Recaps

Zhang Yi showed Chen Li the astonishing cardiopulmonary test results of young cyclist Huang Chong, and she urged him to seek a place for Huang Chong on the provincial team. Zhang Yi brought the report to his mentor, Zhang Guowei, who accused him of presenting fake data.

• Zhang Yi excitedly showed Chen Li Huang Chong’s cardiopulmonary test report, which listed a VO2 max of 98 and a resting heart rate of 36.
• Chen Li was stunned by the results and suggested Zhang Yi ask his mentor to arrange Huang Chong’s special admission to the provincial team.
• Zhang Yi agreed with Chen Li but took the report to his mentor without first telling Huang Chong.
• Zhang Guowei examined Huang Chong’s test results and angrily accused Zhang Yi of bringing fake data to fool him.

Zhang Guowei reviewed Huang Chong’s exceptional test results and decided to watch him race in Suzhou before considering him for a professional team. As the official race began, Huang Chong received a system challenge to finish in the overall top ten.

• Zhang Yi showed Zhang Guowei Huang Chong’s hospital test records and described his cycling ability and background.
• Zhang Guowei believed Huang Chong had great potential and decided to watch the Suzhou race without revealing his presence.
• Zhang Yi told Huang Chong to give everything in the race, and the Headwind Cycling Team collected its numbers before the start.
• Zhou Ming arrived with his four lieutenants, renewed his challenge to Huang Chong, and lined his top-end bikes at the front.
• Liu Junjie promised that Huang Chong’s teammates would help him beat Zhou Ming’s group, and 110 riders began the race.
• The system instructed Huang Chong to place in the overall top ten in his first official cycling race.

Huang Chong’s team followed Zhang Yi’s plan as the race’s pace split the peloton, while Wang Qiang and two teammates began a hard pull to drop their rivals. Zhou Ming realized his domestiques were hesitating and angrily ordered them to chase Huang Chong’s team before he was dropped.

• Zhang Yi assigned Huang Chong the team leader role and instructed Wang Qiang and the other two to conserve energy early, then pull for him.
• The fast opening pace split the peloton, leaving Huang Chong’s team among roughly fifty riders while many early attackers were dropped.
• Zhou Ming’s team stayed in the group, and one of his domestiques broke away around the 35-kilometer mark to pursue the riders ahead as part of Zhou Ming’s plan.
• At 40 kilometers, Wang Qiang and his two teammates accelerated to pull for Huang Chong, raising their group’s pace and dropping riders.
• Zhou Ming’s domestiques hesitated and discussed Huang Chong’s tactics, so Zhou Ming cursed at them and ordered them to chase before he was dropped.

Huang Chong and Zhang Yi dropped Zhou Ming’s team and the breakaway group, then Zhang Yi taught Huang Chong how to sprint anaerobically near the finish. Zhang Yi braked just before the line, letting Huang Chong cross first and win.

• Liu Junjie exhausted himself pulling at the front, while Huang Chong’s group continued to pull away from Zhou Ming.
• Zhou Ming accepted that Huang Chong was stronger and gave up the chase, riding the remaining distance with his three companions.
• Huang Chong and Zhang Yi caught and overtook the lead group, then left Zhou Ming’s strongest domestique behind.
• With 200 meters left, Zhang Yi demonstrated anaerobic sprinting and told Huang Chong to follow his wheel.
• Zhang Yi stopped pedaling and squeezed the brakes near the finish, allowing Huang Chong to pass him and cross the line first.

After Huang Chong won the sprint with Zhang Yi’s help, Zhang Yi urged him to stay humble and work hard as he pursued professional cycling. Zhang Guowei then offered Huang Chong a place as a provincial-team reserve rider, where he would need to build muscle and prove himself before earning official status.

• Zhang Yi deliberately slowed near the finish so Huang Chong could take first place, then explained that he wanted Huang Chong to remember the feeling of winning.
• Huang Chong promised Zhang Yi he would stay grounded and train consistently as he pursued a cycling career.
• Zhang Guowei arrived, praised Zhang Yi for finding a promising prospect, and introduced himself to Huang Chong as the provincial road-cycling director and coach.
• Zhang Guowei explained that Huang Chong could join the provincial team as a reserve rider after registering, but would need muscle training and strong results to earn an official spot.
• Huang Chong accepted the requirements and agreed to complete the tests.

