After bidding farewell to his parents, Huang Chong still chose to travel by bike.
The return trip was the same 260 kilometers.
To him, that distance no longer posed much of a challenge.
Throughout the New Year holiday, aside from New Year's Eve and the first day of the lunar new year, when he helped prepare the reunion dinner and accompanied his father back to their ancestral village to make offerings at the clan hall, he kept up his training every other day.
On flat roads, he rode entirely in Zone 2 aerobic endurance.
On climbs, he raised his power appropriately.
Then, on the descents, relying on cornering ability already at the level of an intermediate professional rider, along with elite bike-handling skills, he began to dive downhill.
By the time he reached Hangzhou, after a solo 260-kilometer ride lasting more than six hours, his average speed was even 0.5 km/h faster than when he had ridden home before the New Year.
After arriving safely in Hangzhou, he first called his parents to let them know he was safe, then headed to Du Wei's home.
He had already left the provincial team, but Du Wei had kept the room where he used to stay, so he was not without a place to sleep.
Afterward, he went to the large villa where Du Wei's parents lived to pay New Year's calls and have dinner, then went to Zhang Yi's home to offer New Year's greetings.
Although he and Zhang Yi had not crossed paths much, Zhang Yi had truly been the one to guide him onto this path.
If Zhang Yi had not recommended him to Zhang Guowei, his rise through the professional ranks certainly would not have been this fast.
Huang Chong could not forget the favor of Zhang Yi's