Chapter Summaries

Huang Chong endured repeated attacks from Kazakhstan’s Gaierbo and Yevgeny to contest the finish sprint after Gaierbo broke away for the title. He beat Yevgeny by roughly 5 centimeters for second place, securing China a direct Olympic qualification spot.

• Eurosport commentators revealed that Huang Chong was a rookie with zero UCI points who had stayed with Kazakhstan’s two WorldTour riders, while Shinya Arashiro fell behind.
• Gaierbo and Yevgeny agreed to alternate attacks to exhaust Huang Chong, and Yevgeny’s first attack failed to drop him.
• Gaierbo launched a stronger attack, but Huang Chong chased him down at his threshold pace and regrouped with both Kazakhstani riders near the finish.
• With 500 meters left, Gaierbo attacked again and won the Asian Championships title, while Huang Chong stayed with Yevgeny for second place.
• Huang Chong sprinted from behind with 120 meters remaining and crossed the finish line about 5 centimeters ahead of Yevgeny, earning China a direct Olympic qualification spot.

Huang Chong celebrated his silver medal at the Asian Championships and the 200 UCI points he earned for China, then resolved to improve through high-altitude training. After the system reduced the rate at which points increased his FTP, he returned to Shanghai to prepare for the National Road Cycling Championships.

• Huang Chong won the Asian Championships silver medal, securing an Olympic qualification spot and earning 200 UCI points for China.
• Coach Han praised the team at a celebratory dinner and urged the riders to keep earning points at upcoming races, especially the Tour of Qinghai Lake.
• Huang Chong told Chen Junyi he planned to train at high altitude, and she arranged to prepare supplies and have him ride the Tour of Qinghai Lake route in advance.
• Huang Chong discovered that the system now awarded one basic optimization value per UCI point and required 50 values for each FTP point.
• Huang Chong returned to Beijing, then flew with Ma Binyan and Chen Junyi to Shanghai to prepare for the National Road Cycling Championships at Qiandao Lake.

After Huang Chong won the National Road Cycling Championships road race and ITT, the team called him back to Hangzhou to train for the Wenzhou competition. Chen Junyi picked him up and took him to her home for a meal, leaving him flustered because he had not expected to visit.

• Coach Li praised Huang Chong's Asian Championships silver medal and encouraged him to focus on representing the country alongside Brother Ma.
• Huang Chong reunited with his Zhejiang teammates, encouraged Zhou Zitong, and advised Wang Bao to add challenging climbs to his training.
• At the National Road Cycling Championships, Huang Chong and Brother Ma broke away during the 210-kilometer road race, and Huang Chong pulled ahead near the finish to defend his title.
• Huang Chong defeated Xue Ming in the ITT the next day, claiming his second championship title and a 100,000 bonus.
• Chen Junyi called Huang Chong back to Hangzhou for training, then drove him to her home for a meal, surprising him.

Huang Chong visited Chen Junyi’s parents before returning to team training, then dominated the Wenzhou–Yueqing Stage to extend his lead in the general classification. The chapter left him looking ahead to the Tour of Qinghai Lake, the Tour of Guangxi, and the Asian Games as his biggest remaining challenges against stronger international riders.

• Huang Chong nervously visited Chen Junyi’s home for a meal and brought fruit for her parents, Zhang Wanqing and Chen Mingyuan.
• Huang Chong reunited with his teammates and prepared for the two-day Wenzhou–Yueqing Stage, where he planned to defend his red jersey.
• Huang Chong attacked on the race’s hardest climb, dropped Niu Yikui and SHNYRKO Aliaksei, and rode solo for thirty-six kilometers to win the stage by more than five minutes.
• Huang Chong extended his general-classification lead over Niu Yikui to nearly eight minutes, effectively securing the overall title.
• Coach Li realized Huang Chong was ready to focus on higher-level races, while the Tour of Qinghai Lake, the Tour of Guangxi, and the Asian Games awaited him.

Huang Chong traveled to Qinghai with Chen Junyi and Little Ma to prepare for the Tour of Qinghai Lake, where he aimed to win the overall title and its yellow jersey. As he began training on the high-altitude course, his system issued a new mission offering an adaptation enhancer.

