Recaps

After completing the HC climb up Prince Peak, Huang Chong gained 20 Basic Optimization Points and a Heart-rate Threshold Enhancer, then raised his FTP to 224 W. As the cycling team began descending toward Lin'an District, the system assigned him a new challenge to average at least 25 KM/H and safely pass 10 hairpin turns.

• Huang Chong ended the climb after reaching Prince Peak and received 20 Basic Optimization Points and a Heart-rate Threshold Enhancer for completing twice the required distance on an HC climb.
• Huang Chong added all his points to FTP, increasing it to 224 W and his power-to-weight ratio to 3.11.
• Huang Chong drank the foul-tasting Heart-rate Threshold Enhancer while the delayed Headwind Cycling Team riders continued climbing toward the summit.
• Zhang Yi gathered the riders at the summit, reminded them to descend safely, and led them back toward Lin'an District.
• Huang Chong chose to descend behind Wang Qiang and the stronger riders, and the system challenged him to average at least 25 KM/H while safely passing 10 hairpin turns.

Huang Chong safely descended Prince Peak, clearing its hairpin turns with unexpectedly polished technique. The system then refreshed his reward for the descent challenge.

• Huang Chong read that the system’s new Brain Reaction Enhancer could improve his reflexes and thought about the dangers of high-speed descents.
• Huang Chong recalled his fatal cycling accident in his previous life and resolved not to take unnecessary risks.
• Huang Chong descended Prince Peak smoothly, using controlled lines and safe cornering technique while following Wang Qiang and Chen Guangming.
• Liu Junjie praised Huang Chong’s cornering and questioned how he had become so skilled after less than a year of cycling.
• Huang Chong attributed his descending ability to riding the mountain roads around Xianyun County.
• After Huang Chong cleared every hairpin turn, the system refreshed his reward.

After a fast descent at Prince Peak, Huang Chong’s cornering ability was reassessed at 64, earning him optimization points and a Mental Reaction Enhancer. He took the enhancer after the team returned to Lin'an District and discovered that his reactions and ability to anticipate movement had improved.

• Huang Chong learned that the system had reassessed his cornering ability at 64, placing him at the seasoned amateur cyclist level.
• Huang Chong considered training on more climbs and descents and hoped to take part in an amateur race with the team.
• Huang Chong waited until the team had returned to Lin'an District and reached a restaurant before taking the Mental Reaction Enhancer.
• Huang Chong caught Wang Qiang's slipping chopsticks before they hit the floor and realized his reactions had become faster.
• Huang Chong sensed that he could anticipate which dishes the other team members would reach for.

After riding with Liu Junjie and the others, Huang Chong returned to work at the bike shop, where Li Zifan praised his maintenance of a mountain bike and recommended learning mountain biking. The system then prompted Huang Chong to learn the Front-Wheel Lift technique.

• At lunch, Huang Chong stuck to low-calorie food while Liu Junjie and the others admired his discipline, then they split up to head home.
• Huang Chong returned to Du Wei’s home, found him asleep, and went to work at the bike shop under their new piecework arrangement.
• Liu Chaoyang thanked Huang Chong for helping with the shop’s busy workload and discussed the high cost of modern bicycles with him.
• Li Zifan test-rode his serviced YETI SB-150 and praised its condition, then learned that Huang Chong had performed the maintenance.
• Li Zifan encouraged Huang Chong to try mountain biking and explained how to begin learning its techniques.
• The system prompted Huang Chong to learn the basic bike-control technique Front-Wheel Lift.

Huang Chong discovered that the system could award specialized optimization values and asked Li Zifan to teach him mountain-bike skills. After over a hundred attempts, Huang Chong learned the Front-Wheel Lift and received the system’s rewards, with a bonus available when he first performed it on a road bike.

• Huang Chong realized that specialized optimization values could improve individual weaknesses faster than Basic Optimization Points alone.
• Huang Chong asked Li Zifan to teach him the Front-Wheel Lift, and Li Zifan agreed and demonstrated several mountain-bike techniques.
• Li Zifan explained how shifting his center of gravity backward lifted the front wheel, then taught Huang Chong additional handling skills.
• After Li Zifan left, Huang Chong practiced the Front-Wheel Lift on a BMX bike and succeeded after more than a hundred failures.
• The system rewarded Huang Chong with optimization points and trauma ointment and offered five additional specialized values for his first Front-Wheel Lift on a road bike.

