Cycling: Racing into the Headwind

"Oh, hell. Getting caught in a crash on the very first day of the race... this is the worst possible start."

The Jieke Cyclist who had knocked down Huang Chong quickly unclipped his shoes and scrambled up from the ground.

He then kindly helped pull up Huang Chong, who was pinned beneath him, and asked with concern:

"Huang, how are you? You okay?"

Huang Chong knew he had only scraped a bit of skin on both elbows, so he replied directly:

"I’m fine. You?"

"Thank God, I’m fine too. But it’s all thanks to you. You braced me with your hand at the last second. I really can’t thank you enough.

Without your help, my head would’ve definitely hit the pavement. I would’ve gotten up close and personal with the ground!"

The Jieke Cyclist joked wryly. He mounted his bike but waited for Huang Chong to retrieve his own before they rode toward the finish line arch together.

Since the crash occurred within the final kilometer, even though Huang Chong and the others were a minute or two behind the first rider to cross the line, Tim Merlier, they wouldn’t be given a time gap. They would all be credited with the same finish time!

The announcer for China Sports breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that Huang Chong wasn’t seriously injured in the crash and was able to get up and ride his bike to the finish.

He quickly explained the rule about crashes in the final kilometers not affecting finish times to the fans watching the live broadcast.

...

[Holy crap, road cycling is so dangerous! When I saw Huang Chong get caught in that crash, my heart skipped a beat!]

[Right?! Thank god his reflexes are insane. The instant the Jieke Cyclist hit him, he actually bailed from his bike...]

[That’s a world-class Professional Cyclist for you! Those reflexes... I couldn’t match them in a million years!!]

...

Chen Junyi, who was waiting at the finish line, felt her heart leap into her throat when she saw Huang Chong get caught in the crash.

This was the first time Huang Chong had crashed since he started racing professionally.

Of course, the crash wasn’t his fault; he had been unavoidably caught up in it within the peloton.

Fortunately, Huang Chong scrambled back to his feet quickly and managed to ride across the finish line.

Chen Junyi and the team’s medical staff immediately met Huang Chong at the finish line to check on his condition.

Seeing the worried look on Chen Junyi’s face, Huang Chong reached out and patted her forearm, comforting her with a smile.

"It’s nothing. I just banged my elbows when I landed. Probably just scraped some skin.

I managed to bail from the bike beforehand to avoid falling on my side.

Did you see it on the live broadcast? The organizers will probably show a slow-motion replay.

I managed to dodge a bullet thanks to my reflexes!"

Chen Junyi carefully checked Huang Chong all over. Seeing that he really had only suffered some minor scrapes on both elbows, she finally relaxed completely.

The team’s medic then came over immediately to clean the scrapes on Huang Chong’s elbows and prepare a dressing for him.

However, Huang Chong stopped him. He took the medical supplies and said to the medic with a smile:

"I’ll put the dressing on later. Let me take a shower first!"

Since the injury wasn’t serious, it didn’t make much difference whether the dressing was applied sooner or later. The medic didn’t argue, simply reminding him:

"Alright, but don’t wait too long, Huang. We need to avoid infection!"

Huang Chong smiled and nodded, not worried in the slightest.

He had already taken the system-provided drug that prevented all infections.

After returning to his hotel room and taking a shower, he still didn’t apply the ointment the team had provided.

Instead, he first took out the [Rapid Healing Ointment] that the system had rewarded him with. He opened the jar, scooped out a small amount, and applied it to the wounds on both elbows before covering them with the dressings the team had given him.

He still remembered the description for the [Rapid Healing Ointment]:

When used, this ointment rapidly heals external injuries sustained from crashes, provides a pain-relieving effect, and prevents any scarring!

He’d never had a chance to use this ointment before, but now it was finally coming in handy.