novelz
Chapter 66 - 66 Where Did the Person in Front Go
Chapter 66 - 66 Where Did the Person in Front Go
Chapter 66: Chapter 66 Where Did the Person in Front Go?
Chapter 66: Chapter 66 Where Did the Person in Front Go?
Li Ang had indeed never ridden such a long uphill section before, but this did not mean he couldn’t adapt to such a section.
Compared to flat ground, where resistance mainly comes from ground friction and wind resistance, uphill sections also add the component of gravity to the resistance, easily doubling the difficulty of riding.
This section was the greatest test of a racer’s stamina and endurance and was also the point where distances could most easily stretch out.
Even Li Ang could not help but reduce his speed and shift gears.
Yet, even so, Li Ang’s current speed was still comparable to those riders at the back of the team, navigating the flat roads.
“Very well, we can now see that the leading group of riders has entered the first uphill section of our race course. This section is three kilometers long, and although the gradient is not steep, it greatly tests the on-the-spot physical distribution of the riders.”
“And our rider, Li Ang, is still holding onto first place, one might even say he has left the peloton behind, forging ahead alone.”
“Such a scenario is extremely rare in our long-distance cycling races, solo riding is not just a mental challenge, in terms of wind resistance, it’s far greater than those who ride in groups…”
Little Eric could be said to be the most attentive viewer in front of the TV, at this moment his heart was exceedingly anxious.
Although last time Li Ang had led their team to championship victory in exactly this dominant fashion.
But these two races didn’t have much in terms of comparability, mainly because the lengths were too different.
For short term high-wattage output, Little Eric believed that Li Ang had the ability, but this was a full 180 kilometers, which would take two to three hours by car, and always being out front alone against the wind was a huge disadvantage.
“No matter what, he has achieved our goal of publicity, he deserves the sponsorship fee.”
The speaker was Eric’s grandfather.
Although he didn’t quite understand the rules of cycling races, by listening to the commentators and his grandson, he also grasped the gist of it.
“If it had been any other cyclist’s typical race strategy, he might now be just an unnoticeable member within the main pack, even if the camera caught him, it would only be a brief sweep across, and even if he got a placement in the end, the attention he’d receive would be quite limited. After all, everyone focuses mainly on the champion, and no one even remembers the name of the runner-up, let alone those further back.”
Old Eric was worthy of being an old capitalist; he quickly analyzed the advantages of Li Ang’s current approach.
He continued watching the screen and said:
“But just the attention he’s attracted right now already exceeds all the attention he would have gotten with a typical racing strategy, maybe his final result will be poor, but we’ve started a conversation, and our factory will get more exposure.”
“But, this level of attention from the race, it shouldn’t be too helpful for our business, right?”
Eric’s uncle said carelessly.
“Listen, that’s not the key issue, the key is he’s done his utmost to do his best, Eric has made a good friend.”
Old Eric looked on approvingly at the image on the television of Li Ang, his expression resolute and sweating profusely.
Today’s temperature was about 30 degrees, not too bad yet, the sun intermittently shining down on the cyclists.
Li Ang finally felt a trace of fatigue, but this was also within his plan.
Grandmaster Level [Cycling] did not only involve technical skill in biking per se, but also included analysis of the road conditions, physical distribution, pacing for different sections, among other comprehensive skills.
So, even as Li Ang rode at high speed, his stamina was dropping to a limit; this uphill section happened to end just in time, followed by a long downhill stretch that was completely adequate for him to recover all the energy he had just spent.
“Damn it, didn’t you say he wouldn’t last until the end of this climb before running out of energy?”
Harry cursed, frowning.
The seeded riders, including him, had also reached the latter half of the uphill climb, but they had lost sight of Li Ang completely.
“I think you’re overthinking it, for all we know he might have already dropped out, given that he accomplished his task of grabbing eyeballs very well.”
At the moment, still early in the race, there was not only a competitive relationship among these seeded riders, but also a certain level of cooperation.
They had to ensure that they performed well themselves before pursuing a ranking.
“I certainly don’t think he’s dropped out already.”
Holt said seriously.
“During the time they were ahead of us, I was constantly watching his movements. Based on the stability of his pedaling cadence, he couldn’t possibly be a novice. We might have to wait until a third of the race has passed, or even the halfway mark, when his energy is overly depleted, to have a chance to catch up to him.”
The cyclists around him were all older, so inevitably there was some sense of “elder’s” superiority. This was a taboo on the racecourse, which is probably why they were participating in these amateur-level races despite their ages.
Holt sneered inwardly, regulated his breathing, cleared his mind, throwing all his energy into his cycling.
As expected, when this group of seeded riders finally reached the top of the climb, they could only then see, far ahead, Li Ang had shrunk to a mere speck.
“God, it seems we’ve encountered a dark horse, looks like it’s time for us us old folks to step aside for the younger generation.”
Harry was, as always, the first to speak up.
“The race has barely started, an early lead doesn’t count, only those who last to the end are winners.”
“One can’t go far alone; the kid is still too green.”
…
Seeing several people responding to him, a hint of a smile appeared on Harry’s lips.
He only needed to start the conversation, and these amateur riders would keep going on and on nonstop—a tactic that worked wonders on them.
Now, while everyone’s stamina was plentiful and they didn’t feel the severity of breathlessness, later they would be surprised by how quickly their energy was depleted, but by then, it’d be too late.
At this moment, Li Ang was genuinely savoring the thrill of cycling.
In the previous race, because it was a team event, he had to always take care of his teammates’ speeds.
When he usually rode solo on public roads, the conditions were not this good, and he had to dedicate a portion of his attention to the cars around him.
Also, roadside gravel, twigs, and other debris posed a major safety hazard to bicycles traveling at high speeds.
But now, on the downhill section, he could accelerate with abandon.
“55 kilometers per hour, 60 kilometers per hour, 65 kilometers per hour, 70 kilometers per hour! Goodness, Li Ang’s speed has reached 72 kilometers per hour. At such high speeds, if he encounters a crosswind or a bumpy road surface, it is extremely dangerous for the cyclist!”