Huang Chong mastered the Front-Wheel Lift on both a street trials bike and a road bike, then completed his first fat-loss goal. The system began his second-stage mission after rewarding him for losing five kilograms.

• Huang Chong practiced the Front-Wheel Lift with Li Zifan’s guidance until the system recognized that he had mastered it.
• Huang Chong struggled to perform the move on a road bike, then earned five Specialized Bike-Handling Skill Optimization Points when he succeeded.
• Huang Chong used a Training Recovery Energy Gel for his exhausted, bruised legs and left Du Wei’s bike shop after closing it up.
• Huang Chong watched the Tour de France with Du Wei, where Michael Matthews won the stage and Vingegaard and Pogačar finished far behind.
• Huang Chong weighed 70 kilograms the next morning, and the system announced that he had completed his first-stage fat-loss goal and unlocked the second stage.

Huang Chong focused on losing weight and practicing bike-handling skills while Du Wei challenged his progress and offered him equipment. After a day at the bike shop, Huang Chong prepared to practice a track stand, and the system assigned him a 30-second challenge.

• Huang Chong told Du Wei he had lost 5 kg, and Du Wei confirmed his weight had dropped to 70 kg on the scale.
• Huang Chong explained that he planned to reach 60 kg, while Du Wei doubted he could do so without losing power and challenged him to race around West Lake.
• Huang Chong refused Du Wei's challenge because he planned to practice mountain bike handling skills before joining a cycling event with Zhou Ming.
• Du Wei offered Huang Chong bikes and parts from the shop, and Huang Chong said he had already learned to lift the front wheel and would practice a track stand next.
• After work, Huang Chong took a trials bike outside the shop, and the system set a mission to complete a 30-second track stand for rewards.

Huang Chong learned the track stand and received a restorative ointment from the system, which strengthened his resolve to pursue cycling through his own efforts. He continued practicing Li Zifan’s mountain bike techniques, but the rear-wheel lift took three days and caused many falls.

• Huang Chong examined the Fast-Acting Muscle-and-Bone Repair Ointment and decided to claim it as protection against future injuries.
• Huang Chong practiced the track stand for nearly two hours and successfully learned the technique, earning optimization points and the ointment.
• Huang Chong showed Du Wei the track stand and explained that Li Zifan had taught him mountain bike handling techniques.
• Du Wei praised Huang Chong for befriending Li Zifan and described the influence of Li’s family, but Huang Chong rejected the idea of relying on connections.
• Huang Chong practiced the remaining techniques and took three days to master the rear-wheel lift after numerous crashes.

Huang Chong learned more mountain bike handling techniques, gained permanent physical upgrades, and raised his FTP while losing weight. After Du Wei invited him to ride at Qiandao Lake against Zhou Ming, Huang Chong confidently vowed he would not lose.

• Huang Chong learned Rear-Wheel Lift, took the virus immunity drug, and transferred the technique to his road bike.
• Huang Chong learned Bunny Hop and took an enhancer that raised his extreme anaerobic threshold.
• Huang Chong's weight fell to 65 kg while his FTP climbed to 242 W, giving him a power-to-weight ratio of 3.72.
• Du Wei praised Huang Chong's progress, questioned his muscular build, and invited him to ride at Qiandao Lake with Zhou Ming on Sunday.
• Huang Chong accepted the challenge and vowed to eat Du Wei's 100-inch TV screen if he lost to Zhou Ming.

Huang Chong mastered all five beginner mountain bike handling techniques, improved his cycling ability, and took a pill that strengthened his cardiopulmonary capacity. He traveled with Du Wei to Zhou Ming’s Qiandao Lake event, where he discovered the cycling race was mainly a party and business gathering; the chapter left him listening to Du Wei urge him to flirt with the guests.

• Huang Chong learned the Dolphin Hop, bringing his bike-handling ability to 73 points after mastering all five beginner mountain bike techniques.
• Huang Chong swallowed the Heart-Nourishing Lung-Strengthening Pill and considered how far his optimized body could take him without the System.
• Huang Chong and Du Wei traveled to Chun’an a day early for Zhou Ming’s 50-kilometer Qiandao Lake race.
• Huang Chong found that Zhou Ming’s cycling event was largely a waterside party attended by wealthy guests and cycling girls.
• Du Wei defended the event as a social and business gathering, pointed out the champion’s prize, and encouraged Huang Chong to approach one of the women.

