This Kid Wasn't Right

"Brother Liu, stop teasing me.

This is a 20 km HC-class climb. The average gradient over the final 10 kilometers is 8%, with a maximum gradient that can even reach 12%.

I'm only managing to keep up with you guys by using every last ounce of strength I have, and you still want me to pull the group?

Are you deliberately trying to watch me get dropped and make a fool of myself?"

Huang Chong replied with a bitter smile.

By this point, having ridden all the way from Lin'an District and gone over several long and short rolling climbs, his stamina had been heavily drained.

After all, this body had only been into road cycling for a month. Though the system had continuously improved its weaknesses, he had never climbed a mountain road before.

For his first experience to be an HC-class long climb... honestly, if he were not a reborn man with plenty of climbing memories in his mind, he might not have been able to finish this climb in one go.

He was maintaining 200W+ the entire way, giving it everything he had. There was no room to slack off for even a moment.

His heart rate had also been hovering around the Zone 4 threshold, close to 180, the entire time.

Huang Chong knew very well that once they reached the foot of the final 10 kilometers and headed into the hairpin bends, his heart rate would definitely rise further, perhaps even entering the Zone 5 anaerobic range.

But as the gradient steepened and his legs grew increasingly heavy, the system, which had remained unresponsive despite him riding dozens of kilometers, finally refreshed with a new mission prompt:

[Detected that the host is undergoing climbing training. Please complete at least 10 km of continuous riding. Rewards will be issued based on the host's final completed distance and gradient class: Basic Optimization Points, Heart-rate Threshold Enhancer x1]

[Heart-rate Threshold Enhancer: After taking this drug, the host's endurance while riding at a high threshold will be enhanced, allowing the host's heart rate to receive at least double enhancement during high-threshold periods.]

This was Huang Chong's first time seeing the system offer Basic Optimization Points as a reward without stating a fixed amount, instead distributing them according to his final result.

Naturally, he did not suspect that the system was deliberately screwing with him.

But there was no doubt that this mission was more difficult than every previous task it had detected.

"Complete at least 10 km of continuous climbing?

At the current gradient, completing the mission won't be difficult. But if I only ride these 10 kilometers, the accumulated grade will, at best, only count as a Category 3 climb.

Only by riding the entire 20 kilometers in one go, along with the ultra-difficult hairpin bends over the final 10 kilometers, can this whole climb reach HC class."

There were a full three levels between a Category 3 climb and an HC-class climb. That would undoubtedly make the final rewards worlds apart!

Was the system trying to use a flexible reward system to tempt me into grinding myself to death?

Huang Chong suddenly realized that merely completing the new mission at a basic level was still not difficult.

But how many Basic Optimization Points he could ultimately obtain depended on just how much he was willing to put into the climb ahead.

Only by riding the remaining 20-kilometer climb in one go could he get the highest-tier reward.

"Fuck, the rewards are waiting right there on the mountaintop. Who could resist that?

Looks like I have to go all out.

The system has no time requirement or limit anyway. As long as I don't stop casually to rest during the climb, it shouldn't count as interrupting the ride.

At worst, I'll shift to the small chainring and the biggest cog, then grind my way up little by little. Even then, I have to finish the entire climb!"

In the end, Huang Chong could not resist the system's temptation mechanism. Without hesitation, he decided to grind it out to the very end.

At least for now, he still had enough energy to keep up with the main group ahead and ride with them to the foot of Prince Peak.

Once they reached the hairpin climb, if he ran out of energy, he could just take something. He had plenty in stock now, so he was not short on a Fast-acting Recovery Energy Bar.

Before long, after exchanging a few more pointless remarks with Liu Junjie, he focused all his attention on riding.

But clearly, the system's distance notifications, which had originally appeared every five kilometers, were taking far longer than they had on his previous rides.

After Huang Chong completed 1 kilometer, nearly twenty minutes passed before the prompt showing that he had completed 5 kilometers appeared again.

"I can't do it anymore, Captain. At this speed and power on a climb, I'm going to get dropped!"

"Me too, Captain. I've already given it everything I have just to make it this far. For the continuous hairpin climbs ahead, I can only take it slowly."

When the main group reached the foot of Prince Peak, the three female riders who had held on all the way looked at the road winding up the mountain like a long snake before them, each wearing a helpless bitter smile.

Just looking at the gradient of that zigzagging mountain road was enough to make one's legs go weak.

Still, for them to have persisted this far meant they were absolutely among the stronger amateur female riders.

In Huang Chong's view, with their level, they might not have much hope of reaching the podium at the cycling event, but they would definitely achieve respectable overall rankings.

"It's fine. You three have already performed exceptionally well to make it this far.

From here on, ride together at whatever pace feels most comfortable. Try to maintain formation, rotate with each other, and finish these last 10 kilometers.

If you really can't keep pedaling, you can slow down and wait for those male teammates who were dropped earlier to catch up. Then join them and ride to the summit together."

As the captain, Zhang Yi had retired, but his steady, composed riding posture showed that he still kept up with training.

Strictly speaking, his build was not suited for high-mountain climbing.

Yet the gap between a professional rider and an amateur was enough for him to still dominate every member of the team on an HC-class climb.

However, when Zhang Yi turned to watch the three female riders gradually fall to the back of the group, he noticed that the newcomer Wang Qiang had introduced to him last night was still riding at the pace of their strongest six-man group, without the slightest sign of being dropped. He could not help but feel surprised.

He knew exactly what every member of his team was capable of.

Wang Qiang's trio in particular could be called the strongest members of his team.

Whenever there was an amateur cycling competition and the schedule allowed, he would arrange for the three of them to enter.

But he had not expected this newcomer to keep up with his veteran riders, who had trained for two or three years, without even undergoing his professional training.

This kid wasn't right. The ability he'd shown today was far stronger than Wang Qiang had described last night.

Based on Wang Qiang's account, I thought it would already be impressive if he could finish the entire climb smoothly today.

But now, it looks like he might even be able to ride to the summit with us?

Zhang Yi suddenly found himself looking forward to seeing what Huang Chong could do.

Although he had not yet agreed to let the latter join the team, the fact that Huang Chong had kept up this far meant that even if he could not withstand the hairpin bends over the final 10 kilometers and began falling behind, Zhang Yi would still definitely take him into his team.

This was a pure amateur cyclist who had not received professional training, had been riding for less than a year, and could still maintain an average climbing power of 200W+.

That kind of performance was truly outstanding enough.

If I train him carefully, might he have a chance to compete for championships in amateur events someday?

Zhang Yi could not help thinking so.

Though his cycling team was not a for-profit organization, if one of its members won a championship, it could potentially become a proper paid cycling training class in the future and create opportunities for him to make money.

What was the best advertisement for a training class?

Without question, it was having a genuine champion rider come out of the team.