Cycling: Racing into the Headwind

Chapter 107: Chapter 94: Tidal Climbing Attacks, Another Solo Victory (2)

Although his pursuit was slower than the pace Huang Chong maintained while recovering—a steady 360W for an average speed of nearly 28 km/h—he had at least managed to chase out of the saddle for a hard 200 meters on the final steep climb before being forced to relent.

Having pushed himself that far, and noticing he had also pulled away from the two Longjiang riders behind him, Liu Zhicheng, though young, was remarkably mature. He made the decisive choice to ease back to his Zone 4 threshold pace.

He knew, rationally, that it was better to let Huang Chong go than to completely burn himself out.

He had to use the gap he’d just created over the last 200 meters to secure a silver medal. That was the smart play.

In the referee car, they watched Huang Chong launch his third anaerobic attack. On a 7% grade, with unstoppable force, he instantly blew the field apart.

Coach Han, who had been resting against the back of his seat, immediately shot bolt upright.

A look of utter astonishment appeared on his face.

And it wasn’t just him. The race official, the driver, and everyone else in the car, seeing Huang Chong’s attack so up close and personal, only then did they truly realize the terrifying power a top cyclist’s legs could possess on a climb.

"My God, what did this rider eat growing up? After so many consecutive attacks, how can he still ride this fast on such a steep climb? Is he even human?"

"Unbelievable, simply unbelievable! I’ve been a referee for so many years, and I’ve never seen a rider with this kind of power!"

"Quick! Catch up to him! Stay on him!"

But Coach Han was in no mood to simply marvel at Huang Chong’s strength like the officials.

Because while he was just as excited and shocked as they were, his main concern was whether Huang Chong would blow up after this successful solo break.

The officials knew exactly who was sitting in the passenger seat.

This was a high-ranking official from the Capital. They didn’t dare hesitate, immediately slamming on the accelerator to chase after Huang Chong.

As for the riders who had been dropped, they radioed the officials on the motorcycles, telling them to monitor the rest of the pack.

By the time they caught up to Huang Chong, he had already finished the most difficult section of the climb, holding a steady 360W of power.

Upon reaching the summit, Huang Chong glanced back. He saw only the referee car—no other riders were in sight. Though not surprised, he still breathed a small sigh of relief.

In reality, when he’d launched his attack on the third-to-last climb, he had already anticipated that the first two short climbs alone wouldn’t be enough to drop the other riders.

Therefore, he never intended to decide the race with just two attacks.

Instead, on the second long, gradual 4% climb, he had feigned a furious attack while deliberately holding back, lowering his anaerobic power output.

The goal was to allow his opponents to keep up with him.

That way, he could wear them down as much as possible, setting the stage for a decisive advantage on his final attack.

And the results proved his tactics had been executed to perfection.

Only by using three consecutive anaerobic surges did he finally break his rivals.

Otherwise, if he had let his rivals dictate the pace and waited for the final climb to attack, he might have opened a gap with his raw power, but after the summit came a long descent and over ten kilometers of flat road.

Without the massive lead he had now, how could he guarantee he wouldn’t be caught by a group of them working together?

But now things were different. By the time he crested the summit, Liu Zhicheng, his closest pursuer, was still about 150 meters from the top.

And that was 150 meters on a 7% grade!

Converted to a time gap, his lead had to be over thirty seconds.

But was Huang Chong satisfied with that gap?

The answer was:

Of course not!!

So, the moment he cleared the summit, he was back out of the saddle, stomping on the pedals to quickly accelerate past 50 km/h. Then, he began his dive down the winding mountain road—a road he had trained on countless times since the beginning of the year.

"50 KM/H—"

"60 KM/H—"

"70 KM/H—"

"80 KM/H—"

"87 KM/H—"

"Holy shit, is he insane?!"

"A downhill speed of 87 km/h?"

"Is he on a bicycle or a motorcycle?"

"Isn’t he afraid of making a mistake and flying right off a cliff?"

The official car’s driver watched his own speedometer approach 90 km/h, his hands gripping the steering wheel trembling uncontrollably.

His terror grew when he saw Huang Chong exit the apex of a turn at nearly 60 km/h, his wheels practically skimming the road’s outer shoulder.

He realized that even in a car, he couldn’t keep up with him through the turns.

’Damn it, is this guy even racing?’

’This is a death wish!’

He screamed internally, genuinely terrified by Huang Chong’s daredevil descent.

This was a mountain road with one hairpin turn after another.

One mistake, one deviation from the road, and he’d be flying into a mountainside thick with trees.

The consequences would be unthinkable!

As a veteran who had been deeply involved in the world of road cycling for years, Coach Han was far more composed.

At least he didn’t think Huang Chong was being suicidal with his extreme descent.

At the Tour de France, world-class riders could go even faster, with some even breaking 100 km/h on descents.

But that didn’t mean he wasn’t excited. That would be impossible.

The visual spectacle Huang Chong had provided over these last few kilometers was making the fifty-year-old’s adrenaline surge.

This was the competitive prowess of a top Road Cyclist, and this was the allure of this extreme sport.

Wild and thrilling!

’How lucky was he, at his age, to witness such a masterful, insane performance from a top Road Cyclist up close?’

Ultimately, Huang Chong successfully completed the descent with an average speed over 80 km/h and entered the final 10-kilometer flat cruise to the finish.

At that very moment, Liu Zhicheng, in second place, was just gritting his teeth as he crested the summit, preparing to begin his own descent.

The gap between them had already grown to a full minute!

Huang Chong didn’t bother looking back.

He knew that besides the referee car that had been tailing him, there wasn’t a single rider in sight.

Once again, he had relied on his individual strength to drop everyone and enter a solo breakaway.

The closer he got to the finish line, the denser the crowds of spectators became on both sides of the road.

Cruising at over 50 km/h with only 200 meters to go, the finish arch set up in Yunmen Village—after more than 190 kilometers of arduous riding—was finally in sight.

The thunderous applause from the local villagers, the media, and his fans resounded in Huang Chong’s ears like waves crashing against a reef. Among them, lost in the crowd, was Chen Junyi, clapping just as furiously.

Simple, unadorned shouts of "Awesome!" mixed with the beat of some local drums, growing clearer and louder until they were like deafening thunder.

Everyone was celebrating him, the first to cross the finish line.

Everyone was going wild for him!

He was like a triumphant general, a lone warrior who had crushed all his enemies, leaving them far behind as he crossed the finish line with an enormous lead!

The instant his wheels rolled across the finish line, Huang Chong no longer needed to hold his extreme aerodynamic tuck just to save a few watts.

He straightened his torso and let go of the handlebars, raising one hand high in the air while placing the other across his chest.

Then, once both wheels were safely across the line, he controlled his momentum and took a bow towards the spectators on both sides, who were celebrating and shouting wildly for him.

He swept his raised arm down in a grand arc, a graceful, gentlemanly salute to thank everyone for waiting, for watching, for cheering him on!