No Need to Rotate, I Can Still Lead

Seeing the new task refresh, Huang Chong, who had already figured out the system's reward rules, knew that tasks with cycling-distance requirements often gave doubled rewards as long as they were overcompleted.

"Lead at the current average speed for 10 KM?"

After reading the requirement clearly, he could not help glancing at the data displayed on the system bike computer floating before his eyes:

[Average speed: 32], [Power: 180]

[Cadence: 91], [Heart rate: 173]

[Gradient: 0%], [Distance: 0.3]

He immediately gave a bitter smile.

I shouldn't have pushed my power this hard—

Now I had to maintain an average speed of 32 for 10 KM. That was equivalent to holding Zone 4 threshold the entire time, cycling at my absolute limit.

What misery had I brought upon myself?

His emotions were complicated. He had set the pace far too high.

Of course, with his current ability, he was still confident he could maintain this power output and complete the task.

After all, his Functional Threshold Power had reached 185 W after the consecutive stat increases.

Although he had used up quite a bit of stamina while drafting for the first 50 KM, he should be able to grit his teeth and hold 180 W for 10 KM without taking anything.

Besides, he was cycling in the city, where the roads were excellent—nothing but flat terrain without the slightest incline.

It was not raining tonight either, and there were no crosswinds or side winds creating extra difficulty for him. These were practically ideal conditions for cruising on flat roads.

If he were cycling in the mountains, with constant climbs and descents, maintaining an average speed of over 32 for the entire route would be difficult for anyone but a professional rider.

But looking at it another way, since the system had issued a task like this, it probably wanted me to train at threshold.

After all, once I officially start competing, aside from drafting in the peloton and cruising in Zone 2 to conserve energy, I'll need to hold Zone 4 threshold for extended periods whenever I break away or attack on key sections of the course—maybe even ride violently in the anaerobic zone.

In his previous life, Huang Chong had watched live broadcasts of nearly a hundred UCI WorldTour races and participated in many amateur cycling events. He knew full well that in races, riders could not simply maintain a steady average speed and leisurely ride the entire course.

Unless they had no ambition for results at all and were merely amateur enthusiasts there to experience the atmosphere of a cycling race.

Anyone who wanted to stand on the podium would have to take part in attacks and tactical battles at all kinds of different tempos over the course of a long race, matching wits and courage with other riders.

And if it were a professional race, the conditions would only be harsher.

Not only would the opponents be formidable, but once a rider crossed the finish line, the countdown would begin.

Any riders behind who exceeded the time limit set by the race officials would automatically be eliminated. They could only be counted as having failed to finish—a DNF.

Still, this was good. The previous tasks had all been too easy to complete. Today's task finally had a little challenge to it. Perfect—I wanted to see just how far I could push my limits when I went all out.

Huang Chong quickly adjusted his mindset.

He had never been someone who sought shortcuts. In fact, he usually liked taking on difficult challenges and had the sort of personality that grew more determined with every setback.

Failure was nothing to fear for him.

So he cast aside his extraneous thoughts and focused entirely on leading. His gaze stayed fixed ahead as he constantly watched the nighttime road conditions to prevent any accidents.

At the same time, he kept his upper body as steady as possible, no longer shifting around repeatedly, in order to maintain the best aerodynamic effect.

His legs maintained a stable cadence as he began pedaling madly and delivering sustained output at the best level he could currently manage.

[You have led your teammates for 1 KM at the required speed. Keep it up!]

[You have led your teammates for 5 KM at the required speed. Keep it up!]

The moment the system's second line of text appeared, the young man following closely behind him—who had been keeping a close eye on the distance data on his bike computer—immediately spoke to Huang Chong.

"Brother, you've already led for 5 KM. You've kept your speed around 32 the whole time, so you've done well. You can rotate with me now. Drop to the back and draft for a while to rest up!"

But how could Huang Chong, whose task was not yet complete, allow himself to be interrupted halfway through?

Without turning his head, he said at once:

"No need to rotate yet. I've only just warmed up, and I'm starting to feel it now. Let me keep leading a little longer. Once I can't hold on anymore, I'll rotate with you guys!"

The three people behind him were all stunned when they heard that.

Good lord, what kind of crazy talk was that?

