Free Web NovelChapter 127: Chapter 103: As Expected of the National Champion, Second in Asia (Part 2)
He thought for a moment before saying,
"I don’t really have any special training methods. I just complete the team’s training diligently and don’t cut corners.
Of course, I personally think that besides just logging Zone 2 aerobic miles, you could also do more hill climb training. That’s definitely beneficial.
The distance doesn’t have to be too long, but it must be difficult.
For example, long climbs with a gradient of at least 10% and a total distance of over 5 kilometers. You can practice those more often."
When Wang Bao heard these training requirements, he took them to heart and fully intended to follow them. But seeing Huang Chong talk about it as casually as if he were drinking water still sent a shock through him.
’There’s a reason others improve so quickly. Such a difficult climb is just a small part of his daily training.’
’I’m still not working hard enough!’
...
Time flew by. Huang Chong only stayed at the base for a day. After applying for his silver medal bonus for the Asian Championships with the team, he traveled with the other members of the Zhejiang Team to Chun’an.
As it was the National Road Cycling Championships, Wang Bao and the others, being first-string members of the Zhejiang Team, were naturally participating as well.
So when cyclists from other provincial and municipal teams saw the Zhejiang Team being led by Huang Chong, they were all incredibly envious of Wang Bao and his teammates.
The reason was simple: if their own team had such a uniquely dominant powerhouse, wouldn’t they take off if they got a few pointers from Huang Chong during training?
But in reality, Wang Bao and the others had no idea what these people were thinking. If they did, they’d probably be exasperated to the point of tears.
Because a Road Cyclist’s improvement depends on both their own talent and the accumulation of time and experience.
It’s not like a math problem, where you can master it instantly just by being taught the concept.
On the contrary, having a "big brother" on the team who was so far ahead of them in skill actually put more pressure on them.
’People hate being compared!’
And just as expected, after they finished training in Chun’an and the championships officially began, Huang Chong quickly left them in the dust.
The competition consisted of 12 events in total:
The adult men’s and women’s divisions each had a road race, ITT, TTT, and a criterium.
The youth men’s and women’s divisions had a road race and an ITT.
But Huang Chong only needed to participate in two individual events: the 210km road race and the ITT.
As for the team time trial and the criterium, Coach Han, the head coach of the National Team, specifically told him not to participate.
First, his skill level was so far beyond the other riders on the Zhejiang Team that having him in a team event was pointless; he would just be held back by his teammates.
Second, his recent race schedule had been far too intense.
Not only had he just returned, weary from travel, after competing in the Asian Championships in Thailand, but right after the National Championships, he had to go participate in the Wenzhou stage of the professional league.
Expending too much energy on less important events could easily take a toll on a rider. If he got injured in a race due to excessive fatigue, it would be a disaster.
This was a Road Cyclist prodigy, a rare gem among the local athletes. He was precious.
Even if Coach Han didn’t say it out loud, in his heart, he already treasured Huang Chong immensely.
However, for the first event on the first day of competition, the 210km road race, Coach Han pulled Huang Chong aside beforehand and specifically demanded that since he was competing, he had to go all out and couldn’t hold back too much.
Because many bigwigs from the association had come to watch this race, and they were here specifically to see him—the great hero who had achieved outstanding results at the Asian Championships.
This left Huang Chong feeling quite helpless. He had originally planned to just cruise along, and maybe even hand the championship over to his teammate, Brother Xiaoma, to repay him for fetching water for him throughout the entire Asian Championships.
’Damn it, this really proves the old saying:’
’A man dreads fame as a pig dreads fattening up!’
’A tall tree catches the wind!’
’And what do you know? Because I was forced to go all out by the Kazakhstan riders at the Asian Championships and completely exposed my strength, now I can’t even slack off in a domestic race!’
Thus, Huang Chong, the defending double champion from last year’s event, had no choice but to ride at his true level. Around the 134km mark, on the most difficult climb of the stage, Zitong Ridge, he deliberately brought Brother Xiaoma along—who was riding for the Guangdong Team but was on the same Intercontinental Team.
The two then worked together, taking turns leading, and began a breakaway over the rolling hills that lasted for about 70 kilometers.
In the end, however, Huang Chong relied on his raw power. He suddenly surged with about 5km to go, dropping Brother Xiaoma and defending his National Championships title with a 30-second lead.
