Exceeding the Target, Rewards Multiplied

"Damn, am I really this weak now?"

"Is the wind too strong today, or is it because I didn't change into cycling gear?"

Huang Chong had always been a driven person. No matter how difficult the setback, he would never wallow in self-pity.

Just like when he encountered steep, long climbs in his previous life, he would grit his teeth and push through. He would never stop to walk his bike.

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But he knew full well that this was simply the level he was at right now.

Compared to his previous life, when after three years of riding he could maintain an average speed of around 35 km/h over 100 kilometers and had an FTP of over 200W, he was indeed far too weak at the moment.

For a beginner, whether their thighs and heart were strong was undoubtedly the two most important factors affecting cycling.

The thighs represented power, while the heart determined whether a rider could maintain sufficient endurance for sustained output in both aerobic and anaerobic states.

However, because heart-rate zone training—divided into Z1 through Z5—was particularly specialized, the system had not included it on Huang Chong's personal panel.

Having only recently taken up the sport with his falsely overweight physique, Huang Chong's heart rate had already shot past 170 after riding less than a kilometer, and his chest felt as if it were tightening.

This was the consequence of severely insufficient Zone 2 aerobic long-distance training.

Fortunately, the system's test requirements were not high. The distance was short, and as long as his average speed reached 20 km/h, he could definitely complete it even on a mountain bike.

Time flew by. The powerful wind hindered his progress, but he did not care in the slightest.

There were quite a lot of cycling enthusiasts in Hangzhou during the evening.

Compared to everyone else in standard cycling jerseys, clipless shoes, and a full set of professional equipment, he looked especially amateurish today.

He wore a pair of flat-soled Nike shoes on his feet, along with an everyday T-shirt and sweatpants.

Luckily, he had a cycling helmet and riding glasses on. Otherwise, the keyboard warriors would definitely have called him a complete newbie with no basic sense of safety.

"Hey, look at that chubby guy. He's riding so hard, but he doesn't even know to change into cycling clothes or wear clipless shoes. He's obviously a newbie!"

"Hehe, he's just a beginner. It's normal that he doesn't know everyday clothes increase wind resistance. He'll understand once he's been riding longer!"

"But he's pushing way too hard. He knows his legs are weak, yet he's still going all out. Look, his lips have gone pale. How far can he even ride like that? What training effect could that possibly have?"

The comments and pointing from his fellow riders drifted past Huang Chong's ears.

Though they spoke quietly, he still heard them.

Actually, they were not necessarily wrong. He was simply in a hurry to complete the system mission today and could not be bothered to go home and change clothes.

So he did not waste time arguing with them. He focused only on finishing the test, his weak legs hammering the pedals as he quickly dropped them all. But on closer inspection, his cadence was only around 70.

Compared to the average cadence of 90 to 100 revolutions per minute maintained by professional riders, this was undoubtedly another major weakness of his.

Although he could increase his cadence by switching to the small chainring and a large cog, or by using shorter cranks, once his riding speed rose, the gearing speed produced by the small ring and large cog would be far from enough.

Especially since he was still at the beginner stage. If he could not even train himself to maintain a cadence above 90 on the big chainring while cruising on flat roads, then his path to the Tour de France would likely become unimaginably distant.

Of course, road cycling revolved around the legs. As long as he built up the power in those two legs, his other weaknesses could be improved alongside his training.

[Congratulations, you have completed 1 KM of cycling at an average speed of 25 KM/H. Keep it up!]

[Congratulations, you have completed 5 KM of cycling at an average speed of 25 KM/H. Keep it up!]

[Congratulations, you have completed 10 KM of cycling at an average speed of 25 KM/H. Total time: 00:24:03.]

When the message showing he had completed 10 KM appeared, Huang Chong stopped by the roadside.

[You have completed the Newbie Test. Rewards are being distributed.]

[As this is your first completed test, and your average speed exceeded the system requirement by 5 KM/H, your rewards have been increased fivefold.]

[Reward obtained: 10 Beginner Optimization Points, Training Recovery Energy Gel ×5.]

[Note: You have unlocked the system-exclusive Cycling Storage Space. The Training Recovery Energy Gel has been automatically stored within and can be retrieved for use at any time.]