Huang Chong joined Du Wei at Zhou Ming’s gathering, where he focused on the cycling race’s prize money and the chance to fund better equipment. After Zhou Ming challenged Huang Chong’s professional ambitions, they agreed to settle the dispute in the race the next morning.

• Huang Chong decided the 28,888-yuan championship prize could help him upgrade his bike, which he considered inadequate for serious competition.
• Du Wei and Huang Chong arrived at Zhou Ming’s gathering and joined the group for drinks and dinner while the others discussed business.
• Zhou Ming recognized Huang Chong as the former shop visitor who had talked about competing in the Grand Tours, and Du Wei defended his friend’s dedication and brought him to prove himself.
• Zhou Ming challenged Huang Chong to win the next morning’s race, saying he should stop talking about the Grand Tours and Monuments if he could not take the championship.

After Du Wei explained why Zhou Ming resented being unable to pursue cycling, he warned Huang Chong not to throw away a sure chance to win. The next morning, Huang Chong joined a fifty-kilometer race against Zhou Ming, Du Wei, and other riders, and the system tasked him with winning the first victory of his career.

• Du Wei told Huang Chong that Zhou Ming's parents would never allow him to make a career of cycling, and that Zhou Ming's anger came from his lack of freedom.
• Du Wei warned Huang Chong never to deliberately lose when he had a chance to win, and Huang Chong thought of Roglič's defeat in the 2020 Tour de France.
• Huang Chong returned to his room after caring for the drunken Du Wei.
• The next morning, Zhou Ming explained the rules for the fifty-kilometer race, with an aid station at the twenty-five-kilometer mark.
• Du Wei challenged Zhou Ming to a rematch, and Little Rice Grain started the race at 6:30 a.m.
• Huang Chong stayed with the group as the system prompted him to win the first victory of his career for 15 Beginner Optimization Points and a Daily Training Gift Pack x1.

Huang Chong escorted Du Wei through the opening climbs of Zhou Ming’s deliberately hilly race course, but Du Wei struggled and urged him to chase Zhou Ming’s group alone. Huang Chong surged away at 40 KM/H, leaving Du Wei stunned by his sudden strength.

• Huang Chong and Du Wei started Zhou Ming’s race, and Du Wei began struggling on the first two climbs as Zhou Ming’s group pulled ahead.
• Huang Chong kept his pace low to help Du Wei, despite finding the effort easy with his improved fitness.
• Du Wei admitted he could not keep up and told Huang Chong to chase Zhou Ming’s group while he rode on alone.
• Huang Chong accelerated to 40 KM/H and disappeared ahead, leaving Du Wei amazed at how much stronger he had become.

Huang Chong chased Zhou Ming’s group through the mountain stages while Du Wei was stunned by Huang Chong’s dramatic improvement. Zhou Ming’s paid support riders believed they had secured an easy win, but Huang Chong caught them on a 5% climb.

• Du Wei watched Huang Chong sustain a much faster pace than before and wondered whether losing weight had transformed his cycling ability.
• Huang Chong pursued Zhou Ming’s five-rider group after they disappeared into the forested climbs.
• Zhou Ming’s four paid riders took turns setting the pace and supplied him with drinks and energy gels at Ganwu Village.
• Zhou Ming refused to slow down, believing Du Wei and Huang Chong could not catch them.
• Huang Chong reached the foot of the 5% climb and, maintaining 240W, caught up with Zhou Ming’s group.

Huang Chong used repeated climbing attacks and superior recovery to wear down Zhou Ming and his hired riders, then narrowly beat Zhou Ming at the mountaintop finish. He claimed the first victory of his career and received optimization points and a training gift pack.

• Huang Chong attacked on the climb, but Zhou Ming's hired rider followed and the group caught up with him on the descent.
• Huang Chong launched a second climbing attack that exhausted the rider chasing him and left Zhou Ming's group struggling.
• Huang Chong recovered quickly and, despite having enough strength to break away, held back to avoid humiliating Zhou Ming outright.
• Huang Chong drained Zhou Ming's remaining support riders on the final climbs, then edged Zhou Ming by about one bike length at the finish.
• Huang Chong received 15 Basic Optimization Points and a Daily Training Gift Pack for winning the first race of his career.

Huang Chong won the race and discovered that his system had rewarded him with fifty cases of electrolyte sports drinks, which he arranged to have refilled directly into his cycling bottle. Du Wei learned that Huang Chong had beaten Zhou Ming and mocked him at the finish line.

