone, Huang Chong had put over a minute into the runner-up.
They all had the sudden, shocking realization: Huang Chong hadn’t even been trying in the first 30 kilometers.
He was completely in control of the race, riding well within his limits.
If the gap after 30 kilometers had been larger, he likely never would have revealed his true power. He only did it because he was worried about an upset in the final 10 kilometers.
"Son of a bitch... this kid is fucking unbelievable!"
Coach Han, who almost never used foul language, couldn’t help but let the curse slip out when he realized Huang Chong was in a league of his own and had been deliberately holding back.
But inwardly, he was absolutely ecstatic.
Because he knew he had just struck gold.
