'Damn, am I this pathetic right now?'
'Is it because the wind is too strong today, or because I didn't change into my cycling gear?'
Huang Chong had always been a proactive and driven person; no matter how difficult the setback, he wouldn't wallow in self-pity.
Just like in his past life, no matter how steep or long the climb, he would grit his teeth and power through, never stopping to walk his bike.
But deep down, he knew this was just how pathetic he was at the moment.
In his past life, after three years of riding, he could maintain an average speed of around 35 km/h over a hundred kilometers, and his FTP was over 200W. Compared to that, he was far too weak now.
For a beginner, the strength of their legs and heart were undoubtedly the two most important factors in cycling.
Legs represent power, while the heart ensures the cyclist can maintain enough endurance for sustained output in both aerobic and anaerobic states.
However, because heart rate zone training (divided into zones Z1-Z5) was highly specialized, the system didn't include it in Huang Chong's personal stats panel.
Being out of shape and new to this, Huang Chong's heart rate shot past 170 after less than a kilometer, and he felt a constricting sensation in his chest.
This was the result of a severe lack of long-distance, Zone 2 aerobic training.
Fortunately, the system's test requirements weren't demanding. The distance was short, and he only needed to maintain an average speed of 20 km/h. He probably could have completed it even on a mountain bike.
Time flew by. A strong wind pushed against him, but he paid it no mind.
In the evenings, Hangcheng was filled with cycling enthusiasts.
Compared to the others in their standard cycling kits, clipless shoes, and other professional gear, he looked particularly amateurish today.
He was wearing a pair of flat-soled Nikes, a casual T-shirt, and athletic pants.
At least he was wearing a helmet and cycling glasses. Otherwise, the keyboard warriors would have flamed him for being a total newbie with no sense of basic safety.
"Hey, you guys see that? That chubby guy is riding so hard, but he doesn't even know to wear a kit and clipless shoes. You can tell he's a total greenhorn!"
"Heh, he's a newbie. It's normal not to know that regular clothes increase wind resistance. He'll figure it out eventually."
"But he's going way too hard. He knows he has weak legs, yet he's still going all out. Look, his lips are pale. How far can he even ride like this? What kind of training effect is he even getting?"
The comments from the other cyclists drifted past Huang Chong's ears.
Although they were speaking quietly, he still heard them.
They weren't necessarily wrong. It was just that he was in a hurry to complete the system's mission today and couldn't be bothered to go home and change.
So, he didn't bother arguing with them and just focused on finishing the test. Stomping on the pedals with his weak legs, he immediately dropped them. A closer look, however, would reveal that his cadence was only around 70 RPM.
Compared to the 90–100 RPM average cadence of a Professional Cyclist, this was undoubtedly another of his major weaknesses.
He could increase his cadence by shifting to the small chainring and a large cog, or by switching to shorter cranks. However, once his speed increased, the gearing from that combination would be far from sufficient.
Especially now, in his beginner stage, if he couldn't train his cadence up to 90+ on the big chainring while cruising on the flats, his path to the Tour de France would seem impossibly distant.
Of course, in road cycling, everything revolves around the legs. As long as he could increase the power in his legs, his other weaknesses could be improved concurrently through training.
[Congratulations. You have completed 1 km of riding. Average speed: 25 km/h. Please continue.]
...
[Congratulations. You have completed 5 km of riding. Average speed: 25 km/h. Please continue.]
...
[Congratulations. You have completed 10 km of riding. Average speed: 25 km/h. Total time: 00:24:03]
When the 10 km completion message appeared, Huang Chong pulled over to the side of the road.
[You have completed the novice test. Rewards are being distributed.]
[As this is your first time completing the test and you have exceeded the required average speed by 5 km/h, your rewards have been increased fivefold.]
[Reward Acquired: 10 Basic Optimization Value points, Training Recovery Energy Gel x5]
[Note: You have unlocked the system's exclusive cycling storage space. The Training Recovery Energy Gels have been automatically stored within and can be retrieved at any time.]
'Holy crap, so the reward gets multiplied for every kilometer per hour I go over the required average speed?'
