Cycling: Racing into the Headwind

Of course, a high VO2 max value is a huge advantage in endurance sports, but it’s not the sole, absolute factor in determining if a cyclist can win the Tour de France.

To use a more vivid analogy, a Road Cyclist with a high VO2 max is like a large-displacement, high-power F1 race car.

It can maintain high speeds for an hour or two, but it can’t compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race.

Just like race cars, for a Road Cyclist to maintain power output over a long time, you also have to consider their athletic economy. This is where the lactate/ventilatory threshold comes in.

The closer a cyclist’s lactate threshold is to their VO2 max, the higher their athletic economy (Economy = Threshold / VO2 max).

Huang Chong’s lactate threshold (Zone 4 peak) was a high 192. Combined with his world-record-level VO2 max, the system had effectively turned him into the world’s most terrifying endurance monster.

The Bora Team’s method for testing VO2 max was to have Huang Chong perform a graded exercise test on a stationary bike.

The resistance was increased every two minutes, and the respiratory mask on his face was connected to a gas analyzer.

Professional equipment monitored his oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide output in real time. When his oxygen uptake no longer increased with the rising intensity, the recorded peak was his VO₂ max.

So, when Huang Chong’s VO₂ max finally settled at 98 ml/kg/min, Aldag saw the number on the instrument and almost lost his footing.

"My God, what are these terrifying numbers? Is our lab’s gas analyzer broken?"

His face was a mask of shock as he asked the staff in the lab’s testing center, his voice nearly trembling.

"No, that’s impossible, Director!

Our machine is new. There’s no way it’s malfunctioning.

Otherwise, we could sue the manufacturer of this gas analyzer."

"But... but how is this possible?

His VO2 max actually reached 98 ml/kg/min?

Isn’t that a new world record?

Even higher than the Norwegian cyclist Oskar Svendsen?"

At this moment, Aldag could no longer remain calm.

It was already incredible enough that a Chinese cyclist possessed a top-tier physique, but to think his cardiorespiratory fitness had actually broken the world record—

’Could it be that God truly exists, and He bestowed His greatest gift upon a Chinese man?’

Aldag thought bitterly.

As a Germanic man, he was, of course, also a classic old-guard European. Although he had intentionally extended an olive branch after seeing Huang Chong’s performance at the Tour of Guangxi, he still held a natural arrogance and disdain for Asian cyclists in the world of professional road cycling.

This was because the pedantic and conservative old guard of Europe, including the entire leadership of the UCI Alliance, instinctively believed that road cycling was a traditional competitive sport that belonged exclusively to them.

They wouldn’t even entertain the thought of an Asian cyclist stealing their glory; they didn’t even give American cyclists the time of day.

But facts trump arrogance.

All of Huang Chong’s physical test data was now in Aldag’s hands.

Regardless of the arrogance or astonishment deep in his heart, he could not erase or change the absolute talent the young man possessed.

As long as Huang Chong continued to improve his power data, he was destined to stir up a new storm in the world of professional road cycling, just like Pogačar in the 2020 season.

’Now this is going to be a good show—’

Aldag watched through the glass window of the team lab as the staff helped Huang Chong remove the testing equipment. His expression gradually shifted as he recovered from his shock.

But once he truly accepted this fact, a raging fire immediately ignited in his heart.

Because Huang Chong was the cycling prodigy he had discovered, the pearl he had plucked from the distant great nation of the East with his discerning eye.

As the saying goes, when one person achieves enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven.

If Huang Chong truly reached the pinnacle of the professional cycling world and dethroned the likes of Pogačar and Vingegaard, then his own value as a championship-winning coach would skyrocket without any need for hype.

Westerners are fundamentally driven by self-interest, and Aldag was certainly no exception. He immediately went to the team’s CEO, explained Huang Chong’s test results, and had the CEO issue a non-disclosure agreement to all testing personnel.

When you hold a sufficiently powerful card in your hand, secrecy undoubtedly becomes paramount.

Because this was a true secret weapon, one that could decide the fate of road cycling’s highest honors!