Huang Chong secured a place in the provincial cycling system after Zhang Yi helped him connect with Zhang Guowei, and he vowed to reach the UCI WorldTour. After winning the race and celebrating with the Headwind Cycling Team, Huang Chong prepared to leave for closed training, confident that his departure marked a new beginning.

• Zhang Guowei told Zhang Yi to help Huang Chong register as a professional rider and join the Cycling Sports Management Center.
• Zhang Yi explained his ambitions for developing road cycling and encouraged Huang Chong to reach the UCI WorldTour, and Huang Chong promised to win championships on European soil.
• Huang Chong won the race, while Zhou Ming's strongest lieutenant finished third at a much slower speed.
• Huang Chong treated the Headwind Cycling Team to dinner with his prize money and toasted Zhang Yi and his teammates.
• Zhang Yi announced that Huang Chong would join the provincial team for closed training, and the teammates congratulated him on his next step.

Huang Chong officially joined the provincial team as a reserve professional cyclist and promised Zhang Yi he would win a national gold medal. At his farewell dinner, Du Wei defended Huang Chong after Wu Fang revealed that her friend had rejected him as an unsuitable match because she doubted cycling had a future.

• Huang Chong told Du Wei he was joining the provincial team, and Du Wei arranged a farewell dinner with Wu Fang.
• Zhang Yi took Huang Chong through physical testing and registration, making him an official professional cyclist and explaining his prospects for the Provincial Games and national championships.
• Huang Chong thanked Zhang Yi and vowed to win a national gold medal for him before Zhang Yi drove away.
• Du Wei praised Huang Chong's determination at the farewell dinner, while Huang Chong joked that Du Wei was really grateful for his help with college coursework.
• After the dinner, Wu Fang told Du Wei that her friend had rejected Huang Chong because she considered him too skinny and doubted his career prospects as a cyclist.
• Du Wei angrily defended Huang Chong's potential earnings and talent, while Wu Fang privately remained uncertain about his future.

Huang Chong moved into the Cycling Sports Management Center after receiving a Specialized SL7 from Zhou Ming and a TT bike from Du Wei. He met Chen Junyi, who would assess his time-trial ability and oversee his training data and nutrition.

• Du Wei gave Huang Chong a Specialized S-Works Shiv TT and revealed that Zhou Ming had sent him a Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL7 to honor their bet.
• Huang Chong agreed to keep the SL7, promised to thank Zhou Ming, adjusted both bikes to his fit, and left his Giant TCR with Du Wei.
• Huang Chong reported to the Cycling Sports Management Center, settled into the dorms, and learned he would undergo an ITT assessment.
• Chen Junyi introduced herself as Huang Chong's data analyst and nutritionist and instructed him to complete a 30-kilometer ITT ride.

Huang Chong completed a 30-kilometer time trial test, and Chen Junyi judged his ITT skills to be extremely poor because he lacked experience with a TT bike and had weak upper-body strength. After Chen prepared a detailed monthlong training plan and food list, Huang Chong wondered why a road cyclist needed so many different kinds of training.

• Chen Junyi instructed Huang Chong to ride three laps around the base and give the ITT test his full effort.
• Huang Chong completed the test at an average speed of 40 km/h, struggling to maintain an aerodynamic position and handle the TT bike.
• Chen Junyi criticized Huang Chong's ITT ability and identified his poor bike-handling technique, unfamiliarity with hand positions, and insufficient upper-body strength.
• Huang Chong asked how he could improve, and Chen Junyi said she would prepare a month of training for him.
• The next morning, Chen Junyi gave Huang Chong a detailed training schedule and tailored food list, and he asked whether she had mistaken him for someone who was not a road cyclist.

Over nearly three months with the provincial team, Huang Chong improved his cycling performance under Chen Junyi’s demanding training and secretly used system enhancers to optimize his chest, back, and glute muscles. By mid-November, his body was comprehensively strengthened, leaving him with no major physical weaknesses as a GC rider.

• Chen Junyi’s tailored diet and intensive training helped Huang Chong return to 65 kg, refine his ITT position, and raise his FTP to 307W.
• Huang Chong asked Chen Junyi to teach him gym exercises so he could complete the system’s muscle-training missions without relying on weight-changing drugs.
• After completing the chest-training mission, Huang Chong secretly drank the Chest Muscle Enhancer and strengthened his chest without changing his weight.
• Huang Chong completed the back-training mission and used the Back Muscle Enhancer, improving his back strength and flexibility for sustained ITT riding.
• By mid-November, Huang Chong completed the glute-training mission and used the Glute Muscle Enhancer, increasing his pedaling efficiency and finishing his overall physical optimization.