'If I'd known that, I would've pushed into my anaerobic zone and killed myself to squeeze out another two or three kilometers per hour—'
Huang Chong complained internally, gasping for breath.
This 10 km ride had pushed him to his Zone 4 threshold limit, but he hadn't gone into an anaerobic sprint.
But upon seeing the system's rewards, his surprise overrode his exhaustion, and even the tightness and fatigue in his thighs seemed to dissipate.
'I can't believe the system gave me a storage space. Does that mean I can store my repair kit, the road bike itself, and even supplies for touring or bikepacking in there?'
'From now on, I can just head out by myself without carrying any supplies. I won't even have to worry about getting my road bike on the high-speed rail. This is incredible!'
What was the biggest fear in road cycling?
Without a doubt, it was mechanical failures mid-ride, like blowouts or punctures.
In the pursuit of lighter builds, many had started using ultralight TPU inner tubes.
One of those things only weighs twenty to thirty grams. They're incredibly light, but their drawback is that they puncture far too easily.
To prevent mechanical failures on the road, most cyclists attached a saddle bag behind their seat for temporary repairs.
Inside, they'd pack a few spare TPU inner tubes, a CO2 cartridge, and Allen keys for removing the thru-axle and wheels.
The tool kit was kept as minimal as possible, but it still added unnecessary weight.
But Huang Chong was different. Now that the system provided a mobile storage space, he could store supplies and cycling gear in advance, no matter where he was, and retrieve them whenever he wanted to ride.
He had become a unique entity, capable of handling his own repairs, resupply, and training without needing a team or teammates for logistical support.
Of course, bike repair required skill. He was currently just a mechanic's assistant, only able to change tires and help professional mechanics with simple tasks.
As for more precise operations like completely assembling a road bike, bleeding hydraulic brake lines, adjusting drivetrain parameters, or performing full-bike maintenance—he hadn't learned how to do any of that in two lifetimes combined.
'Never mind that for now. I need to think carefully about which of my weaknesses to spend these 10 Basic Optimization Value points on!'
Huang Chong glanced at his personal stats panel and couldn't help but marvel at how detailed and professional the system's breakdown of his weaknesses was.
Every single weakness listed was important.
Power and cadence, needless to say, were the core metrics of the sport.
Sprinting ability, on the other hand, was key to winning flat-stage sprints or certain one-day classics, determining if he could be more than just a GC Cyclist.
For example, one of his idols, Pogačar, was an all-around genius who could both climb and sprint—a truly game-breaking presence in cycling history, the first to appear who could dominate both one-day and stage races.
Besides these, the stats that followed—Car Control Techniques, cornering ability, and Terrain Prediction—were also incredibly important.
Road cycling is an inherently fast sport, and it becomes even more dangerous when faced with complex road conditions.
For instance, when caught in a crowded pack and pushed toward the shoulder or a flower bed, or when encountering potholes, fallen rocks, or drainage ditches, one needed superb Car Control Techniques to avert disaster.
Cornering ability was especially crucial on descents and in ITTs.
The more you pushed the limits with smooth cornering, the faster you'd be and the more time you could gain on others.
In top-level races, every second counts!
As for Terrain Prediction, it meant having a complete grasp of the entire race course in advance.
The UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) has a habit of changing the routes for the Grand Tours and other weekly stage races every year. Although riders and their teams can scout the course beforehand, a rider who has a complete pre-race grasp of the terrain would undoubtedly have a much easier time during the competition.
However, the World Tour was still a distant dream for Huang Chong. For now, he didn't need to worry about those latter factors.
His immediate priority was to raise his FTP Power Value while shedding weight to improve his Power-to-Weight Ratio. That was the most critical task.
He decisively recited in his mind:
"Put all my Basic Optimization Value points into FTP Power."
[Allocation successful! Your FTP Power has increased by 10 points. Current value: 170W. Power-to-Weight Ratio increased to 2.26.]
The instant the system's voice sounded, a tingling numbness, like a jolt of static electricity, surged through the thighs of his pudgy body.
...