• Chen Junyi translated the participating teams list for Huang Chong, then encouraged him by pointing out his talent for cycling.
• Huang Chong, Chen Junyi, and Little Ma flew to Qinghai with the national team, where Director Han arranged their accommodations and discussed the difficult eight-stage race.
• Chen Junyi analyzed the Tour of Qinghai Lake, and Little Ma said he would focus on sprint stages while Huang Chong targeted the overall standings.
• Huang Chong and Chen Junyi set out to inspect the climbing stages, while Little Ma planned to familiarize himself with the flat stages.
• Huang Chong reached the Doba–Guide course and began climbing toward Laji Mountain Pass, where his system assigned him a 50-kilometer high-altitude riding mission and offered a hypoxia adaptation enhancer.

Huang Chong pushed through a 50-kilometer high-altitude climb to complete a system task and earn the High-Altitude Hypoxia Adaptation Enhancer. After Chen Junyi and Zhao Caixia discussed the hope that Chinese riders would win the Tour of Qinghai Lake, Chen Junyi said Huang Chong would fight to keep the gold medal in China.

• Huang Chong accepted the system task to ride 50 kilometers at an average speed of at least 25 km/h, despite having to climb toward Laji Mountain Pass.
• Huang Chong accelerated to Zone Four effort while Chen Junyi monitored his progress and warned him about altitude sickness.
• Huang Chong climbed above 3,000 meters without experiencing serious symptoms, though the thinning air made breathing harder.
• Huang Chong completed the task near 3,600 meters with a 25.3 km/h average speed and received the High-Altitude Hypoxia Adaptation Enhancer.
• Zhao Caixia hoped a Chinese rider would win the Tour of Qinghai Lake, and Chen Junyi said Huang Chong would fight to keep the gold medal on home soil.

Huang Chong reconnoitered the Qinghai Lake stages, joined the Chinese national team for pre-race training, and completed the opening stage without losing time. On Stage Two, he attacked on the Laji Mountain climb and joined a breakaway, seeking to gain an early advantage in the general classification while the foreign riders underestimated him.

• Huang Chong rode from Doba to Guide, completed Stage Two in 3:15:37, and abandoned his plan to ride the next stage the same day after Chen Junyi warned him against it.
• Huang Chong rode the difficult 201 km Stage Three, then surveyed the remaining routes by car and rode Stage Seven to inspect its decisive climb at Nanshan Luoheping Pass.
• Huang Chong and the Chinese national team trained in Doba before the Tour of Qinghai Lake began in Xining on July 9.
• Huang Chong stayed in the peloton during Stage One, while Little Ma finished eleventh and Jiang Zhihui placed fourth overall among Chinese riders.
• Huang Chong conserved energy early in Stage Two, then attacked on the Laji Mountain climb and joined four foreign riders in a breakaway.
• Chinese continental-team riders recognized Huang Chong's plan to exploit the foreign teams' lack of knowledge about his strength, and Li-Ning Star and Tianyoude riders slowed the peloton behind him.

Huang Chong broke away with four foreign riders on the climb to Laji Mountain Pass, then launched a solo attack and claimed the Polka-Dot Jersey with a three-minute lead. He continued alone down the mountain at speeds over 100 kilometers per hour, leaving the European team managers stunned as he chased a stage victory.

• Huang Chong stayed sheltered behind the foreign breakaway riders as the climb passed 3,000 meters, while two riders dropped out of the group.
• Chen Junyi warned Huang Chong that two climbers from the Medellín and Bardiani teams were chasing and might catch him before the summit.
• With five kilometers left and his companions exhausted, Huang Chong attacked on the steepest section and quickly left them behind.
• Huang Chong reached Laji Mountain Pass first, claimed the Polka-Dot Jersey, and opened a three-minute gap over the riders behind.
• Coach Han told Chen Junyi to urge Huang Chong to continue attacking on the descent, and Huang Chong sped downhill alone, reaching 102 kilometers per hour.