This made the bigwigs who had traveled all the way from the Capital to watch the race nod their heads repeatedly and begin to praise him:
"His reputation is well-deserved."
"This young man is truly worthy of being the national champion and number two in Asia. His strength is extraordinary!"
"It seems our country’s road cycling program has great hope!!"
Brother Xiaoma, who crossed the line in second place, knew perfectly well that Huang Chong finishing only half a minute ahead meant he was holding back, so he wasn’t upset at all. He just couldn’t help but tease him:
"Hey, handsome! I suggest you hurry up and get even stronger so you can go to Europe and play with those world-class cyclists.
Otherwise, with your strength, you’ll just keep crushing every rider in the country. Be careful you don’t make the entire professional road cycling scene complain and cause public outrage!
When people start mailing you razor blades, don’t say I didn’t warn you—"
Hearing this, Huang Chong could only throw up his hands.
’I really did want to go easy!’
’But the head coach gave an order, what could I do?’
After the road race, the men’s ITT was held the next day.
The result was the same. The leaders, who were still wanting more after the first day’s race, even sat with the Zhejiang Team’s support staff the next day, following Huang Chong the whole way and watching him fly against the wind on his TT bike.
In the end, without any surprises, he beat Xue Ming of the Tianjin Team, winning by a 10-second margin to once again claim a double victory at the National Championships.
Xue Ming, who had ridden alongside Huang Chong before, was quite familiar with him. He also knew the guy was deliberately going easy and giving him face, which was why the winning margin was so narrow.
During the post-race award ceremony, he could only whisper a complaint:
"Your acting is fucking incredible, kid. Why are you even riding a bike? You should go get yourself an Oscar for Best Actor!"
Huang Chong: "..."
But in reality, if Coach Han hadn’t specifically requested it, he wouldn’t have even wanted to compete in the National Championships again.
After all, besides the champion’s prize money, the event itself wasn’t a UCI-sanctioned race that offered points; it was just an independent, national-level competition.
For Huang Chong, now that UCI points were linked with the system’s Basic Optimization Value, they had become his lifeline. His focus would definitely have to shift toward UCI events.
’Only by earning points can I improve my strength, and time waits for no one!’
...
After his two individual events were over, Huang Chong could rest early and become a spectator, watching the other races.
Putting other things aside, while this trip to Chun’an didn’t earn him any points, he had at least secured his 100,000 yuan in prize money.
It was very necessary for him to save up some money right now.
After all, in his first year on the World Tour, his salary would surely be the minimum base pay; it wouldn’t be very high.
And with the cost of living in Europe, road cycling was a money-burning sport.
Only after he won a World Tour Level event, especially a prestigious title like a Tour de France stage victory, could his annual salary possibly reach the millions.
In the World Tour, only a small group of top cyclists who could contend for championships had truly substantial incomes.
The majority of cyclists still subsisted on the minimum salary stipulated by the UCI system.
When just starting out, it would be impossible without some savings in the bank.
However, just as Huang Chong was enjoying a rare chance to leisurely watch the races as a fan, Chen Junyi—who hadn’t come to Chun’an with the team but was in Hangcheng preparing for his upcoming high-altitude training—suddenly gave him a call.
The call was very brief. The team wanted him to return to Hangcheng first to train. Then, once Brother Xiaoma’s races were also finished, they would all travel to Wenzhou for the competition together.
Huang Chong felt rather helpless about this. He finally had a chance to be a fan, but before he could even watch a race, he had to dive back into training.
But this was the daily life of a Professional Cyclist, and he was actually long used to it. So, he went to the bus terminal in Chun’an County and took a bus back to Hangcheng alone.
But when he got off at the station, Chen Junyi, who had come to pick him up, started driving him to her home. This was completely unexpected for the empty-handed Huang Chong. He panicked on the spot and quickly asked:
"Didn’t you say I was coming back to Hangcheng to train? Why are we going to your place? I didn’t bring anything, how can I show up at your house!"
Chen Junyi glanced at him and asked curiously,
"Why would you need to bring anything? It’s not a special holiday.
It’s time for dinner. You can’t eat at an outside restaurant, so you can just have a simple meal at my place first!
Why are you so nervous?"