After three months of intensive training, Huang Chong reviewed his improved cycling stats and discussed his exceptional muscle development with Chen Junyi. She approved his entry into two Provincial Games races, and he vowed to compete well and bring back two medals.

• Huang Chong checked his stats and saw that his power-to-weight ratio and sprint burst had reached entry-level professional standards, while his terrain anticipation remained weak.
• Huang Chong wondered why no system task had appeared to improve his terrain anticipation despite trying many forms of cycling training.
• Chen Junyi questioned Huang Chong's unusually rapid increase in muscle density and warned him not to do extra training beyond her program.
• Huang Chong admitted that he had secretly overtrained and promised to follow Chen Junyi's plan from then on.
• Chen Junyi told Huang Chong he could race as an individual in the Men's A Group 30KM individual time trial and the 80KM road bunch race at the provincial Provincial Games.
• Huang Chong thanked Chen Junyi and promised to perform well and try to bring back two medals.

Huang Chong prepared for the Provincial Games, where his results could earn him a place on the official provincial team and a shot at national competition. Before leaving, he confronted teammates who mocked his background and relationship with Chen Junyi, then left them furious and certain he would not threaten their positions.

• Huang Chong reviewed the Provincial Games schedule and learned that he would race the 30-kilometer time trial and the 80-kilometer road race.
• Chen Junyi told Huang Chong to focus on showing his training progress and explained that strong results could earn him official team status and a chance to reach the national championships.
• Huang Chong overheard teammates gossiping that he was a rich second-generation brat who received special treatment and was romantically involved with Chen Junyi.
• Huang Chong confronted the teammates, explained how he joined the team and received his bikes, and teased them about the possibility of newcomers taking their spots.
• The teammates angrily dismissed Huang Chong’s chances and vowed he could not take their positions on the team.

Huang Chong prepared for the Provincial Games individual time trial in cold, rainy weather while Chen Junyi offered support and arranged to follow him by car. He started the final Boys' A Group race at noon, and the system announced a reward tied to his finishing rank.

• Chen Junyi obtained permission to follow Huang Chong during his race and report split times and average speeds.
• Huang Chong warmed up and reviewed the results, while Chen Junyi cautioned him to ride carefully on the slippery course.
• A coach encouraged the final three club riders before their starts, and Chen Junyi gave Huang Chong a pep talk of her own.
• Huang Chong teased Chen Junyi about her encouragement, then focused as his start time approached.
• Huang Chong set off at noon on the Specialized TT bike, and the system displayed a top-ten objective and a Cold-Resistance Cardiopulmonary Adaptation Pill reward.

Huang Chong delivered an exceptionally fast opening section in the time trial, impressing Zhang Guowei and Chen Junyi with his progress. Chen Junyi argued that if he reached world-class level, he should leave the provincial system to develop with international teams.

• Huang Chong launched from the ramp with a powerful sprint, then settled into an aerodynamic position and held a cruising speed near 47 KM/H.
• Chen Junyi relayed Huang Chong's race data while Zhang Guowei monitored it from the support vehicle and marveled at his progress.
• Zhang Guowei praised Chen Junyi for joining the cycling program to train Huang Chong, and she reflected on his potential and her own reasons for taking the assignment.
• Chen Junyi warned Zhang Guowei that the provincial team's limited resources might not support Huang Chong's rise to world-class competition.
• Zhang Guowei asked whether Huang Chong should leave the system for a Continental or UCI WorldTour team, and Chen Junyi recommended that he develop abroad if he reached that level.

Huang Chong dominated the Provincial Games men's A time trial, leaving the city teams stunned when they learned he was a reserve rider trained by provincial director Zhang Guowei. After pulling off a spectacular high-speed drift through the U-turn, he resumed chasing the riders ahead.

• Huang Chong's speed and early timing results astonished competitors and coaches, who wondered which city team had entered him.
• Liu Jialiang explained that Huang Chong belonged to the provincial team as a reserve rider and had been specially trained by Director Zhang Guowei.
• Chen Junyi reported Huang Chong's second timing result and warned him to slow down for the approaching U-turn.
• Huang Chong drifted his TT bike through the rain-slick U-turn without losing much speed, impressing photographers and spectators.
• Huang Chong sprinted out of the turn, raised his speed to around 47 KM/H, and continued pursuing the riders ahead.

