In the room.
Zhang Mingzhi, staring intently at the screen, broke out in a cold sweat upon witnessing this scene. Fortunately, Lin Yan was eventually saved; otherwise, it would have been truly…
However, seeing that Lin Yan didn't slow down at such a moment but instead floored the accelerator, Zhang Mingzhi couldn't quite understand. But he also knew that Lin Yan must have his reasons for doing so.
The moment he was thrown off, Lin Yan realized something was amiss. Driven by years of experience, he instinctively gripped the handlebars tightly with both hands, his left hand firmly holding the clutch.
If he were to fall, separating the rider from the bike would be the best way to avoid secondary injuries to the rider from the bike. However, if rider and bike separated, releasing both the clutch and the brakes with his left and right hands simultaneously would cause the bike to stall.
Stalling meant disqualification from the race.
Without an external starter, restarting the engine would be nearly impossible.
This was precisely why most riders, even knowing their bikes might cause them secondary injuries after a fall, still held onto the handlebars tightly.
With a loud bang, his knee hit the ground heavily. However, protected by the riding suit, Lin Yan only felt a slight pain in his knee, with no serious injury.
After stabilizing the bike with the handlebars, the next step was naturally to get back on the seat.
Other riders might choose to immediately get up and continue the race.
But Lin Yan wouldn't. His more than ten years of professional career and experience as a seven-time world champion told him.
Getting up immediately might waste more time.
Therefore, Lin Yan didn't get up. Instead, he continued to hold the handlebars with both hands, kneeling on one side of the bike and sliding forward at high speed, all while increasing the throttle.
He was positioned on the left side of the bike, and the next turn was also a left turn, which was perfect for Lin Yan.
This was the final lap of the race, and he had to race against time. The crash had already caused Lin Yan's lap times to drop, and he had to find a way to compensate.
Fortunately, this straight wasn't long, and he didn't need to shift gears, otherwise, Lin Yan would have been in a real predicament.
“He’s not planning to get back on the bike yet? The turn is coming up,” Hao Dong said anxiously in the live broadcast.
It wasn’t about whether Lin Yan could win. At this point, the results didn’t matter as much as the person. Lin Yan couldn’t afford to get hurt.
He was a rare genius in China, and even if he had myasthenia gravis, as long as it wasn't permanent, there was still a way to treat it.
Seeing that Lin Yan had passed the braking point but still wasn’t slowing down, Hao Dong became worried.
As the bike was about to enter the turn, Lin Yan finally applied the brakes with his right hand.
As he applied the brakes, both his knees exerted downward force almost simultaneously. The knee sliders on his suit sparked as they scraped against the ground.
“Damn, he’s trying to use the resistance of his legs to delay the braking point!”
Seeing Lin Yan speeding past on the track with sparks flying, Hao Dong finally understood Lin Yan’s intention and shouted in the live broadcast, even cursing.
“Dongzi, what are you barking about? Be careful the mods go crazy. Damn, this…”
“Is this the legendary leg brake?”
“I think ‘knee brake’ is more appropriate.”
“Damn, NB!”
“Truly ‘grinding’ knees.”
“This works too? Wow, learned something new. I’ll try it next time.”
“Hey, the one above, remember to call me when you go. I’ll come to watch the show and check if the hospital’s Wi-Fi is good.”
“Count me in too. I can help feed you!”
…
Although Lin Yan’s braking method was excellent, both fast and stable, Hao Dong was still curious how Lin Yan would navigate the upcoming turn.
He had a vague idea that Lin Yan intended to get back on the bike mid-turn, but getting back on a bike mid-turn was almost an impossible feat.
However, Lin Yan was best at turning the impossible into the possible.
Just as the bike was about to enter the turn, Lin Yan mustered all his strength, tilted the bike slightly, and swung one leg over. However, he didn't sit down completely, just rested one leg on it.
Sitting down at this moment would easily cause the tilting bike to fall. This was the part Hao Dong was most concerned about.
He could rest his leg on it, but his entire body couldn't sit down, and the leg resting on it couldn't exert too much force, otherwise, it would easily cause the entire bike to tip over to the side it was leaning.
But what happened next made him widen his eyes.
“Counter-steering!” Hao Dong exclaimed.
Counter-steering, wasn’t that the way to enter a turn used in motocross?
As the bike entered the turn, Lin Yan suddenly steered the handlebars to the right, simultaneously applied the brakes with his right hand, and sat down on the fuel tank, shifting the bike’s center of gravity forward.
As Lin Yan got back on, the front suspension compressed to its limit, and the entire rear wheel began to swing slightly.
“Sliding, it’s a slide!”
Seeing Lin Yan’s maneuver, Hao Dong shouted excitedly again.
This was Lin Yan’s experience and awareness. When getting back on the bike, he didn’t choose to sit on the seat but opted for the fuel tank, which moved the bike’s center of gravity forward.
Shifting the bike’s center of gravity forward would reduce the rear wheel’s grip. Therefore, at this point, downshifting or braking would cause a slide, and he would use the inertia of this slide to enter the turn.
This was a slide, similar to drifting in four-wheeled vehicles. Sliding allowed him to brake later and achieve a faster exit speed from the turn.
Counter-steering was to allow the front wheel to better support Lin Yan’s weight.
After quickly getting back on the bike, Lin Yan extended his elbow to lean into the turn, relying on the friction of his elbows and knees against the ground to maintain the bike’s stability.
…
ps: Thanks to the great author Wutong Luoye for the God-level certification!!
The great author is NB!!! The great author is mighty!!!
Besides NB, I can’t think of any other adjectives.
Let’s go!