Free Web NovelChapter 123: Chapter 102: System Overhaul, High-Altitude Training Plan
"Unbelievable!! Jimmy!! Truly unbelievable!!"
After the sprint for second and third place at the Asian Championships concluded, and as the event organizers displayed the final results, the excited voice of Eurosport’s road cycling host, Steve, began to reverberate through the broadcast:
"This rider from China, just as you’d hoped, successfully edged out Yevgeniy of the Astana Team at the line!!
What an invaluable victory for his country!
And with this spectacular performance, he’s made a name for himself among all the fans who watched this race!"
"That’s right. Even though he didn’t take first place today, his performance was nothing short of brilliant. To withstand the repeated attacks from two World Tour Cyclists, hold on under pressure, and then successfully edge out his rival—it was exceptional.
Most importantly, he secured an invaluable qualification spot for his country, a direct ticket to the road race at the Paris Olympic Games!"
"Looking back at the whole race, the excitement level reminds me of this past March, watching van der Poel triumph over Van Aert, Ganna, and Pogačar at Milan-San Remo.
This Chinese rider, Huang Chong, has a limitless future ahead of him.
I’m already looking forward to seeing him achieve some great results in UCI-sanctioned events and then join a World Tour Team."
"I agree, Steve. Perhaps it’s time the World Tour had a rider from China.
I’m confident that if he can secure good results in Pro Level stage races and prove he’s not just a flash in the pan, a World Tour Team will definitely make him an offer."
"We’ll just have to wait and see!"
...
After Huang Chong and Yevgeniy crossed the finish line, Arashiro Yukiya, whom they had dropped earlier, soon finished as well.
Following them were Koishi Yuma of the Japanese Team, Kim Euro of the South Korean Team, Ganjkhanlou Mohammad of the Iran Team, and others.
As for Brother Xiaoma, Xue Ming, Niu Yikui, and Liu Jiankun, they finished 23rd, 30th, 64th, and 66th in the overall standings, respectively.
Both Brother Xiaoma and Xue Ming earned 5 UCI points, which made the trip worthwhile.
After the race, Huang Chong attended the podium ceremony and brought back the silver medal, receiving congratulations and praise from the entire team.
Brother Xiaoma and the others all gave him a hug, and the high-ranking Coach Han personally clapped him on the shoulder, saying with a look of deep appreciation,
"Huang Chong, you were magnificent. I knew I wasn’t wrong about you!"
The team then returned to the hotel. Before their flight home, Coach Han arranged for a feast of local cuisine to celebrate their success.
At the dinner table, he raised his glass and addressed all the riders with a toast of thanks:
"On this trip to Thailand, we can say that we’ve more than fulfilled the mission given to us by the country.
Not only did we win a silver medal in both the men’s and women’s events, securing qualification for next year’s Paris Olympic Games, but Huang Chong, Sun Jiajun, and several other riders also earned UCI points.
This significantly increases our country’s chances of breaking into the top 45 of the world rankings through total points, which would earn us another spot at the Olympics.
Everyone, I sincerely thank you for your hard work and sacrifice in coming to Thailand for the Asian Championships, and for achieving such great results!"
But after the celebratory toast, Coach Han’s tone shifted, and he began to lay out their next mission with an emotional appeal:
"But on the other hand, as you all know, the domestic season has only just begun.
There are many more important races in the second half of the year, so the weight on your shoulders remains heavy.
You are all members of the National Team. For next year’s Olympics, the association will have you continue to compete under the national banner in the upcoming Tour of Qinghai, the Asian Games, the Tour of Guangxi, and more.
So, this relaxation and celebration today is only temporary.
I hope that when you return home, you will continue to train hard and maintain your form. At next month’s Tour of Qinghai, I want you to push yourselves again and fight to earn more UCI points for the country.
If we can lock in a national ranking in the world’s top 45 before the Olympic qualification cutoff, we’ll be able to send two riders to the Olympic road race. That would be a historic breakthrough!"
Before coming to Thailand for the race, Huang Chong had learned from Chen Junyi that China was currently ranked 58th in the world in the UCI standings.
’The gap to 45th place wasn’t actually that large.
But without the 200 points that came with his silver medal, even the strongest riders from China, like Ma Binyan and Xue Ming, could only manage to scrape together 5 points in a major race.
Climbing into the top 45 would be incredibly difficult.
Coach Han was encouraging them to earn points at the Tour of Qinghai, but in reality, the Tour of Qinghai was a UCI Pro Level race. A whole host of Pro Level teams from Europe would be there.
Plus, the high-altitude course was incredibly demanding on its own. For Chinese riders to score any points in a race of that caliber was a monumental task.
Worst of all, the points awarded in Pro Level races were quite low.
Unless you won the general classification, a simple stage victory was only worth a pitiful 20 points.
That made Huang Chong’s second-place finish at the Asian Championships incredibly significant.
He had not only secured an early Olympic qualification spot for the country but had also earned 200 UCI points.
He had single-handedly, and ahead of schedule, dramatically increased the country’s chances of sending two riders to the Olympic road race.
Of course, even though he had won the silver medal and everyone was celebrating wildly for him, once the initial thrill of completing his mission for the nation had passed, he quickly regained his composure and clear-headedness.