Huang Chong won Stage 2 of the Tour of Qinghai Lake after a daring solo descent, finishing more than four minutes ahead and claiming the Yellow, Polka-Dot, and Blue Jerseys. As his team prepared to defend his lead on the next day’s Category 1 climb, rival teams began investigating him and planning tactics.

• Huang Chong descended Laji Mountain at up to 102 km/h, widening his gap while Chen Junyi worried over the radio.
• Huang Chong crossed the Guide County finish line first in 3:03:56, ahead of Nils Sinschek and Anton Stensby.
• Huang Chong won the stage and took the overall lead, the mountains classification, and the best Asian rider classification, though he would wear only the Yellow Jersey on Stage 3.
• Coach Han instructed the national team riders to act as Huang Chong’s domestiques and protect his lead through the upcoming Category 1 climb.
• Rival teams began discussing their Stage 3 tactics and investigating Huang Chong’s racing history and personal information.

After taking the Yellow Jersey, Huang Chong faced a coordinated attack from foreign teams on the mountain stage toward Huzhu County. He stayed with the leading climbers and launched a late sprint for the Category 1 summit, with rival riders chasing him for the climbing points.

• Bardiani's manager criticized the team for failing to investigate Huang Chong and urged the riders to attack for the Yellow Jersey and Polka-Dot Jersey on the mountain stage.
• Huang Chong started from the Yellow Jersey box as the peloton left Guide County, and Medellín and Bardiani moved to the front to control the race.
• On the Category 1 climb, the foreign teams accelerated until most riders, including Anton Stensby and Nils Sinschek, were dropped, while Huang Chong and Lü Xianjing stayed with the leading group.
• Willie Smit, Lucas De Rossi, Roniel Campos, and Lü Xianjing worked together, allowing Huang Chong to draft and make it through the steepest sections with the leaders.
• With 150 meters left before the summit, Huang Chong attacked and surged past the climbers, prompting them to launch their own attacks in pursuit.

Huang Chong used a carefully timed attack to win the Category 1 climb at Nie Family Ridge and secure the Polka-Dot Jersey early, then continued to defend his race lead through Stage Three. He joined a late breakaway near Huzhu County and sprinted toward the finish with two European riders as the chasing leaders closed in.

• Huang Chong baited the other leaders into sprinting early for Nie Family Ridge, then conserved power and overtook them near the line to win the climb and lock up the Polka-Dot Jersey.
• Coach Han congratulated Huang Chong and instructed him to recover on the descent; Huang Chong rejoined Lü Xianjing’s group and followed the team’s plan.
• Huang Chong crossed the next two Category 3 climbs first without opposition while other riders contested the intermediate sprint points.
• Fagúndez Eric Antonio and Baldaccini Davide attacked near the exit of Kazigou Tunnel, and Huang Chong waited before launching a solo chase with three kilometers remaining.
• Huang Chong caught the breakaway, helped the two riders hold off the pursuing leaders, and began the final uphill sprint with them 150 meters from the finish.

Huang Chong kept his Tour of Qinghai Lake overall lead through Stages 3–6 despite rival teams pushing the pace, while the Chinese team prepared to protect him on the decisive Stage 7 climb. The chapter ended with both Bardiani and Coach Han focusing on Nanshan Pass as the last chance to change the standings or secure Huang Chong’s likely championship.

• Huang Chong won Stage 3 with a powerful finishing sprint, extended his overall lead, and left Medellín and Bardiani’s leaders further behind.
• Bardiani manager and rider Alessio Nieri agreed to raise the pace on later stages in hopes of wearing Huang Chong down.
• Huang Chong safely finished Stages 4 and 5 with the GC leaders, while Mulubrhan Henok recovered a few seconds in the Stage 5 sprint.
• Huang Chong contested the Category 2 climb on Stage 6 for five points, then finished safely with the other GC leaders as the standings remained unchanged.
• Bardiani manager urged his exhausted riders to protect Mulubrhan Henok and gamble on Huang Chong collapsing at Nanshan Pass on Stage 7.
• Coach Han told Huang Chong, Little Ma, and the Chinese riders to escort Huang Chong to the foot of Nanshan Pass, warning them not to miss their chance at the championship.