A guy who had been cycling for less than a year actually wanted to lead for an extended stretch?

Still, they were genuinely curious about Huang Chong. The impression he gave them was simply hard to define.

They wanted to see just how long this kid could last.

"Fine, then. Since you're feeling good, we'll take advantage of you. But if you reach your limit, remember to say so. Don't force yourself."

Huang Chong replied with a smile.

"Don't worry, bosses. I know my own limits. I'm still far from my limit right now, so just draft in peace!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he became even more focused. His hands shifted from the tops of the handlebars to the drops.

For older people, riding in the drops was not a particularly good option. It required them to lower their upper bodies further, making their riding posture more aggressive and aerodynamic.

That placed far greater demands on lower-back flexibility.

Fortunately, Huang Chong was young. Though he was slightly overweight, he had never spent long periods sitting in an office, so he had no chronic lower-back problems and his bones and joints had not stiffened up.

Therefore, riding in the drops brought him many benefits. It not only reduced wind resistance and energy consumption, but also increased his stability while riding at high power.

That made him even more confident as he rode at full effort.

[You have led your teammates for 10 KM at the required speed. Task completion detected. Do you wish to end training and claim the system reward?]

Just as he had expected, Huang Chong saw the prompt and found that the task had not ended. He immediately realized that this was another task that could be overcompleted, so he silently said in his heart:

Keep riding. Continue the task!

As he chose to continue cycling, the text continued reporting his progress precisely by distance as he rode onward:

[You have led your teammates for 15 KM at the required speed. Keep it up!]

[You have led your teammates for 25 KM at the required speed. Keep it up!]

"Brother, you've already led for 25 KM. Haven't your legs hit their limit yet? It's time to rest for a while, isn't it?"

The young man following closely behind Huang Chong saw that the return-trip distance displayed on the bike computer had already passed the halfway mark. Yet the guy in front showed no sign of slowing down or dropping back to draft, and a hint of respect began rising in his heart.

It was not just him. The other two felt the same way.

Because Huang Chong had been leading the entire time, they had all been leisurely riding in Zone 2 behind him without changing positions. There was no need to.

With their abilities, each of the three of them could more or less manage to lead for the whole route like Huang Chong. But they had been cycling for many years, and their team even had a captain who had retired from a professional squad to provide them with specialized training. They were far beyond an amateur rider like him.

Yet now, three seasoned riders who could be considered semi-professional were being led along by a rookie. What kind of situation was that?

And this rookie did not show the slightest sign of being unable to continue. Not only did he maintain high energy throughout, but his endurance also seemed astonishing.

Look at him—he had been leading for almost an hour, yet his average speed and riding posture were still so stable. He was practically a robot.

If he joined some cycling group or amateur team, wouldn't he make an incredible domestique?

Of course, being able to cruise at 32 on flat roads only put him above complete beginners and newly initiated amateurs.

Whether a domestique was truly outstanding depended, ultimately, on climbing ability. That was the real test for a road cyclist.

Huang Chong did not know what they were thinking. Otherwise, he would definitely have laughed in exasperation.

Making someone with cheats like him into a domestique? What nonsense.

However, as time passed and the distance increased, after leading for nearly an hour, fatigue began to appear in his legs.

He knew the cause of these symptoms. After prolonged intense exercise, his muscle cells demanded more oxygen. But because they were not receiving sufficient supply, they entered anaerobic respiration and produced what was known as lactic acid.

If he did not relax afterward through massage, steaming, or similar methods, lactic acid buildup would occur the next day, leading to muscle soreness, weakness throughout the body, drowsiness, and other aftereffects.

Yet as the remaining distance grew shorter and shorter, although he could feel fatigue in his legs and body, his mind was exceptionally exhilarated. He had no desire to stop at all.

Less than half the distance remained to the finish. If he could hold on until the end, the reward could even double twice more.

That enormous temptation prompted him to take a Fast-acting Recovery Energy Bar from the system storage space without hesitation. He bit open the package and swallowed the gel inside in a single gulp.

He carefully felt the sudden recovery of energy in his body after consuming the energy bar. When all his fatigue vanished at once, delight filled his heart.

The system had not lied after all. The Fast-acting Recovery Energy Bar's effect was practically instantaneous.

He said boldly:

"No need to rotate. I can still lead!"