• Huang Chong inspected his system reward and found fifty cases of electrolyte drinks in storage.
• Huang Chong set the system to refill his cycling bottle with the drink and tasted the smooth orange-flavored beverage.
• Little Rice Grain told Zhou Ming's four domestiques that Huang Chong had beaten Zhou Ming by a bike length, leaving them afraid of Zhou's reaction.
• Du Wei crossed the finish line more than twenty minutes after Huang Chong and learned that Huang Chong had won.
• Du Wei laughed at Zhou Ming for losing after bringing five riders to gang up on Huang Chong, and Zhou Ming had no answer.

After losing the climbing race to Huang Chong, Zhou Ming accepted the result and paid Little Rice Grain the prize money, then decided to challenge Huang Chong on a flat course. Huang Chong collected his winnings, unaware Zhou Ming planned to race him again.

• Zhou Ming admitted Huang Chong had beaten him on the climb and told Little Rice Grain to send her WeChat so he could transfer the prize money.
• Zhou Ming reassured his four hired riders that they had done their best and asked whether Huang Chong could become a professional cyclist.
• The hired riders judged Huang Chong's climbing exceptional but pointed out his weaknesses on flat roads, in sprinting, and in upper-body strength.
• Zhou Ming decided to train his flat-road cruising and challenge Huang Chong again the following weekend.
• Huang Chong's FTP rose to 263W, and Little Rice Grain sent him the after-tax champion's prize of 28,888.

After winning the Qiandao Lake race, Huang Chong continued his rapid weight loss and reassured his friends that his power had not declined. He led Wang Qiang, Liu Junjie, and Chen Guangming through routine training at an astonishing 37 km/h average, leaving them struggling to keep up.

• Huang Chong and Du Wei discussed Zhou Ming’s riding ability, and Huang Chong said controlling weight was essential for improving on climbs.
• Du Wei refused to lose weight and joked that he would stick to flat roads instead.
• Back in Hangzhou, Liu Junjie and Wang Qiang were shocked that Huang Chong had dropped from 75 kilograms to 62.5 in a week.
• Huang Chong assured Wang Qiang, Liu Junjie, and Chen Guangming that his power remained steady and that his power-to-weight ratio had improved.
• Huang Chong led the group at a 37 km/h average during Zone 2 training, pushing the others toward Zone 4 effort.

Huang Chong focused on Zone 2 training and accidentally pulled Wang Qiang, Liu Junjie, and Chen Guangming through 100 kilometers at an average speed of 37 km/h. His companions discovered his heart rate stayed around 140 at that pace and urged him to get a power meter to measure the gap between them.

• Huang Chong realized his comfortable Zone 2 pace of 37 km/h was pushing Wang Qiang and the others near their Zone 4 threshold.
• Huang Chong apologized and offered to slow down, but Liu Junjie insisted that he keep riding at his own comfortable pace.
• Huang Chong led the group for 100 kilometers over nearly three hours while Wang Qiang, Liu Junjie, and Chen Guangming grew exhausted.
• Chen Guangming checked Huang Chong's bike computer and saw that his heart rate had stayed around 140 despite the high average speed.
• Liu Junjie urged Huang Chong to buy a power meter so they could learn how strong he had become.

Huang Chong planned to upgrade his bicycle as his abilities improved, while Zhang Yi learned about his remarkable riding data and began to suspect he was a cycling prodigy. Zhang Yi decided to test Huang Chong’s true ability, though he worried that Huang Chong might pursue a professional career before helping the team win amateur honors.

• Huang Chong considered buying a better bike and a power meter so teams could assess his abilities from accurate data.
• Wang Qiang sent Zhang Yi Huang Chong’s ride data, including an average speed of 37 and a heart rate of 140.
• Zhang Yi compared the data with Huang Chong’s performance the previous week and doubted that such a dramatic improvement was possible.
• Wang Qiang assured Zhang Yi that the data was genuine and said Chen Guangming and Liu Junjie had witnessed the ride.
• Zhang Yi concluded Huang Chong might be a cycling prodigy and decided to ride with him one-on-one to test his ability.
• Zhang Yi wondered whether Huang Chong would become a professional rider before winning amateur championships for the team.

