Excited Heart, Trembling Hands

After eating the Fast-acting Recovery Energy Bar, the energy Huang Chong had expended was instantly restored, and his fatigue vanished without a trace.

As a result, he could continue riding intensely while maintaining Zone 4, the lactate threshold zone between aerobic and anaerobic effort.

As long as he did not enter a sprint or stand up to pedal hard, he would not enter Zone 5 anaerobic intensity, allowing lactate to rapidly build up in his body and push him into fatigue.

But in truth, after the system had optimized his heart several times, his maximum heart rate could no longer be calculated using the crude formula of 220 minus age.

As for the exact number, even he did not know.

However, during his daily training over the past few days, aside from doing large amounts of long aerobic rides, he had also carried out intermittent short-distance anaerobic sprint training.

Based on the data displayed on his system bike computer at the time, he had roughly estimated that his current maximum heart rate was at least 210.

In other words, for him to enter Zone 5 anaerobic range now, his heart rate would have to reach 190+.

This was the greatest improvement the system had brought him.

Of course, aside from his heart, his lungs must have received a tremendous boost as well. His VO2 max was surely at a world-class level now.

According to cycling news, although he had no way of knowing whether it was true, it was said that Jumbo–Visma Team's Vingegaard had a VO2 max as high as 97, putting him at the second-highest level in the world record rankings.

Using that as a benchmark, even if he was not as good as Vingegaard after the system's optimization, he certainly would not be far behind.

Of course, VO2 max alone did not directly mean that a rider had great endurance.

It also had to be considered alongside lactate threshold to comprehensively assess whether a rider truly possessed exceptional endurance and explosive cycling ability.

After pushing through extreme anaerobic riding, whoever recovered faster and could still withstand fatigue to keep going while their lactate levels were over the limit was the true powerhouse.

That was why Pogačar was so versatile.

He could climb and sprint alike, a truly all-round GC rider with no blind spots. It was because his body's recovery ability after anaerobic riding was simply too strong.

The Grand Tours lasted three weeks, twenty-one days of high-intensity racing. If a rider wanted to win, their body's recovery ability was the most fundamental foundation for victory.

"Huang Chong, have you ever considered becoming a professional rider?"

After reaching the 100-kilometer finish point, Huang Chong and Zhang Yi did not stop riding immediately. Instead, they reduced their pace, kept their heart rates around Zone 1 warm-up intensity, and continued to ride slowly.

This relaxed the muscles and also helped expel excess lactate from the body during the process.

Looking only at their average speed over the latter 50 kilometers, the data displayed on Zhang Yi's bike computer was as high as around 46 km/h.

That had already reached the basic entry-level standard domestic road riders could achieve on flat stages.

At the very least, with Huang Chong's current ability, it was hard to say whether he could be selected for a provincial team, but joining a city-level team would definitely not be a problem.

Huang Chong had not expected Zhang Yi to proactively ask whether he wanted to become a professional rider.

But since the other man had asked, Huang Chong could tell that Zhang Yi had already recognized his ability.

If he was not good enough, why would Zhang Yi bother asking?

So Huang Chong did not beat around the bush. He took the chance to lay the matter out, and with Zhang Yi being a retired provincial team rider, he could also learn more about the channels for joining an official team.

He replied with a smile:

"Of course I want to become a professional rider, Captain Zhang. I just don't know whether my current level is enough to meet the selection standards.

"And I don't know how to join a team either—

"I've only heard that Continental teams generally send scouts to races to discover talent. They take the initiative to extend an olive branch and recruit riders who meet their technical standards, rather than riders bringing their training data to apply to teams themselves."

"Continental teams do recruit people that way sometimes," Zhang Yi said with a nod.

"But in fact, the odds of finding riders through the method you mentioned are very, very low.

"Generally speaking, Continental teams still select outstanding talent from provincial and city teams. That is certainly far more reliable than looking for hidden experts among amateurs.

"And although our country has quite a few Continental teams, their core strength still mainly comes from foreign riders. So if you want to become a professional rider, it is best to start with a provincial or city team.

"As long as your level can meet a Continental team's selection standards in the future, you will not have to worry about no one recruiting you.

"Of course, joining a provincial or city team and gaining official rider status has another advantage. If you can rank among the best riders in the country, say, in the top five, you will have a chance to be called up to the national team."

Huang Chong had some understanding from his previous life of the benefits of becoming a member of the road cycling national team.

First of all, he could participate in many major road cycling events under that status, such as the World Championships, Olympic Games, Asian Championships, Asian Games, and so on.

Beyond that, the national team had an incredibly impressive privilege: at the Tour of Guangxi, the only UCI WorldTour race held in the country each year, it could receive a UCI special invitation as a wildcard team and compete alongside eighteen UCI WorldTour teams.

It could be said that even without leaving the country or ever setting foot in Europe, domestic riders had the chance to demonstrate their ability and level before the managers of UCI WorldTour teams.

This was undoubtedly irresistibly attractive to Huang Chong.

It was even directly tied to whether he could join one of the eighteen UCI WorldTour teams outright.

Otherwise, he would have to take a detour—first joining a lower-tier European Pro-level professional team, then moving up from a Pro team to a UCI WorldTour team.

For a rookie athlete, submitting a résumé had never been a good way to apply for a job.

Only the most direct and brutal proof in competition, such as winning a stage, was the best demonstration of one's ability.

"I'm willing to start with a provincial or city team, Captain Zhang. That isn't a problem. But how do I join a city-level team? Do they hold open trials, or do I need formal training?"

"Different places have different selection standards. In some provinces, the provincial team holds open selections for the general public and chooses the best candidates.

"But our province's recruitment system is relatively rigorous and standardized. To join the provincial team, you have to be selected from a city-level team.

"Alternatively, riders are developed from their youth. For example, those who achieve good results in youth championships can transfer directly to the provincial team once their age and ability reach the adult division level."

Huang Chong's head throbbed after hearing this. He truly knew nothing about this kind of institutional promotion system and had never specifically looked into it before.

But without question, the youth route did not suit him at all. That was for high school students.

He had already graduated from university. He could practically be called an aging rider, and he was long past being considered a young one.

So after hearing Zhang Yi's explanation, he knew he had only one path: joining a city-level team first. He asked:

"Captain, just tell me straight. How can an amateur like me join a city-level team?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yi fixed his eyes on him for a moment before slowly saying:

"Register with the relevant department and apply for selection eligibility. Once you obtain it, the department will conduct professional skill tests, physical fitness tests, cardiopulmonary tests, and so on. As long as you pass the assessments and perform outstandingly in the selection, you can be admitted to a city-level team!"

After a pause, Zhang Yi added:

"Before that, though, my personal suggestion is that you first go to a hospital for an exercise cardiopulmonary function test. I can take a look and see whether you have the potential to become a professional rider!"

After hearing this, Huang Chong went straight to a hospital for an exercise cardiopulmonary test once training ended and he returned to Hangzhou. Then he sent the test results to Zhang Yi, who had already returned home.

When Zhang Yi saw the various cardiopulmonary figures listed in Huang Chong's report, his eyes widened at once, and he could not contain his excitement.

Even the hand holding his phone trembled uncontrollably, as though he had Parkinson's disease.