Cycling: Racing into the Headwind

Chapter 110: Chapter 96: Dual Leaders and the Aerial Refueling Tactic

Time flew by.

The days of training in Mang City were, on the whole, monotonous and dull.

And as spring warmed and flowers bloomed, the rainy weather here grew more and more frequent.

Huang Chong and the others had to train in the rain every few days, a trial even tougher than military boot camp.

However, it was precisely through these grueling trials, training on high-speed descents in the rain, that his cornering ability improved significantly.

At this point, aside from his weak spot, [Terrain Prediction], which remained stuck at a novice level of 46, his stats for [Sprinting Burst], [Car Control Techniques], and [Cornering Ability] had all surpassed 80.

This meant he had essentially reached the level of a Mid-level Professional Cyclist.

At least on a technical level, he could hold his own against riders from most Pro Level teams in Europe.

’How in the world do I improve my score for [Terrain Prediction]?’

That day, a torrential downpour accompanied by thunder and lightning lashed Mang City, while dark clouds blotted out the sun.

Though it was only around three in the afternoon, the sky was already terrifyingly grim.

In such extremely foul weather, the cyclists were naturally confined to indoor training, taking the opportunity to rest and relax.

After finishing his assigned session on the indoor trainers, Huang Chong had a rare moment of leisure. He sat by his dorm window, watching the rain patter against the glass and studying his system panel.

’This stat just won’t budge. It’s so frustrating to look at. Surely I can’t just rely on the few points from Honor Medals to raise it?’

Huang Chong sank into thought.

But he quickly realized that path was most likely a dead end.

After completing the 250km ride to earn an Honor Medal before the year’s end, he had tried similar feats during his training in Mang City. He had completed single-day aerobic rides of 300km and even 350km, but none of them unlocked a new Honor Medal.

So, he had no idea what harsh new conditions he would need to meet to earn another Honor Medal!

’Sigh, this cheat system isn’t smart enough. If only it had a text-based chat function. Then I could just ask it directly how to raise my [Terrain Prediction] score—’

Huang Chong sighed to himself.

For some reason, he had a nagging feeling that this skill, the one he just couldn’t seem to improve, would be crucial for his future.

Yet the system couldn’t seem to detect the right environment or conditions to train it.

"What are you doing? Spacing out watching the rain?"

A crisp voice suddenly broke the silence.

He glanced back at Chen Junyi. He obviously couldn’t say he was checking his cheat system’s data, so he just played along, nodding with a smile.

"Yeah. I’ve already finished my training for the day. It’s been pouring since morning, so I can’t go out. Nothing to do but sit in my room and watch the rain!"

Hearing this, Chen Junyi’s heart went out to him.

Professional Cyclists seemed to have a glamorous life, racing all over the world. But the reality was that everywhere they went, their time was consumed by either training or familiarizing themselves with the race course. They never had time to truly relax and experience the local culture.

Even when a race ended, they would either rush off to the next one without a break or dive straight back into training.

It was, in short, a grueling life.

To the average person, the life of a Professional Road Cyclist seemed romantic, a life of "poetry and distant lands," filled with the constant joy of travel—

But as a member of the team’s support staff who had been in Mang City with Huang Chong for several months, Chen Junyi knew the truth. He had indeed explored every road and village around the city, but always on his bike.

But he never had the chance to be a real tourist—to find a local restaurant, forget everything, and just enjoy a good meal.

After all, Professional Cyclists couldn’t, and wouldn’t dare, to eat at just any restaurant.

And now, with late April just around the corner, they were set to leave the very next day.

Huang Chong still had no idea what the region’s most famous rice noodle soup and raw beef salad even tasted like.

If it weren’t for her, his nutritionist, ensuring food safety and personally buying the ingredients to make him a local specialty drink—a sweet, coconut milk-based concoction—Huang Chong’s trip to Mang City would have been a complete wash in terms of local flavor. He would have been there purely to suffer.

But sympathy was one thing. Chen Junyi knew she shouldn’t be showing such personal feelings right before a competition, so she got straight to the point.

"You don’t have time to be watching the rain. Go pack your bags. We’re flying to Henan early tomorrow morning.

Also, the official summons for your inclusion on the National Team’s longlist has been sent to the team from the General Administration. You should take a look!"

With that, Chen Junyi handed Huang Chong the official document she’d brought with her.

"Coach Li has already put you on the roster for the professional league," she added. "Since you have to compete, you might as well aim to win the Red Jersey."

Huang Chong took the document and glanced at it. His expression remained neutral, but inwardly, he was thrilled.

’This is the National Team longlist!’

For the him of his past life, this was a completely unreachable dream, something he wouldn’t have even dared to wish for.

But in this life, he had reached the pinnacle among thousands of Road Cyclists in the country. He now had the qualifications and the opportunity to represent his nation and compete for honor against foreign riders.

However, this preliminary longlist contained the names of 18 riders.

If he truly wanted to represent his country, his name would have to be one of the final five left on that list.