Chapter 12 Riding Training

Li Ang had no objections to this arrangement; mainly because he did not have a clear understanding of everyone's strengths yet, plus the fact that they were the financial backers. To be able to get paid so much in US dollars just for riding a bike was a deal one couldn't easily find elsewhere.

Guessing that Li Ang might not have any equipment ready, Eric considerately prepared sports drinks, knee pads, helmets, and other essential items for cycling.

"Today's cycling training distance is 80 kilometers, we are not pursuing speed, the main focus is to exercise our team's cooperative capabilities and coordination..."

After assigning the targets, Li Ang also excitedly pushed his bike to the roadside.

This kind of group cycling activity had always interested him, but unfortunately, due to various reasons, he had never had the chance to participate before.

America is vast with sparse population, making it quite easy to choose cycling routes. This was not a bustling area either, so there were not many passing vehicles or pedestrians.

In the first two minutes, Li Ang was getting used to this new road bike, trying out the gears on the bike. Without something to compare to, one wouldn't understand the hurt, and by comparison, this bike was simply much easier to ride.

However, the other two cyclists threw puzzled looks at Eric when they saw Li Ang's actions.

But after two minutes had passed, their expressions changed once again.

Li Ang's various movements were as if he had transformed into a different person, incredibly standard and professional, certainly among the top tier of amateur riders.

Only Eric was not surprised by this; in fact, the first time he saw Li Ang, he had discerned from his motions that his posture was definitely professional. The only mystery was why he was riding a women's bike. Perhaps this was the caprice of a master.

Since they were still in the warm-up stage, Eric let everyone play to their strengths.

Li Ang too could barely contain the restlessness in his body, he was very curious about what he would be like at full throttle.

Before this, he didn't dare to try, fearing he might break the bike, and then he would lose his only mode of transportation.

Once the group started, their speed quickly reached 30 kilometers per hour, but Li Ang continued to accelerate, his pedaling becoming faster and faster.

The remaining three didn't want to fall behind and hurriedly sped up to follow.

"40, 50, 60... He couldn't have surpassed 70 already, could he?"

Little Eric looked at the speedometer on his bike, which was now showing a speed of 58 kilometers per hour, the limit of his body on flat ground.

Yet at this moment, he could still see Li Ang's distance from him growing larger and larger.

In less than ten seconds, Little Eric had to reduce his pedaling frequency, and his speed gradually slowed down to 40.

This definitely didn't mean that Little Eric was too weak; in fact, his cycling strength was solidly ranked among the top ten in their school.

It was a result he had achieved with three to four years of continuous training.

For regular cyclists, a sprint speed of 50 on flat ground was already a commendable level.

"Are you really sure he hasn't registered as a professional cyclist?"

The muscular young man who had been silent all this while finally spoke up.

"I can confirm that he hasn't, if the name he gave me isn't fake," said Eric, his eyes shining, knowing he had stumbled upon a treasure.

In that case, not only the top three but even the championship could be contended for.

"His explosive power is absolutely top-notch; maybe we should consider adjusting his role to be the sprinter," Eric suggested.

Little Eric's tone was still a bit grave, even now.

About two minutes later, the three of them finally caught up with Li Ang, who had already slowed down by then.

His back was soaked with sweat, but he showed no signs of exhaustion.

"If you don't mind, may I take a look at your cycling computer?"

Little Eric approached with excitement as soon as the words were spoken.

"Feel free to."

"Thanks a ton! 66.5 kilometers per hour, brother. Li even surpassed your record speed on this road by 3 kilometers per hour."

Little Eric's eyes widened as he looked at his older brother.

Now he didn't feel down anymore, after all, even his own brother couldn't outdo Li.

A sprint speed of over 60 on flat ground is actually a dividing line of strength and is roughly equivalent to the speed of a car on regular roads, powered solely by human force.

Once everyone understood Li Ang's strength, the atmosphere of their conversation became much more relaxed.

Li Ang had already learned from his memory that this was the temperament of young Americans.

If you are strong, no matter how arrogant you are, everyone will admire and even worship you; without strength, even if you plead and apologize, they will only beat you harder and look down on you even more.

After half a day's training, everyone maintained an average speed of over 30 and completed the 80-kilometer goal.

This stint of riding also gave them a new understanding of Li Ang.

They originally thought he only had explosive power, but unexpectedly, his endurance wasn't lacking at all. This could only mean that Li Ang's overall cycling level was no longer on the same level as theirs.

During the ride, not only had Li Ang gained 160 [Cycling] proficiency, but his Constitution and Strength also increased by 0.05 and 0.02, respectively.

This riding session had also allowed him to get a rough idea of his current level.

Without pushing his abilities to the limit, he was already able to comfortably outperform these three amateur cyclists.

By the time the competition officially started, his [Cycling] proficiency level would at least rise another notch, and his physical attributes would see a significant increase as well.

When the time came, not to mention overwhelming other contestants, as long as professional cyclists didn't show up, there should be no situation where he was suppressed by others.

As for lunch, it was naturally arranged by the wealthy Eric.

Having completed the 80 kilometers of training, they were all undoubtedly famished.

After discussing, they chose a decent Brazilian barbecue buffet restaurant.

Li Ang quietly breathed a sigh of relief in his heart. If it were an à la carte restaurant, he really would have felt embarrassed to let himself go, but a buffet was of no concern.

At the buffet, servers carried platters of roasted meats from which you could ask them to carve off a piece of anything you fancied.

All three of them were long-time athletes with sturdy physiques, so naturally, their appetites were substantial—they requested everything that came their way.

Sizzling steaks, tempting lamb legs, Orleans chicken wings, smoked bacon—they stuffed whatever it was into their mouths.

But what they didn't realize was that although Li Ang was rather slim, he actually had quite the appetite.

Thinking about it, it made sense. Without replenishing energy this way, it would be difficult to maintain such explosive power and stamina.

The meal lasted a full one and a half hours, and only near the end of the mealtime did they leave the restaurant satisfied.

This meal, including the tip, cost more than three hundred dollars, which wasn't much pressure for Eric at all.

The same amount of food at a slightly fancier restaurant would probably not cost less than eight hundred dollars.

After the meal, they invited Li Ang to join other activities in the afternoon, but he politely declined.