Huang Chong used his mountain biking skills and careful pacing to close out the rainy ITT, overtaking Wang Bao just before the finish and winning the gold medal by at least three minutes. The chapter ended with Wang Bao accepting his decisive defeat as Huang Chong’s time put him near the national master athlete standard.

• Huang Chong replenished his energy while maintaining an aerodynamic posture on the downhill, impressing the watching coaches and riders with his technique.
• Chen Junyi and Zhang Guowei discussed Huang Chong’s mountain biking skills, and Chen Junyi speculated that he had ridden mountain bikes before switching to road cycling.
• Chen Junyi told Huang Chong that he was on course to win gold by a huge margin and urged him to try to finish within forty minutes.
• Huang Chong caught Wang Bao near the finish and overtook him in the final meters, despite Wang Bao having started earlier.
• Wang Bao finished second and realized Huang Chong had beaten him by at least three minutes, taking the ITT gold medal decisively.

Huang Chong won the Men's Group A ITT by a huge margin, and Chen Junyi joined him to celebrate his first professional gold medal. Wang Bao challenged Huang Chong to the upcoming road race, while Zhang Guowei began wondering whether assigning Chen Junyi as Huang Chong’s full-time coach had been a mistake.

• Liu Jialiang comforted his Wenhai Cycling Team riders after Huang Chong beat them by more than three minutes, then sent Wang Bao and Zhou Zitong to the awards ceremony.
• Huang Chong received the ITT gold medal and posed for photos with the other medalists as Chen Junyi photographed him from the crowd.
• Wang Bao told Huang Chong he would beat him in the road race, and Huang Chong accepted the challenge.
• Huang Chong gave Chen Junyi his flowers and gold medal, crediting her coaching for his victory, and she asked Zhang Guowei to photograph them together.
• Zhang Guowei took their photo and privately worried about Chen Junyi’s father, whose standards for a son-in-law were famously high.

After winning the provincial games ITT, Huang Chong used his reward to raise his FTP and continued preparing for the road race and future national competitions. He told Du Wei about his victory, and Du Wei shared the news with Zhou Ming, who had been boasting about his amateur race result.

• After the photo shoot, Chen Junyi helped Huang Chong warm up and gave him cold medicine.
• Huang Chong claimed 20 Basic Optimization Points and a cold-resistance pill, raised his FTP to 348W, and swallowed the pill.
• Huang Chong considered his plans for the 2023 cycling season and the Asian Road Cycling Championships as he rested and trained.
• Du Wei messaged Huang Chong about his crash and engagement banquet, and Huang Chong told him he had won the provincial games ITT.
• Du Wei found the official news featuring Huang Chong's three-minute victory and sent a screenshot to Zhou Ming.
• Zhou Ming saw Huang Chong's gold-medal news and angrily threw his phone onto the sofa.

Huang Chong entered the men's Group A 80KM mass-start race as the provincial team's lone rider and stayed in the peloton while the Hangzhou Team tried to use coordinated tactics against him. When Zhou Zitong attacked, Huang Chong refused to chase, leaving both Zhou and Wang Bao unsure what to do.

• Liu Jialiang instructed Wang Bao and the other Hangzhou riders to work together to drop Huang Chong or protect their strongest rider for the finish.
• Huang Chong lined up alone at the front in his Specialized gear, then immediately dropped to the back of the field and rode at a Zone 2 pace.
• After the first lap, Huang Chong stayed in the peloton behind the Hangzhou Team instead of joining breakaways.
• Near the end of the second lap, Zhou Zitong attacked, while Wang Bao and another rider looked to Huang Chong to respond.
• Huang Chong kept drafting instead of chasing Zhou, and Zhou's hesitation let riders from other teams catch him and waste his effort.

Huang Chong countered Wang Bao’s attempt to break away, wore him down, and launched a decisive attack on the climb. He finished the rainy 80-kilometer road race alone to claim his second men’s Group A gold medal.

• After Zhou Zitong rejoined the peloton, Huang Chong recognized the Hangzhou Team’s tactics and let him return to his teammates.
• At 40 kilometers, Wang Bao attacked, but Huang Chong immediately followed and stayed on his wheel.
• Wang Bao asked Huang Chong to take a turn at the front, and Huang Chong pulled at a steady pace for nearly 10 kilometers, exhausting him.
• At the 55-kilometer climb, Huang Chong attacked; Wang Bao could not respond and fell behind.
• Huang Chong rode the remaining distance at about 320 watts and crossed the finish line first, winning his second Group A gold medal.

