Chapter 25 - Orientation Race.
The next morning, Yang Dao woke up at 5. He meditated and did a light workout. Then he took a shower and cooked himself some eggs quickly. Then after checking up for everything. He selected a pen and a composite notebook from his stationery supplies. After putting everything in his backpack Yang Dao, dressed in a white round neck shirt and gray sports shorts, walked out of the door.
The elevator descended and Yang Dao came straight to his bike. He put on the gloves and helmet and rode out. He wore dashing shoes. The sleek design was comfortable for running fast and long distances. The shoes were matched with his white shirt with ankle socks. The entire look was refreshing and Yang Dao decided that he would not use his elemental skill to manipulate the wind during the race. He rode fast and the bike also carried him on the asphalt with grace. Yang Dao practiced his dancing and other bike riding skills on the way.
If yesterday he was a typhoon, today he was a gust. Calm and controlled. Yang Dao’s yesterday burst was because of the excitement of riding the bike so fast. Today he was relatively calm and his bike worked perfectly in sync with his body. Yang Dao rode the bike back to the one-hour trail back to college in fifty-five minutes. A five-minute deduction for a rookie is a big deal.
When Yang Dao reached the University gate he saw the Cycling Team members wearing their full gear talking among themselves. The University entrance was the starting line. Watching Yang Dao ride the bike they all greeted him. Thomas spoke, “Dao, go and put your bag back in the locker room. Also, leave your mobile phone too. There is a code lock on the locker, you can rest assured. There is a guard to watch over the stuff.”
Yang Dao nodded slightly and pushed his bike to the stand placed at the club entrance. The cycling club had a separate single-story building for itself. Jade University was relatively large and comparable to a small city in itself. Not only Cycling club. Every prominent sport had a designated separate building. Yang Dao quickly finished putting his things inside the locker and walked out to where Thomas and the rest were assembled.
He spoke to Thomas after exchanging a polite greeting with the other members, “Captain, can I use a spare bike? ‘Silence is a bit too much, no?”
Thomas and the other glanced and him and rolled their eyes then they started laughing. Thomas spoke after calming down, “Well, I will allow you to use the spare bike this time. This is an orientation race. Let you use a spare bike so that nobody points fingers at you. Though remember that your bike is also a part of your strength. After riding ‘Silence’ the basic aluminum frame bike will not allow you to give out your all. So take my bike. The two leaders of the team are Ray and Felix. You go familiarize with my bike and then I will describe the course and the rules of this race when the coach arrives.” ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ
Yang Dao nodded and left to familiarize himself with this bike. He was fascinated when he saw a blue streamlined bike. Though it was not as classy as his ‘Silence’. It was still a good-looking bike. Yang Dao pushed the bike to the side and saw two people warming up on a roller. This piece of equipment really attracted Yang Dao’s attention. It was like a treadmill for bikes. He found an unoccupied roller for him and then placed the bike on it and got on it. He pedaled but soon he found the peculiarity.
A guy on the side spoke, “Bro, pedal fast at first to make the roller gain momentum. Then slow down and ride at peace.” Yang Dao turned to the guy and said, “Thank you.”
The boy followed his advice and put some force behind his cadence and the bike ran on the roller. Yang Dao took some time to familiarize himself with the bike then he clicked on the gear switch and shifted the gears. He constantly tried different gear combinations. The guy who advised Yang Dao was surprised to see this. He did not expect the newbie to be able to proficiently switch gears. He felt curious and was about to initiate a conversation. When Thomas shouted, “Freshmen gather up.” followed by a couple of claps.
Yang Dao got off the roller and pushed the bike to the gate where the people gathered. Thomas spoke, “The orientation race is a ritual of our club, from the day it was established. So, I hope none of you act out of line because that leads to a ban from entering the club. Second, you guys will be led by third-year senior students, Ray and Felix. One will be leading in the front while the other will be watching from the back. They will make sure that none of you misbehaves or leads to accidents. The rest of the team would follow you on a bus. We will pick up those who are too tired to race.” he took a pause and continued, “The race is 100 kilometers long. The first section is 5 kilometers of city traffic, then a 30-kilometer long flat road leading straight to the winding Ruby Mountain. You will climb the 40-kilometer slope, then descend and follow the 25-kilometer flat road leading to the back entrance of the college. Also, remember, no one is allowed to pass each other in the city to avoid accidents. After you exit the city you can even leave senior Ray behind, that is, if you can.”
With all the rules and track described all the freshmen mounted the bikes. The coach of the team spoke, “Ready?” after a pause, he yelled, “Go.” and so Everyone kicked off the pedals and rushed out with Ray leading them by a distance of 5 meters.