Conquering Teammates, Invitation to Join the Team

Of course, all three of them had seen Huang Chong eat the Fast-acting Recovery Energy Bar. What they could not imagine was that, unlike the performance energy gels sold on the market, which could only take effect slowly, it had instantly restored him to full strength.

Huang Chong's answer left all three of them utterly shocked.

He had ridden at Zone 4 threshold for nearly 30 kilometers, pulling at the front the whole way without taking a single break or letting the average speed drop below 32 kilometers per hour. And now, after casually eating an energy bar, he could actually keep pulling?

Was this really something an amateur rider who had only recently started could do?

"Brother, the way you're pulling is honestly a little scary. It's been nearly an hour already. Why don't you drop back and rotate with us?"

The oldest of the group, who usually acted as the big brother, thought for a moment before adding a few watts and moving from the back of the group to Huang Chong's side. Riding alongside him, he continued,

"Your strength really is impressive. To be honest, when I first got into cycling, I wasn't nearly as strong as you are now.

"Also, you're on the heavier side. How are you able to maintain such high-intensity riding for so long?

"Is your heart-lung capacity naturally strong?"

A professional's eye was indeed sharp. He had immediately hit upon the key issue.

If Huang Chong had not taken the Heart-Lung Strengthening Pill earlier, then even if his legs could put out the power, his heart would not have been able to withstand such a long threshold ride.

The young man had come up beside him, but now that his energy had recovered, Huang Chong had no intention of dropping back to draft behind the team.

Since he had already taken the pill, he naturally had to finish the remaining 20 kilometers. Otherwise, if he failed to get the doubled reward, wouldn't that be a huge loss?

He smiled and made something up.

"You really know your stuff, sir. You spotted my strengths at a glance. My heart-lung capacity has indeed been better than that of other people my age ever since I was young.

"Don't be fooled by the fact that I've been holding Zone 4 threshold for nearly an hour. As long as my legs can keep up the power, I can hold it for another hour without a problem.

"My heart rate has stayed just above 170 the whole time. It's still a long way from my maximum heart rate!

"As for my weight, I've realized it's an issue too. I've already started losing weight. I plan to get down to 60 kilograms, and my power-to-weight ratio should improve a lot by then."

"I see. In that case, you really are naturally suited for road cycling. It's just a pity you started a little late."

After hearing Huang Chong's explanation, the young man looked both impressed and regretful.

What he meant was no different from Du Wei. He felt that Huang Chong had already graduated from college and was only starting cycling now. No matter how outstanding his talent was, there was not much room left for him to grow.

But that was actually the state of road cycling throughout China. Aside from track cyclists who were trained from childhood, road cyclists basically had no formal training system at all.

Any rider capable of producing results had generally come from an amateur background.

Of course, Ji Cheng was an exception. A pioneer of Chinese road cycling who had competed in Europe's Grand Tours and even won the Combative Award at the Vuelta a España, he was a genuine professionally trained rider and also Huang Chong's idol.

"You want to get down to 60 kilograms?

"Isn't that too much weight to lose for someone your height?

"Cycling is great as a hobby. There's no need to be as harsh on yourself as UCI WorldTour riders are.

"After all, we're ordinary people. If you overtrain and injure yourself, the loss will outweigh the gain."

Huang Chong could tell that the other man's words came from the most sincere concern between fellow cyclists.

However, he could not share his ambition of becoming a professional rider with these people he had only just met. So he did not intend to say much more and merely smiled.

"You're right, sir. I'll pay closer attention to my physical condition. If I find that my fitness drops severely after reaching 60 kilograms, I'll put some weight back on."

"Mm, it's good that you know your limits. We're all fellow enthusiasts, and meeting each other is fate. I won't say much else. Cycling is meant to improve your health, and health is the most important thing. Just keep it in moderation."

After a brief pause, the young man asked again,

"But are you sure you don't need to rotate with us?

"I saw you eat an energy gel, but those things can only help so much. It would be better to take turns pulling with us."

Naturally, Huang Chong would not agree to the suggestion. He replied firmly,

"It's fine, sir. I'm really in great shape right now. I only ate the energy gel as a precaution. There isn't much distance left anyway, so let me finish pulling!"

"Alright, if you say so, then keep it up!"

In the end, the young man said nothing more. He nodded and dropped back to the rear of the group, allowing Huang Chong to lead them through the remaining 20 kilometers and back to the city center where they had started.

"Brother, you're seriously incredible. Honestly, I thought you'd pull for maybe ten or twenty kilometers at most before hitting your limit. I never expected you to do 50 kilometers in one go. You've got my respect!"

After the ride ended, as they were about to part ways, one of them gave Huang Chong a thumbs-up.

He had truly been stunned by Huang Chong's ability.

"Yeah, brother. With your ability, if you train systematically, you might even have a chance to compete in cycling races. Are you interested in joining a team? The three of us are members of Hangzhou's Headwind Cycling Team. If you're interested, we can introduce you to our captain!"

Another person spoke with a smile.

Huang Chong was not surprised to hear that they were all team members. He had already suspected as much.

Just as he was hesitating over whether to join their organization first and get familiar with team life, the oldest young man, who had spoken with him privately earlier, added with a smile,

"Our captain, Zhang Yi, is a retired former professional rider. He used to be on the provincial team. I don't know if you've heard of him.

"If you join our team, the captain can give you more professional training plans.

"Once you're strong enough, he might even take you to some domestic amateur cycling races.

"The three of us usually only ride on the city greenways during weekdays. On weekends, we train outside the city with the team.

"For example, tomorrow is Saturday. We'll be riding the West Zhejiang Sky Road, starting from Lin'an District, passing through the Hualang Route, Prince Peak, West Zhejiang Grand Canyon, Horse Roar Ridge, and more, before returning to Lin'an District.

"There are flats, climbs, and descents. The route is similar to a European one-day classic, and it's over 130 kilometers in total. It's a great cycling route!"

Huang Chong was genuinely tempted when he heard that.

Compared to his current situation, where he could only feel his way forward and train on the city's flat roads to complete system missions, joining a team, even an amateur one, was undoubtedly a better way to train.

After all, they had training methods closer to professional standards, as well as a more comprehensive information network.

Not to mention that their captain was a retired former professional rider, they also had more detailed access to information on cycling route selection, as well as the timing and locations of amateur races. That alone was enough to make his heart stir.

In any case, amateur cycling teams were generally informal organizations formed by enthusiasts from all walks of life. There would not be any restrictions, much less contracts.

If he wanted to leave, he could do so anytime. It would not affect his greater goal of becoming a professional rider.

After thinking it over, Huang Chong decided not to miss this chance to gain experience in a semi-professional environment. He immediately said with delight,

"I was just worrying about how to join a cycling team and receive more professional training. Since you three are team members and don't mind that my legs are weak, and you're even willing to recommend me to Captain Zhang, then of course I'm willing to join!"

"Great. Let's add each other on WeChat first. I'll tell our captain about your abilities truthfully. If he agrees to let you join the team, I'll add you to our team chat."

"That's wonderful. Thank you, all three of you. Oh, right, my name is Huang Chong. I'm from Xianyun County, Zhejiang Province."

Huang Chong quickly took out his phone and added all three of them on WeChat. He also learned their names afterward.

The oldest young man was named Wang Qiang. Of the other two, the one who liked joking around more was Liu Junjie, while the one who had invited him to join the team was Chen Guangming.