Cycling: Racing into the Headwind

Chapter 135: Chapter 107: Seize the Initiative, Catch Them by Surprise (Part 2)

Not only was it the longest stage, but it also had a huge number of climbs.

According to the stage’s elevation profile, this section included a total of four categorized climbs:

The first was a First Category Climb starting about 15 km out of Guiding County. It was a 17.3 km ascent with 1,000 meters of vertical gain and an average gradient of a staggering 5.9%.

The second, starting at the 68.5 km mark, was a 5.96 km-long second-category climb with a steep 5.4% average gradient.

The third stretched from the 79 km mark to 89.5 km—another 10.5 km-long, third-category climb with a 3% average gradient.

The last was another third-category climb starting at the 105 km mark, a continuous 6 km ascent with a 4.4% average gradient.

But in reality, after Huang Chong finished these four officially categorized climbs and descended to around the 140 km mark, he was immediately met with another surprisingly long, 40 km gradual ascent.

So all in all, by the time he finished the third stage, he felt completely drained.

’Everyone says the Laji Mountain Pass in the second stage is the most difficult climb and the highest point of the entire race, but compared to the third stage, a mountain stage full of constant ups and downs, it’s not even close in terms of difficulty!’

Huang Chong made the comparison in his mind after finishing the ride.

However, he thought it was a bit of a shame that while the third stage had a ton of climbs, all the difficult ones were in the first half.

After the 40 km gradual ascent and passing the summit, the route to the finish line was one long descent.

This meant that even for the climbing group, it would still come down to a final sprint, which felt rather anticlimactic.

Moreover, because the second half of the stage wasn’t very difficult, it was impossible for any rider to win with a solo breakaway as long as the other GC Cyclists didn’t let them get too far ahead.

So, all in all, this stage seemed designed purely to wear out the riders.

After the third stage, the next five stages—Huzhu to Menyuan, Menyuan to Qilian, Qilian to West Sea Town, West Sea Town to Gonghe, and Gonghe to Chaka Sky No. 1 Scenic Area—basically had no high-difficulty climbs.

Huang Chong couldn’t even be bothered to test-ride the next few stages himself. Instead, he just sat in the support vehicle while Chen Junyi drove him along the course to familiarize him with the route.

It wasn’t until the seventh stage, West Sea Town to Gonghe, that he got back on his road bike.

This was because the stage was a genuine Lake Loop.

Shortly after departing from West Sea Town, the route entered the loop road built along the shores of Qinghai Lake. After passing the second intermediate sprint point at the Erlang Sword Scenic Area, the riders would face the final First Category Climb of the race—a 7.1 km ascent with a punishing 6.7% average gradient.

This was the South Mountain Luohe Pass, at an altitude of 3,740 meters.

For any rider aiming for the overall championship, this climb was of the utmost importance.

It could allow the leaders from previous stages to extend their advantage, but it also offered one last chance for riders who were behind to turn the tables.

If a GC Cyclist couldn’t secure a decisive advantage in the overall standings after the South Mountain Luohe Pass, they could basically say goodbye to any hope of winning the championship.

As for the final stage, Gonghe to Chaka Sky No. 1 Scenic Area, although it featured a Fourth Category Climb and the entire route was undulating, it wasn’t particularly difficult. The maximum gradient was only 3%.

By the time Huang Chong had covered the routes for all eight stages and arrived by car at the finish line at Chaka Salt Lake, he felt a measure of confidence.

At the very least, he had familiarized himself with the entire race course ahead of time.

Even though he had only ridden the three climbing stages that would impact the overall standings.

But that was enough.

As a GC Cyclist, he wasn’t going to be competing for wins on the flat or sprint stages. There was no need to ride all eight of them.

After all, the total distance of the Qinghai Lake Cycling Race was a staggering 1,294 km.

If he were to ride the whole thing in five days, he would be absolutely wrecked, even with the system’s recovery-aiding medicine to help him.

...

「Three days passed in the blink of an eye.」

Two days before the start of the race, teams from all over the world began to arrive at the National High Altitude Training Base in Doba Town to start their pre-race training.

Huang Chong reconnected with Coach Han and Brother Xiaoma, from whom he’d been temporarily separated for a few days, as well as the other five members of the National Team. He then joined them for the team’s daily training.

This race was of the utmost importance to the Chinese riders.

Everyone needed to go all out to earn UCI points and help secure spots for next year’s Olympics.

Although Huang Chong had already helped secure one spot at the Asian Championships, he had also earned 200 UCI points in the process. China’s national point total had now entered the world’s top 45.

So, Coach Han was determined for them to earn more points and hold onto that position before the deadline. If they succeeded, they would get two Olympic spots.

As for the international teams competing in the Tour of Qinghai Lake, like the two professional teams from Italy and Spain, they certainly weren’t there for the points. They were there for the prize money.

The total prize pool for this year’s Tour of Qinghai Lake was a staggering one million US dollars. The prize for first place in the general classification—the Yellow Jersey—was a whopping $100,000 USD on its own.

Who wouldn’t want a piece of that?

Huang Chong had competed in so many races and won so many championships this year, but all his stipends, team salary, and prize money combined didn’t even add up to the first-place prize for winning the Tour of Qinghai Lake.

’Of course, the prize money from the Tour of Qinghai Lake is subject to personal income tax, whereas the prize money from national events, issued by the General Administration, is tax-free. So you can’t really compare them directly.’