Cycling: Racing into the Headwind

But the price he paid was steep. When he got to his feet, his cycling kit was in tatters, and he had road rash in multiple places. His entire right forearm, which had hit the ground first, was scraped raw by the asphalt, leaving a series of bloody gashes from which blood began to ooze.

As for his road bike, it was a horrible sight.

Having been tossed aside, it was sent flying more than ten meters away, its water bottle long gone, who knew where.

"Oh! Damn it!!

There’s a massive crash in the peloton!!!

The one thing we never want to see, and it’s happened on this wide, downhill corner!!"

Steve, the host of the Eurosport cycling channel, couldn’t help but cry out in alarm as he watched the massive crash on the live broadcast:

"The riders caught up in this include not only the title favorite from Visma Team, Van Aert, but also Jasper Stuyven from the Trek Team, and the lead sprinter for the Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux Team: Biniam Girmay.

Oh, and the Chinese rider from the Bora Team, Huang Chong, was also involved in the crash. His right arm is bleeding profusely right now—

But compared to Van Aert and the others who are still down, his situation seems a bit better. Not only is he back on his feet, but he’s frantically waving for the Bora Team car!!

Director, let’s get that replay footage, quick! What on earth happened at the back of the peloton?!"

At the same time, on the Chinese live-streaming platform, the host and commentator were also crying out in shock:

"Oh my God, the peloton with Huang Chong in it has had a massive crash in a right-hand turn after the descent from Berg Ten Houte!!

Looking at the slow-motion replay, our rider, Huang Chong, had his rear wheel clipped by a rider who crashed behind him, which caused him to go down as well!

But he got up from the ground quickly. It looks like he wasn’t as seriously injured as Van Aert and the others!

However, his right forearm is bleeding, and his cycling kit is torn to shreds. There’s also a small patch of road rash on his right thigh!!

Coach Li, do you think Huang Chong can continue the race in his current condition?!"

Coach Li watched the live feed with a grave expression as Huang Chong stood on the road, frantically waving for the Bora Team Car. After a moment of thought, he said:

"From the looks of it on the broadcast, Huang Chong seems to be calling the team car over to get his spare bike. It appears he wants to keep racing.

But that’s just how road cycling is. Once you crash, the impact is never minor. So whether he can really hold on until the end, I can’t say for sure!

Right now, we can only pray that after the race, they don’t find any internal injuries like bone fractures beyond the surface-level road rash we can see. That would be the best possible outcome."

While the host and commentator had their brief exchange, the comment section and live bullet-screen were already filled with anguish:

[WTF, can these foreigners even ride a bike? This isn’t a cobbled or narrow section. How do you crash on a road this wide? For fuck’s sake!!]

[This is Huang Chong’s debut in a top-tier race, and these Europeans just had to ruin it!!!"

[Hope Huang Chong is okay!!!]

[I’d trade three years of being single for Huang Chong to be okay!!!]

While the Chinese fans were all praying for Huang Chong, the Bora Team Car arrived by his side at the earliest opportunity.

Medical personnel immediately got out to check on Huang Chong’s condition, while a Mechanician simultaneously grabbed his spare bike from the roof rack.

"Huang, how are you feeling? Any adverse reactions? Do you need to withdraw from the race?"

Without a moment’s hesitation, Huang Chong replied:

"I’m fine, just some bad road rash. Get me the spare bike, quick. If I go now, I can still catch the peloton!"

"Are you sure you’re okay? I have to guarantee your personal safety!"

the medic asked Huang Chong, but he just nodded and said:

"I’m really fine. Watch the replay when you get back in the car. When I crashed, I deliberately shed the force of the direct impact. I have road rash all over and it looks horrible, but they’re just minor injuries!

Alright, no more talking. Charlie, go get a piece of gauze ready in the car. Once I catch up to the peloton, you can hand it to me through the window!"

With that, Huang Chong took the spare bike directly from the Mechanician’s hands. With a push from the latter, he quickly mounted the bike and began chasing down the group ahead, which was already half a minute in front of him.

Back in the support car, Charlie didn’t hesitate. He immediately followed Huang Chong’s instructions, opening the medical kit and cutting a clean piece of gauze, ready to hand it to Huang Chong at a moment’s notice.

Aldag, with a grave expression, asked Charlie:

"How is Huang Chong? Are there any serious injuries?"

Charlie shook his head and replied:

"He said it’s nothing serious, just some superficial wounds. He even told me to watch the replay when I got back in the car.

He said he intentionally dissipated the force of the impact and told me to get a piece of gauze ready to hand him once he catches up to the lead group!"

Hearing this reply from the team doctor, Charlie, Aldag’s brow furrowed. He could only turn his gaze to the replay on the live feed. He then saw Huang Chong, after crashing, fluidly roll like a parkour athlete to dissipate most of the force. He was utterly stunned.