Zhang Yi decided to test Huang Chong’s cycling ability at Taihu Lake after discussing his potential with Chen Li. As Huang Chong prepared to travel to Suzhou, Zhou Ming ordered another bike and challenged him to a rematch.

• Chen Li urged Zhang Yi to verify Huang Chong’s talent and guide him toward the provincial team if he proved capable.
• Zhang Yi invited Huang Chong to join the team’s Taihu Lake race next week and train there over the weekend.
• Huang Chong accepted the race slot and agreed to attend the Taihu Lake training.
• Zhou Ming visited Du Wei’s shop to order a Cervelo S5 and challenged Huang Chong to a flat-stage race the next morning.

Huang Chong refused Zhou Ming’s offer to race the next day and join Hangzhou’s municipal cycling team, choosing instead to honor his team commitments and pursue his career through his own efforts. Zhou Ming accepted the refusal, admired Huang Chong’s integrity, and decided to take his own team to Suzhou.

• Zhou Ming invited Huang Chong to race him the next day, but Huang Chong declined because he had team training and a race in Suzhou.
• Zhou Ming offered to arrange Huang Chong’s entry into Hangzhou’s municipal team and buy him any Tour de France team bike if he won, but Huang Chong refused the deal.
• Huang Chong explained that he did not want to rely on Zhou Ming’s money or abandon the Headwind Cycling Team, then left to catch the high-speed train to Suzhou.
• Du Wei tried to smooth things over and apologize for Huang Chong, but Zhou Ming asked whether being straightforward and lacking social etiquette was truly a bad thing.
• Zhou Ming said he admired Huang Chong, hoped he would reach the Grand Tours and five Monuments, and announced that he would take his own team to compete in Suzhou.

After Zhou Ming followed Huang Chong to Suzhou to challenge him in another cycling race, Huang Chong arrived with his weight down to 60 kg and his FTP at 270W. His teammates urged him to gain weight and strengthen his upper body, prompting the system to issue three new muscle-training missions.

• Du Wei told Huang Chong that Zhou Ming was heading to Suzhou to race against him, and Huang Chong agreed to face him in the open competition.
• Huang Chong noted that his weight had fallen to 60 kg and his FTP had risen to 270W, but he planned to regain about 5 kg because he looked too thin.
• Huang Chong traveled to Suzhou and met Zhang Yi, Wang Qiang, Liu Junjie, and three female teammates, who were startled by his physique.
• Liu Junjie questioned Huang Chong about his unusual muscle distribution, and Zhang Yi advised him to build his chest, back, and glutes for better power and stability.
• The system issued Huang Chong chest, back, and glute training missions, which he realized would require gym equipment and professional guidance.

Zhang Yi tested Huang Chong’s cycling ability during a training ride on the Taihu Lake race course. Huang Chong kept pace through an intense effort, convincing Zhang Yi that he had the potential to become a professional rider and perhaps reach the UCI WorldTour.

• Huang Chong and the Headwind Cycling Team warmed up for fifty kilometers alongside other riders scouting the Taihu Lake race route.
• Zhang Yi challenged Huang Chong to follow his pace, then accelerated above 40 kilometers per hour and tested him at high intensity.
• Huang Chong stayed on Zhang Yi’s wheel at around 48 kilometers per hour for twenty minutes, despite nearing his limit.
• Zhang Yi asked Huang Chong to take the lead, and Huang Chong used a Fast-acting Recovery Energy Bar before pulling at roughly 45 kilometers per hour.
• Zhang Yi watched Huang Chong continue riding near threshold and concluded that his exceptional cardiopulmonary capacity could take him to the professional level, possibly even the UCI WorldTour.

After Huang Chong sustained a hard 100-kilometer ride, Zhang Yi explained how he could pursue a professional cycling career and advised him to take an exercise cardiopulmonary test. Huang Chong sent Zhang Yi the results, and Zhang Yi reacted with shock and excitement at the figures.

• After Huang Chong’s energy returned, he maintained Zone 4 intensity and completed 100 kilometers alongside Zhang Yi.
• Zhang Yi asked whether Huang Chong wanted to become a professional rider, and Huang Chong said he did.
• Zhang Yi explained that Huang Chong should join a city-level team first and outlined the selection process.
• Zhang Yi advised Huang Chong to take an exercise cardiopulmonary test so he could assess his potential.
• After returning to Hangzhou, Huang Chong took the test and sent the results to Zhang Yi, whose hands trembled as he read the figures.