Of course, all three of them saw Huang Chong eat the Rapid Recovery Energy Bar. But what they couldn't imagine was that, unlike the functional energy gels on the market that only worked slowly, his had instantly restored him to full strength.
So, Huang Chong's reply left the three of them utterly shocked.
'He's been riding at his Zone 4 threshold, pulling for almost 30 kilometers without a single break, and keeping the average speed above 32 km/h. And now, after just eating an Energy Bar, he can still keep pulling?'
'Is this really something an amateur cyclist, a relative newcomer, could do?'
"Man, the way you're pulling is making me a little nervous. It's been almost an hour. Why don't you fall back into the group and rotate with us?"
The oldest in the group, who usually acted as the big brother, thought for a moment before putting in a burst of power. He moved from the back of the line to ride alongside Huang Chong and said:
"You're seriously strong. To be honest, in my first year after getting into cycling, I was nowhere near as good as you are now.
Plus, you're on the heavier side. How are you able to maintain such high-intensity riding for so long?
Are your heart and lungs just naturally powerful?"
A professional's perspective is always sharp, cutting straight to the crucial point.
If Huang Chong hadn't taken the Heart and Lung Strengthening Pills, his heart would never have been able to handle riding at threshold for so long, even if his legs could put out the power.
He looked at the man beside him. Now that his energy was restored, Huang Chong had no intention of falling back to draft with the rest of the team.
'Since I've already taken the pill, I have to pull for the entire remaining 20 kilometers. Otherwise, I won't get the double reward, and that would be a huge waste.'
He smiled and bluffed:
"You're a real pro, spotting my strong suit right away. It's true, my heart and lungs have been stronger than my peers' ever since I was young.
Even though I've been riding at my Zone 4 threshold for almost an hour, as long as my legs can keep up the power, I could go for another hour without any problem.
My heart rate has been holding steady at just a little over 170, which is still a long way from my max!
As for my weight, I'm aware of that problem. I've already started working on it. I plan to get down to 60 kg, which should significantly improve my power-to-weight ratio."
"I knew it. In that case, you really are a promising talent, a natural-born Road Cyclist. It's just a shame you got into it a bit late."
Hearing Huang Chong's explanation, the man's expression was a mixture of admiration and regret.
His unspoken sentiment was the same as Dewey's: since Huang Chong had already graduated from college and was only just starting to cycle, his potential was limited, no matter how great his natural talent was.
But in reality, this was the state of road cycling in China. Aside from track cyclists, who were scouted and trained from a young age, there was virtually no formal training system for Road Cyclists.
Almost every cyclist who managed to achieve any notable success came from an amateur background.
Of course, there was an exception: Ji Cheng. A pioneer of road cycling and Huang Chong's idol, he had competed in the three Grand Tours in Europe and even won the combativity award at the Vuelta a España. He was a true-blue Professional Cyclist.
"You want to drop your weight to 60 kg?
For someone your height, wouldn't that be too much?
Cycling is a perfectly fine hobby, you know. There's no need to hold yourself to the overly strict standards of a World Tour Cyclist.
After all, we're just ordinary people. If you overtrain and end up injuring your body, the costs will outweigh the benefits."
Huang Chong could tell the man's words stemmed from the sincere concern of a fellow cyclist.
However, he couldn't very well share his ambition of becoming a Professional Cyclist with people he'd just met. So, he didn't elaborate, simply smiling and saying:
"You're right. I'll definitely keep a close eye on my condition. If I drop to 60 kg and find that my physical performance suffers too much, I'll just put a little weight back on."
"Alright, as long as you have a handle on it. We're all fellow enthusiasts here, and it's fate that brought us together, so I won't lecture you. Just remember, we ride to stay fit. Health is the most important thing. You just be the judge of what's right for you."
Pausing for a moment, the man asked again:
"But are you really sure you don't need to rotate with us?
I know I saw you take an Energy Gel, but there's a limit to how much help those things can give you. It'd be best if you rotated with us."
Huang Chong, of course, had no intention of agreeing. He replied firmly:
"It's fine, man. I'm feeling really good right now. Taking that Energy Gel was just a precaution. There's not much distance left anyway, so just let me finish pulling!"
"Alright, if you say so. Keep it up!"
In the end, the man didn't press the issue. He just nodded, fell back to the rear of the group, and let Huang Chong pull them for the remaining 20 kilometers back to their starting point in the city center.
"Dude, you're an absolute beast! Honestly, I thought you'd pull for maybe ten, twenty kilometers tops before hitting your limit. I never expected you to do 50 kilometers straight. You have my respect, man!"
After the ride, as they were about to part ways, one of the men gave Huang Chong a thumbs-up.
He was genuinely amazed by Huang Chong's strength.
"Yeah, man. With strength like that, if you get some systematic training, you could definitely enter some cycling competitions. Have you ever thought about joining a team? The three of us are members of the Hangcheng Wind Team. If you're interested, we could introduce you to our captain!"
Another one of them chimed in with a smile.
Huang Chong wasn't the least bit surprised to hear they were all on a team; he'd already suspected it.
Just as Huang Chong was hesitating, wondering if he should join their group to get a feel for team life, the oldest of the men—the one who had spoken with him privately earlier—added with a smile:
"Our captain, Zhang Yi, is a retired Professional Cyclist. He used to be on the provincial team; I'm not sure if you've heard of him.
If you join our team, the captain can give you some more professional training plans.
When you get strong enough, he might even take you to compete in some amateur-level races around the country.
The three of us usually just ride the city greenways on weekdays. On weekends, we go out of the city to train with the whole team.
For example, tomorrow is Saturday, and we're going to ride the Tour of Zhejiang Western Sky Road. We'll start in Lin'an District, go via the Hualang Line, Taizi Peak, the Western Zhejiang Grand Canyon, and Maxiao Ridge, before looping back to Lin'an District.
It has flats, climbs, and descents—the route profile is a lot like a one-day European classic. The whole course is over 130 kilometers. It's a fantastic training route!"
Hearing this, Huang Chong was genuinely tempted.
Compared to his current method of fumbling his way through, just practicing on the flat city roads to complete system missions, joining a team—even an amateur one—was undoubtedly a much better way to train.
After all, they had a more professional-style training regimen and a much better information network.
Putting aside the fact that their captain was a retired pro, just their access to more detailed information—on everything from route selection to the schedules and locations of amateur races—was enough to get him excited.
Besides, amateur teams are basically just unofficial groups of enthusiasts. There wouldn't be any strict commitments, and certainly no contracts to worry about.
He could leave whenever he wanted, and it wouldn't interfere with his grand plan of becoming a Professional Cyclist.
So, after thinking it over, Huang Chong decided he couldn't pass up this opportunity to get a taste of a semi-professional environment. He immediately agreed with enthusiasm:
"I've been wondering how I could join a team and get more professional training! Since you guys are already members, and you're willing to put up with a rookie like me and even introduce me to Captain Zhang, of course I'd love to join!"
"Great! Let's add each other on WeChat. I'll give our captain an honest report of your performance, and if he gives the okay for you to join, I'll pull you into our team's group chat."
"That's great! Thanks a lot, you guys. By the way, my name is Huang Chong. I'm from Xianyun County in Zhejiang Province."
Huang Chong quickly pulled out his phone and added the three of them on WeChat, learning their names in the process.
The oldest man was named Wang Qiang. Of the other two, the more playful one was Liu Junjie, and the one who had initially invited him to join the team was named Chen Guangming.