"Holy crap, rewards can be multiplied based on every extra kilometer per hour over the target average speed?

"If I'd known, even if I had to enter an anaerobic state and risk my life, I would have raised my average speed by another two or three kilometers—"

Huang Chong complained inwardly while gasping for breath.

Although his 10 KM ride had reached his limit in a Zone 4 endurance state, he had not entered an anaerobic sprint.

However, after seeing the specific rewards from the system, his surprise outweighed everything else. Even the tightness and fatigue in his thighs were swept away.

"I didn't expect the system to give me storage space too. Doesn't that mean I can store repair equipment, the road bike itself, and even living supplies when I go on loaded touring rides?

"In the future, I'll only need to bring myself when I go out riding. I won't need to carry any supplies, and I won't have to worry about my road bike being banned from high-speed rail. This is awesome, isn't it?!"

What did road cyclists fear most?

Without question, mechanical failures during a ride, such as blowouts or punctures.

In pursuit of lighter weight, people had generally begun using ultralight TPU inner tubes.

Each one weighed only twenty or thirty grams. They really were light, but the drawback was that they were far too easy to puncture.

To prevent mechanical failures on the road, most cyclists hung a small emergency repair saddlebag behind their seats when they went riding.

It would contain several spare TPU inner tubes, disposable CO2 cartridges, hex wrenches for removing thru-axles and taking wheels on and off, and so on.

The tools were streamlined as much as possible, but they still added unnecessary weight.

Huang Chong was different. Now that the system had provided him with portable storage space, he could store supplies and cycling equipment in advance no matter where he was, then take them out whenever he wanted to ride.

He had directly become a unique existence who could handle repairs, supplies, and training all by himself, without needing a team or teammates for logistical support.

Of course, repairing bikes required skill. He was currently only a mechanic's assistant, capable of little more than changing tires and helping professional mechanics with odd jobs.

He had never learned more precise operations in either of his lives, such as fully assembling a road bike, filling hydraulic brake lines, tuning drivetrain parameters, or servicing an entire bike.

"Forget all that for now. I need to think carefully about which weakness these 10 Beginner Optimization Points should go toward!"

Huang Chong glanced at his personal panel and had to admit that the system's classification of his weaknesses was incredibly detailed and professional.

Every single weakness listed there was important.

First, there was no need to mention power and cadence. They were the core data points of road cycling.

Sprint ability, meanwhile, determined whether he could win flat sprints or certain one-day classics in addition to becoming a GC rider.

For example, one of his idols, Pogačar, was an all-round genius of a rider. He could climb and sprint alike, practically a bug-level existence—the first in road cycling history capable of dominating both one-day races and stage races.

Aside from those areas, bike-handling skills, cornering ability, and Terrain Prediction were equally important.

Road cycling itself was fast, and complex road conditions made it even more dangerous.

For example, when riders became crowded together, when one was forced onto the shoulder or into a flower bed, or when encountering potholes, falling rocks, drainage ditches, and the like, superb bike-handling skills were needed to resolve the crisis.

Cornering ability was especially critical on descents and in ITT races.

The more extreme and smooth the cornering, the faster the speed, and the more time one could gain over others.

At top-level races, every second counted!

As for Terrain Prediction, it meant gaining advance knowledge of the entire course.

According to the Union Cycliste Internationale's habits in setting stages, the routes of the Grand Tours, as well as some week-long races, changed every year. Although riders and teams could scout the courses beforehand, if a rider personally had a complete prediction of the terrain, they would undoubtedly be much more at ease during the race.

But the UCI WorldTour was still far too distant for Huang Chong. At the moment, he did not even need to worry about those latter factors.

His top priority was to raise his Functional Threshold Power while reducing his weight, thereby improving his Power-to-Weight Ratio. That was what mattered most.

He decisively muttered in his heart:

"Put all my Beginner Optimization Points into Functional Threshold Power."

[Points allocated successfully! Your Functional Threshold Power has increased by 10 points. Current value: 170W. Power-to-Weight Ratio increased to 2.26.]

The instant the system's voice rang out, a tingling sensation, like static electricity brushing against him, immediately spread through the two thighs of his falsely overweight body.