What Kind of Natural-Born Climbing Monsters Are These?

Seeing that Zhang Yi had taken the initiative to recruit him before they had even finished riding the entire route, Huang Chong was not exactly overjoyed.

Still, having his ability recognized so directly made him quite happy.

No matter what, he had taken the first step that his past self had failed to complete. He had officially joined a road cycling team.

"Thank you for recognizing me, Captain Zhang. I'll train hard, catch up to the other team members as soon as possible, and make sure I don't hold the team back!"

Huang Chong replied sincerely, then added,

"But Wang and the others only gave me a brief overview of the team before. Captain, after joining the team, is there anything I should pay special attention to?"

Zhang Yi smiled and waved his hand as he began to explain.

"Our team is self-organized. We're not officially registered or anything, and we don't even have an office.

Our only headquarters is the WeChat group. I'll add you first, then invite you into the group.

Whenever there are amateur races, training schedules, and so on, I'll post notices in the group.

Other than race days, which can be uncertain, team activities and internal training sessions are generally held on weekends.

After all, everyone has a job. We're not professional riders, so we all have work during the week.

For daily training on weekdays, everyone can only train consciously after work.

If you have to work overtime on the weekend, just let me know in the group beforehand. That counts as taking leave.

But once you've confirmed that you'll be attending a team event, training session, or something similar, you must gather on time.

Our team has stricter standards when it comes to punctuality. One person's behavior shouldn't make the entire group wait. That isn't good for anyone.

If something truly unexpected happens, like getting stuck in traffic and being unable to reach the starting point on time, just follow the original route and slowly catch up.

In short, our team is nonprofit and offers a great deal of freedom.

Wang Qiang and the others trusted me, which was why they let me form this organization in the team's name.

Of course, for races around the Yangtze River Delta, including the West Zhejiang Sky Road, as long as you have time to participate, I'll register you. But you'll have to cover the registration fees yourselves.

If you achieve good results, such as getting on the podium, any prize money naturally belongs to you personally."

After hearing all the team's requirements, Huang Chong found them straightforward enough.

As for the emphasis on punctuality, that was probably based on Zhang Yi's personal habits.

Still, it was actually pretty good. Although the Headwind Cycling Team was nowhere near as formal as a professional team and could not pay its riders, its current model was quite similar to some small club teams in Europe.

For example, Jonas Vingegaard, who was currently dominating the Tour de France and keeping Pogačar under pressure, had trained at a local cycling club in Denmark before joining a professional team. He had received no salary or wages back then and could only maintain his training while working at a fish factory.

That was why domestic fans jokingly called him the "fish-killing guy."

Heh, I wonder what all the big domestic pros will call me after I win the Tour de France someday?

Maybe the bike-assembling guy?

But compared with the fish-killing guy, that nickname falls short by miles, whether in terms of humor or sheer presence!

Huang Chong quietly sighed to himself, then took out his phone from the system space, added Zhang Yi on WeChat, and was invited into the team's WeChat group.

"I understand, Captain. I promise I'll attend team activities on time!"

"Mm. This weekend's training schedule only includes today's West Zhejiang Sky Road. Everyone can make their own arrangements tomorrow."

Zhang Yi continued,

"But you can also ask in the group which team members live closest to where you usually stay. You can train together during the weekdays.

Riding with the team is ultimately better than training alone. You can keep each other motivated, and you'll also have better benchmarks for comparison."

Huang Chong nodded. He had met Wang Qiang and the other three during his usual rides, and they probably lived fairly close to him. He could simply train with them in the future.

Just as he finished discussing joining the team with Zhang Yi, Wang Qiang's group of four finally arrived at the scenic platform on the mountaintop.

Liu Junjie, the most fond of teasing others, stopped his bike and immediately began panting like an exhausted ox, his face full of agony as he complained to Huang Chong.

"Huang Chong, you're such a liar. You deliberately held back against us.

Did you plan from the very beginning to feign weakness first, then completely blow us away on the mountain stage so you could show off in front of everyone?

Captain, this kid has a very dishonest personality. I think there's a problem with his character. I suggest we don't recruit him."

Everyone knew he was joking. On the surface, he was launching a serious criticism of Huang Chong, but in truth, he was indirectly acknowledging Huang Chong's strength.

After all, there had been no luck involved in Huang Chong dropping them on the climb. It had all come down to the power in his legs.

This was not a flat sprint, where the day's form mattered more and one could unleash astonishing peak wattage in a mere dozen seconds, or even a few seconds.

Mountain climbing wore down one's patience and tested one's willpower. What it measured was sustained endurance and unwavering determination.

Yet Huang Chong had used only half a stage and one mountain to prove his talent and strength before every member of the Headwind Cycling Team.

"Little brother, your climbing really is strong. You actually dropped all of us. Should I call you exceptionally gifted, or were you really holding back before and not honestly telling us what you could do?"

Wang Qiang was comparatively steady by nature, but even he could not help smiling bitterly at Huang Chong.

As an experienced rider who had been cycling for years, being dropped by a newcomer was ultimately a little embarrassing.

"By the way, after you and the captain attacked on that 12% steep section, what happened afterward?

Once you went around that U-shaped bend, we couldn't see either of you anymore. Who reached the mountaintop finish first in the end?"

Compared with Liu Junjie and Wang Qiang, Chen Guangming was less interested in confronting Huang Chong about his ability. What he cared more about was who had crossed the mountaintop finish line first.

If Huang Chong had even beaten the captain, then it would have been perfectly natural for the rest of them to get dropped.

But the result did not exceed his expectations. Huang Chong immediately smiled bitterly and replied,

"Senior brothers, stop teasing me. I really wasn't hiding anything from you.

I'm just better at climbing than cruising on flat roads.

On flat stages, my average speed really is only about what it was yesterday. But with the same power output of around 200 watts, I seem to be able to use it more effectively on climbs.

As for who reached the finish first, do you even need to ask? Of course it was the captain.

Actually, after the final U-shaped bend, I had already hit my limit. The captain dropped me directly afterward!"

Hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Good, good. This kid was only somewhat stronger than them. He had not reached the point of putting even their captain, a former professional rider, beneath his feet.

Otherwise, they would have truly suspected that they were not recruiting a newcomer for the team, but inviting in some villain who had come to wreck the place.

But just as they all relaxed, Zhang Yi smiled and added truthfully from the side,

"Huang Chong is being too modest.

Throughout the entire climb, I never managed to pull away from you. Only after reaching the mountaintop, on that final gentle slope that was almost flat, did I gain a lead of just over ten seconds.

Back when I was on the provincial team, I was originally a track rider. Later, I switched to outdoor road racing as a sprinter. Flat terrain is what I'm better at.

So purely in terms of climbing ability, you're not much weaker than me at all!"

The moment Zhang Yi said that, the turbulent waters in Wang Qiang and the others' hearts, which had only just begun to settle, were instantly stirred into towering waves again.

Good heavens, this kid's climbing ability was actually that strong?

He was only a tiny bit weaker than the captain?

What kind of natural-born climbing monster was this?!