After winning both Men's A cycling events at the Provincial Games, Huang Chong returned to the Hangzhou base with Chen Junyi, who joined him in a commemorative photo. The photo sparked excitement among his friends and family, and his cousin Huang Lingshan rushed to tell his parents that he had a girlfriend.

• Zhang Guowei praised Huang Chong's victory and urged Liu Jialiang to prepare Wang Bao and Zhou Zitong for provincial team selection.
• Huang Chong and Chen Junyi took a photo together with their two gold medals before driving back to the Hangzhou base.
• Huang Chong posted the photo to Moments, where his friends congratulated him and speculated about whether Chen Junyi was his girlfriend.
• Li Zifan saw Huang Chong's post and congratulated him on winning gold at the Provincial Games.
• Huang Lingshan saw the photo and rushed to Huang Chong's home, telling his parents that he had a girlfriend.

Huang Chong’s parents learned that he had won two Provincial Games gold medals and began accepting his cycling ambitions, while his victories impressed his friends and the provincial team. The team members worried that Huang Chong’s results would cost one of them a place on the official roster.

• Liang Xiaomei told Huang Lingshan that Chen Junyi was Huang Chong’s coach and explained that Huang Chong had won gold and might have Olympic potential.
• Liang Xiaomei and Huang Yuda watched Huang Chong receive his award on provincial sports news and celebrated his success.
• Du Wei sent Zhou Ming news of Huang Chong’s second gold medal, but Zhou Ming claimed credit because he had given Huang Chong the Specialized SL7.
• Cyclists at the training base reviewed Huang Chong’s dominant results and worried he would take one of their six roster spots during the upcoming selection.

After Huang Chong’s two Provincial Games gold medals put the provincial team’s struggling riders under pressure, he returned to training for the team selection and National Road Cycling Championships. Chen Junyi brought him forms to claim his gold-medal bonus and apply for National Level 1 Road Cyclist status, confirming that his results qualified him.

• The six provincial-team riders realized Huang Chong’s results threatened their places and began intensive training ahead of selection.
• Chen Junyi gave Huang Chong one day off before he resumed preparing for the team selection and National Road Cycling Championships.
• Huang Chong used the provincial team’s workshop to dismantle and overhaul both of his racing bikes.
• Chen Junyi gave Huang Chong an application for his Provincial Games gold-medal bonus and an evaluation form for National Level 1 Road Cyclist status.
• Chen Junyi confirmed that Huang Chong’s two gold medals and sub-forty-minute 30 km time trial met the National Level 1 standard.

Huang Chong signed his Provincial Games forms and completed the provincial team’s 20 km time trial assessment, where he recorded a strong time while concealing some of his power. Chen Junyi encouraged him to focus on upcoming competitions, while privately reconsidering how long she would remain his coach.

• Huang Chong praised Chen Junyi’s paperwork and signed the forms, then admitted he would miss her if she were transferred away.
• Chen Junyi reflected on her temporary assignment to road cycling and advised Huang Chong to focus on his assessment and the National Road Cycling Championships.
• After the holiday, Huang Chong resumed intensive training for the team’s internal selection, a 20 km ITT involving twelve riders.
• Huang Chong drew the first starting position, then completed the course in 25:05.31 at an average speed of 47 km/h.
• Wang Bao was stunned by Huang Chong’s result, unaware that Huang Chong had averaged only 330W and held back his maximum power.

Huang Chong dominated the provincial team’s 20 KM time trial assessment, exposing the veterans’ decline and putting pressure on the later riders. After Huang Chong advised Wang Bao to stay calm and focus on his own effort, Wang Bao improved and finished second, but the newcomers still outperformed the first-team veterans overall.

• Huang Chong posted a leading time-trial result, and the riders starting after him felt mounting pressure as they saw his pace.
• The first-team veterans produced weak results, angering Zhang Guowei, while several newcomers recorded competitive times.
• Wang Bao asked Huang Chong for training and race advice, and Huang Chong urged him to stay calm, control his effort, and avoid chasing rivals’ results during the race.
• Wang Bao followed the advice, rode steadily, and finished second among the twelve riders with an average speed of 43.8 KM/H.
• Zhang Guowei reviewed the standings and found that the newcomers had taken six of the top nine places, while the veterans occupied the bottom six positions apart from Huang Chong.