Cycling: Racing into the Headwind

Chapter 172: Chapter 124: World-Renowned After One Battle

Huang Chong confirmed he was the first to cross the finish line. The frequent, high-intensity anaerobic cycling had left his muscles wound so tight with exhaustion that his chest constricted, making him want to dry heave.

But as soon as he stopped pedaling, he immediately felt better.

Then, before he even had a moment to catch his breath, Coach Han, who was waiting at the finish line, pulled him into a huge, emotional hug and praised him enthusiastically:

"Huang Chong, you were brilliant!

This time, by sweeping two gold medals, you’ve made history for our country in the men’s road cycling events at the Asian Games!

I’m definitely reporting this to the General Administration to get you a commendation. I’ll also notify your provincial sports bureau to issue the rewards you’re due!"

Huang Chong hadn’t really thought much about the rewards.

As a Professional Cyclist, he couldn’t afford to think about such external things before a race. Otherwise, he’d get caught up worrying about gains and losses, which would undoubtedly affect his performance.

But now that he had won two gold medals, he certainly wouldn’t refuse the rewards that were due to him by rule.

After all, this result was something he had earned through three months of grueling preparation on the plateau. It was the financial compensation he deserved.

In any case, being able to build a solid financial foundation and make a living honorably through his profession meant he finally had something to show his parents.

It would put their minds at ease and prove that his choice to be a Road Cyclist wasn’t a dead-end path.

Anyway, the General Administration and the provincial sports bureau had fixed reward standards for the Asian Games.

The General Administration awarded 90,000 for a gold medal, while the provincial bureau was more generous, offering 200,000.

His province’s bonus was indeed on the high side compared to others.

Of course, even the highest official bonuses were limited. They simply couldn’t compare to the prize money from professional races like the Tour of Qinghai Lake.

Fortunately, Huang Chong rarely spent much money and wasn’t too concerned about it.

What he valued most was winning gold at the Asian Games with his family and friends there to see it.

This would make them feel genuinely proud of him.

"Coach Han, as a Professional Cyclist, it’s a tremendous honor in itself to be able to compete for our country.

It’s only because the nation, the General Administration, leaders like yourself, my master, Coach Li, and the teammates who protected me with all their might during the race all put their trust in me and gave me their full support. That trust allowed me to perform at my best without any reservations, fulfilling my duty and using my abilities to win these two gold medals.

So, when it comes to the credit, it belongs to everyone. I was just the one who channeled our collective strength to achieve the best possible result."

Huang Chong’s words sounded very formal, but they were also sincere.

Coach Han nodded in appreciation and remarked with deep feeling:

"Excellent. The fact that you think that way shows you’re very broad-minded.

That will help you achieve even greater things in the future.

For an athlete to not be arrogant or take all the credit after a victory, and to even know to share the success with those who helped them—that’s an excellent quality. Hold on to that.

As for the team’s credit, you don’t have to worry about that. I’ll make a special request to the organization myself.

As the head coach, I have at least that much authority.

So just accept the commendation that’s yours. Everyone else will get their own rewards accordingly!"

Huang Chong breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that.

To be honest, road cycling is a team sport. When all his teammates sacrificed their own results for him, willingly playing the role of blue-collar domestiques, he would have felt a real pang of guilt taking all the rewards for himself.

It felt like he was stepping on others’ shoulders to get ahead, hogging all the glory for himself.

The National Team and a professional team are fundamentally different. A professional team pays salaries based on a rider’s designated role.

Domestiques get a domestique’s pay, and team leaders get a team leader’s pay.

Everyone is just doing their job. There’s nothing more to it.

At most, a team leader with a good conscience might share a portion of their personal prize money as a team fund, giving bonuses to the domestiques and support staff.

The National Team, however, is composed of elite athletes recruited from every province and city. There’s no inherent hierarchy between them; everyone is there to win personal glory.

Unfortunately, in the sport of road cycling, not everyone can be a team leader and showcase their own talent.

Instead, someone always needs to make tactical sacrifices.

Fortunately, Coach Han had personally assured Huang Chong that his support riders, like Brother Xiaoma and the others, would also be rewarded accordingly.

After a brief chat with Coach Han, Huang Chong went to the logistics area to cool down in Zone 1 on one of the official trainers, waiting for the other cyclists to finish.

After getting out of the team car, Chen Junyi came to his side as she always did, ready to hand him a water bottle and take care of his needs.

Thanks to an arrangement made by Zhang Guowei, Chen Mingyuan and his wife were also able to get into the cyclists’ logistics area.

When they saw their daughter fussing over Huang Chong like he was her boyfriend, they felt a bit strange, even though they knew it was just part of her job.

However, after seeing Huang Chong sweep two gold medals at the Asian Games with their own eyes, it’s safe to say he had now thoroughly won their approval.

After all, this was an achievement that Chen Mingyuan himself had never managed in his entire athletic career.

So now, he had no complaints about Huang Chong.

Even if Huang Chong really did become his son-in-law one day, he would no longer feel the boy wasn’t good enough for his precious daughter.