Chapter 60 - SHOCK.
Yang Dao got up early the next morning, after taking a shower. The boy had just walked out of his room when he smelled a faint aroma coming from the kitchen. He walked over with Curiosity and saw Feng Yun, wearing an apron and cooking eggs. This was something he did not expect. The beauty chef sensed his presence and said, “Young Master, do not look at me like that, please. I used to cook for myself before I became the big boss.”
Yang Dao smiled, “I said nothing, just that, it is weird to see you like this.” it was nothing out of the norms. The girl was the owner of an almost Trillionaire consortium. How would anyone expect her to cook?
Soon the breakfast was served. Yang Dao ate as he spoke, “I will have to go for a qualification race first, then you come when the main event starts?”
Feng Yun nodded as she replied, “In the meantime, I will deal with some work things.”
Yang Dao nodded. He washed his dishes and left after saying goodbye to Feng Yun. He rode his blue bike with a small pack on his back. He had already read and memorized the content of the book Coach Gust handed to him. His destination was a place called the central market. The race was designed inside the city. The roads for the track were all cordoned off. The track was 3km long. Three laps around it. The best lap counts.
Yang Dao arrived relatively early, it was 9.30 in the morning. The qualification race had already begun at 8 in the morning. Before leaving his place yesterday, Ray told him to arrive around 9.30 which is when it will be his turn. The boy glanced around and saw a lot of cyclists stretching up or watching the participants on the track.
He took off his bag, took out his phone, and made a call to Ray. The call connected, Ray spoke, “Dao, come to the registration area…” the guy explained to him some directions and after five minutes Yang Dao located him along with the coach. Ray beckoned him to come close.
Yang Dao pushed his bike over and greeted, “Good morning Coach, Senior Ray.”
The old man nodded and said, “This track is set in the flat region. Will you be okay?”
Yang Dao nodded. After a few words, the old man posted two sheets of paper on his chest and back. He said, “This is your contender tag. This number is your Identity till you stand on the podium. Only when you stand out on the podium, will you have a name. Otherwise, you are just a number.”
Yang Dao nodded. These words pumped up his spirits. Ray said, “Your turn is after me. All the best, okay. Try your best.”
Yang Dao and Ray bumped their fist, and the senior pushed his bike near the waiting spot. One rider will ride at a time. This allowed better ranking. Yang Dao asked the old man beside him, “Coach, why do they say that those who can climb mountains cannot run the streets?”
Coach Gust smiled and said, “There is something that you don’t understand?” his words made Yang Dao embarrassed. The coach spoke after a tease, “The riders on the road excel in explosive bursts of energy. They can sprint, but then they will get tired and you will have to carry them. While climbers have better endurance and steady outflow. You think of sprinters as a spear while the climbers are the shield. One is fast, and the other is steady.”
Yang Dao nodded and then asked, “Coach, is captain Thomas, an all-rounder?”
The old man nodded. He replied, “Yes, Thomas has been good at riding bikes ever since he was a kid. Don’t worry, he still lost to you. Did he not?”
Yang Dao scratched the back of his head. He said, “That was because of the bike.”
Old Man spoke, “Was it the bike riding on its own?” Yang Dao shook his head. The old man continued, “The bike is only as good as a rider. Never think like that.” then he patted Yang Dao’s back.
Ray had done two laps by now. Yang Dao moved to the waiting zone and observed the last lap. Ray was pointing his all in this lap to make the fastest lap. Soon the lap ended. Yang Dao waited as Ray rode to his side. He said, “Be careful in the corners.”
Yang Dao nodded, entered the track. The referee said, “Ready!” Yang Dao mounted his bike. after a deep breath, he nodded to the referee. The latter raised his hand in the air and slashed it downward and gave a low shout, “GO!”
Yang Dao started slow. Everyone thought it was just a slow start, but this boy. He was riding as if he was out on a leisurely trip. Some people could not help but ridicule him from the sidelines.
“Hey, this kid, is he out for picnic here?”
“Hey, whose child is lost?” ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ
Coach Gust was observing all this in silence. Suddenly he heard a voice, “Dad, is that kid with you?” the voice sent shivers down his body
The old man turned his face, a young girl about 23 or 24 stood in front of him. Her face was 70% familiar to Coach Gust. The old man’s face bloomed with a hearty smile. He touched the lady on her forehead and said, “Are you the guest here?”
The girl nodded with a smile as she hugged the old man. She is Ayaka Gust, Jewel nation top-level cyclist. She is the champion of the world games five years ago. Yet now she is struggling with her form and is on a break to recover. Coach Gust spoke, “Do you think that the kid is also on a picnic?”
The girl shook her head and said, “He is feeling the track. These people will shut up after the third lap.” Her words had fallen and Yang Dao was moving towards the finish line.
Five meters from the goal, the boy stood up, switched his front gears. He suddenly sped up a lot. The next thing was a robot moving through the curves and the sprints without stopping his feet. He was cornering by shifting his center of gravity, yet even during that time, he did not stop moving his feet. When he entered the last sprint, his cycle started swaying even more.
Soon he completed the second lap, yet his speed did not slow down. Unlike the last lap, this time he slowed down on extremely sharp corners. Yet still, the performance did not decrease here, but the balance of acceleration and brakes along with the constant shuffling of the gears made his performance soar.
Ayaka Gust was stunned. She has never seen such an operation. She asked her father, “Who is this kid. So overpowered.”
Coach Gust chuckled, “He is Yang Dao. National college entrance exam topper, also the most terrifying rookie of our club. Till now he has defeated, Thomas in a sprint, Junior Youth Champion Icarus in climbing the Ruby mountain, and last night Ray here was shamed by him. This kid climbed the mountain in 30 minutes and some seconds.”
Ayaka Gust was aware of how talented Thomas and Ray were in biking, to think a first-year defeated them but then again he also defeated Icarus? She could not digest it. She glanced at Ray, who nodded with a bitter smile on his face.
Ray said, “Sister Ayaka, this monster does not use his own bike otherwise, it would have been even more exaggerated.”
Ayaka asked, “What do you mean, his bike? What model is it?” she was excited to think what kind of bike does this guy uses?
Coach Gust spoke, “Silence”
This word almost made the girl fall on her knees She glanced at her father, who had a serious expression. She asked, “You sure?”
Both the males nodded. Ray flashed her phone at her face. It was an image they clicked when Yang Dao first rode with them. Ayaka almost dropped the phone. She said suddenly, “I want to train you guys for the tournament next time.”
Ray shivered, he said, “Coach, ask her to spare us. She almost killed Felix last time.” he kept his voice low, but it was heard by Yang Dao, who was pushing his bike over to the crowd.
Ray said, “This is…”
Yang Dao replied, “I know, Ayaka Gust, champion of the world games.” he turned to face the lady, and with a smile, he said, “Hello, senior Ayaka.”
Ayaka replied, “Hello, Junior Yang Dao”
The four people were chatting when an announcement echoed. Yang Dao did not hear his name on the qualification list. Suddenly he heard another announcement. The organizers canceled the main event, and this time trial was the event itself. The top three will now be called over the stage.
The sudden change made every participant angry, but then the organizer asked this because of their product selling Insurance.