Huang Chong entered Stage 7 of the Tour of Qinghai Lake in the Yellow Jersey, with the final climb at Nanshan Luohe Pass expected to decide the overall standings. He followed Green Jersey wearer Mulubrhan Henok’s attack, and the chapter ended with the two leaders racing head-to-head toward the summit.

• Chen Junyi brought Huang Chong homemade beef bone soup and briefed him on the stage’s crosswinds and decisive final climb.
• Bardiani Team led Mulubrhan Henok to the second intermediate sprint, while Huang Chong’s teammate Little Ma guided Huang Chong toward the front before the climb.
• Huang Chong powered up the mountain, passed riders, and caught Bardiani Team after the first three kilometers.
• Mulubrhan Henok attacked on the steep final section and rose to second in the live standings, while Paredes Wilmar fell behind.
• Huang Chong followed Mulubrhan Henok’s attack, and the two jersey leaders raced toward the summit as Paredes lost the runner-up position.

Huang Chong dropped Mulubrhan Henok on the final climb of Stage 7, then safely finished the Tour of Qinghai Lake to claim the overall title and three jerseys. After celebrating his victory and earning 316 UCI points plus $231,600 in prize money, he learned that Italian and Spanish Pro teams wanted him to join them.

• Huang Chong launched repeated attacks on the final Category 1 climb, broke Mulubrhan Henok, and crossed the summit 37 seconds ahead.
• Huang Chong descended solo to win Stage 7 and secured enough UCI points to finish the race with 316 points overall.
• Huang Chong safely rode the final stage in the peloton and won the Tour of Qinghai Lake, along with the mountains and best rider jerseys.
• Huang Chong celebrated with the national team, shared photos with his teammates, and bought them gifts.
• Coach Han called Huang Chong back to the base and told him that managers from Italian and Spanish Pro teams had invited him to join their teams.

Huang Chong weighed two European Pro team invitations against his goals for the season, and Chen Junyi helped him delay a decision while pursuing a UCI WorldTour opportunity. After they returned to the base and spoke with Coach Han and the team managers, both teams agreed to consider signing Huang next year; Huang also found himself thinking about Chen Junyi as more than a colleague.

• Huang Chong told Chen Junyi that Coach Han had informed him two Pro teams wanted to sign him, but he hoped to aim directly for a UCI WorldTour team and did not want to leave his domestic commitments.
• Chen Junyi advised Huang Chong to keep the Pro teams interested until the winter transfer period, giving him time to race domestically and seek a WorldTour offer.
• Huang Chong asked Chen Junyi to handle his business and clerical matters abroad, and she teased him about wanting her help with language and everyday problems.
• Huang Chong bought Chen Junyi the handicrafts she had admired, and she reminded him to plan his spending carefully, prompting him to recall his grandfather’s advice about finding a woman who knew how to spend money.
• Chen Junyi explained Huang Chong’s intentions to Coach Han and negotiated with both Pro team managers, who agreed to consider him for next year and praised his riding.

After nearly a month of high-altitude training, Huang Chong raced the flat Tianjin Tuanbo Lake Stage as a domestique and used his power to drop most of the field. He won alongside Maris and Hou Dongyi before leaving to resume plateau training and prepare for the Asian Games.

• Huang Chong stayed in Qinghai for nearly a month of training, including a week on the high-altitude Qinghai–Tibet Route, while Chen Junyi remained on the plateau.
• Huang Chong flew to Tianjin on August 12, and Coach Li assigned him to lead out Maris, Hou Dongyi, Little Ma, and their teammates on the flat stage.
• Huang Chong drove the peloton at more than 50 kilometers per hour, repeatedly surging until most of the riders had been dropped.
• With five kilometers left, Huang Chong accelerated with Maris and Hou Dongyi, and the three crossed the finish together after the other sprinters fell away.
• Maris and Hou Dongyi gave Huang Chong a slight push at the line, and the finish camera recorded him winning the stage in 3:28:08 at an average speed of 52.3 kilometers per hour.
• Coach Li praised Huang Chong's improvement and urged him to return to the plateau to prepare for the Asian Games.

Huang Chong returned to Hangzhou after months of high-altitude preparation for the Asian Games, where he would race both the men's ITT and road race. As the ITT approached, Coach Han warned him about defending champion Alexey Lutsenko and other strong rivals, while urging him to ride without pressure.

• Huang Chong reviewed the Asian Games entry lists and saw that Kazakhstan had entered Alexey Lutsenko, the two-time Asian Games ITT champion.
• Chen Junyi reassured Huang Chong about his demanding preparation, and Huang Lingshan called to ask about his races before Du Wei offered to meet him in Hangzhou.
• Huang Chong and Chen Junyi returned to Hangzhou on October 1, where Coach Han welcomed them and told Huang Chong to eat and rest.
• Huang Chong trained with Lü Xianjing and Niu Yikui and exchanged greetings with his teammates before Coach Han discussed the ITT.
• Coach Han told Huang Chong he would start last in the fourteen-rider ITT and named Alexey Lutsenko, Yuma Koishi, Liu Yunyou, and Du Zhihao as notable rivals.

Huang Chong began the Asian Games men's ITT, facing WorldTour rider Alexey Lutsenko as his main rival. At the halfway checkpoint, Huang Chong was three seconds behind Lutsenko despite riding at his limit, and he pushed harder on the return leg.

• Kazakhstan's head coach warned Alexey Lutsenko that Huang Chong's recent results made China Team their biggest threat, while Lutsenko remained confident in his own ability.
• Japan's coaches told Yuma Koishi and Shinya Arashiro to protect Arashiro and fight the Chinese riders, and Koishi promised they would give everything.
• The Asian Games cycling events began on October 3, and Uzbekistan's Olga Zabelinskaya won the women's ITT while China's Wang Tingting finished seventh.
• Huang Chong started last in the men's 39.6-kilometer ITT, two minutes after Lutsenko, as Du Wei, Young Master Zhou, and Huang Chong's family watched and cheered.
• At the turnaround, Chen Junyi told Huang Chong that his average speed was 49.31 km/h, three seconds slower than Lutsenko's 49.41 km/h, so Huang Chong increased his effort for the return leg.

Huang Chong trailed Lutsenko for most of the time trial but attacked the final kilometer’s sharp turns and sprinted across the finish. He beat Lutsenko by 1.198 seconds to claim the Asian Games ITT gold medal.

• Lutsenko learned Huang Chong had been three seconds faster at the halfway point, then received coaching advice to push harder on the climbs.
• Huang Lingshan and the Huang family watched anxiously as Huang Xiaocong explained Lutsenko’s WorldTour credentials and the possibility that Huang Chong might race in Europe.
• Du Wei and Zhou Ming debated Huang Chong’s chances while waiting at the finish, as Huang Chong struggled through the harder return route.
• Chen Junyi told Huang Chong that Lutsenko had finished nearly five seconds ahead on adjusted time, leaving the final kilometer as Huang Chong’s chance to catch him.
• Huang Chong raced aggressively through the winding final kilometer and sprinted across the line, finishing 1.198 seconds faster than Lutsenko and winning gold.

Huang Chong won the Asian Games men’s individual time trial by 1.198 seconds over Alexey Lutsenko, then celebrated with his family, friends, and fans. After meeting Chen Junyi’s parents, he turned his attention to preparing for the road race two days later.

• Huang Lingshan and Liang Xiaomei watched Huang Chong narrowly win the gold, and Liang Xiaomei planned a family feast to celebrate.
• Huang Chong recovered after the finish, and Chen Junyi told him he had beaten Alexey Lutsenko by 1.198 seconds; Huang Chong said Lutsenko remained stronger in several aspects.
• Huang Chong received his gold medal and spotted Chen Mingyuan and Zhang Wanqing cheering for him in the crowd.
• Huang Chong took photos with Du Wei, Wu Fang, Zhou Ming, and other fans after giving interviews.
• Huang Chong found Chen Junyi with her parents and Zhang Guowei, and Chen Mingyuan praised his ride while warning him to prepare for the road race two days later.