Cultivating through increasing my stats in America-Chapter 123 - 122 Tour de France Participation Quota
Las Vegas, also known as the Gambling City, or the Entertainment Capital of the World.
Although when it comes to the economy, it’s not top-tier in America, in terms of spending money, no one can outdo it.
Li Ang didn’t think twice before agreeing, at least from Sheila’s tone, he sensed that there was definitely good news waiting for him.
The day before departure, Li Ang had mastered the beginner level of "Twelve Tan Legs," and then he trained his [Hidden Weapon Throwing] skill to proficiency.
The trait of this skill was quite practical as it directly enhanced Li Ang’s upper body strength by 10%.
Combined with the trait of [Cycling] that enhanced his lower body strength, it was as if all of Li Ang’s limbs had been strengthened.
It wasn’t until on the plane to Las Vegas the next day that Li Ang learned this trip was closely related to him.
Stepping out of the airport, Li Ang immediately felt the city’s distinctly extravagant aura.
The volume of people on the streets and their vibrancy surpassed any other city he had visited before.
The red Ferrari LaFerrari roaring past him on the road was a constant reminder that he was still a poor man.
Dinner had already been reserved by someone in advance, surprisingly at a Chinese restaurant.
The restaurant, Wynn Palace, located inside the Wynn Palace, was probably the epitome of Chinese dining in the area.
Although the dishes had been prearranged, a brief glance at the menu gave Li Ang the impression that even if the prices were in RMB, they would still be expensive.
Peking duck for $131.88, ginger-scallion American wagyu for $99.88, and even a dish like sweet and sour pork cost $39.88, which converted to RMB would be two to three hundred.
After both of them sat down, soon two or three middle-aged men in suits arrived with their respective female companions.
Everyone was dressed very formally, which made Li Ang, in his casual attire, seem somewhat out of place.
But these trivial details didn’t affect Li Ang’s mood at all. If he needed to talk, he’d talk. If not, he’d focus on eating.
Li Ang could tell that at this table, Sheila held a high status, but the actual guest was a white male in his forties, looking slightly aged.
At the table, Li Ang had his fill of high-class ingredients like king crab, Australian lobster, and wagyu beef. In the end, he hadn’t eaten his fill, so he ordered an extra large serving of wagyu and truffle fried rice just for himself.
During the meal, two of the women brought by others showed mocking expressions towards Li Ang, but he didn’t care. Grace couldn’t fill your stomach, and besides, every bite he took was Breakthrough Points.
However, it seemed to ease his embarrassment, the leading white male consoled him with:
"It’s normal for athletes to eat a lot, their baseline energy consumption is high."
The dinner ultimately cost over eleven thousand dollars, which was more than one-tenth of Li Ang’s entire net worth.
He couldn’t help but feel emotional about the massive wealth disparity here; the rich truly don’t treat money as anything!
After the meal, the other guests gradually left.
Outside the door, the well-dressed gentleman who had just been inside was now looking at his female companion with an angry expression.
"Elisa, you idiot, the face you just made was like the sow my family used to raise. Don’t you know who the main character is today? I’m only here to foot the bill!"
"Isn’t it Mr. Olsad?"
The lady, who had been sophisticated and elegant just moments ago, now seemed somewhat at a loss.
"No, it’s the Asian young man across from him. It’s because of him that Miss Sheila specially invited Olsad over."
...
After the other guests had left, Li Ang suddenly realized that he seemed to be the center of attention at the dinner.
"Miss Sheila has introduced me to you, and I myself have also watched videos of your races. Do you have any desire to participate in the Tour de France?"
Facing the question from the elderly gentleman, Li Ang nodded.
The Tour de France, as the pinnacle of cycling competitions, was of course something he wanted to participate in, but not just for the honor and prize money, but also for the additional Breakthrough Points that could be earned from such high-level competitions.
"If it’s possible, I would certainly like to participate."
However, Li Ang also knew that it wasn’t that easy.
Just looking at China with its over a billion people, and noting that it wasn’t until 2014 that the first Chinese rider appeared in the Tour de France, one could see the level of difficulty involved.
There are three levels of professional cycling teams: World Tour Racing Team, Continental Professional Team, and Continental Team.
According to the regulations of the UCI (International Cycling Union), only teams at the World Tour level can participate directly in top-level races like the Tour de France.
Teams at the Continental Professional level do have a chance to participate in the Tour as well.
But they need to be selected from a host of Continental teams, and typically only three of the most outstanding teams each session are granted the slots to compete in the Tour.
There are only eighteen World Tour level teams worldwide, with seventeen registered in Europe and one in Asia.
There are a total of seventeen Continental Professional teams with fifteen registered in Europe and two in the United States.
And this unassuming old man was the manager of one of the only two Continental Professional teams in the United States.
"Our team has a very high likelihood of participating in the next Tour de France. With the strength you’ve shown so far, joining our team should be no problem. However, your current results are not quite enough to earn a spot in the race."
Li Ang nodded, waiting for him to continue.
He also knew that his current track record was definitely too meager, having only participated in two races thus far, with just one of them being fairly official. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
The middle-aged man proceeded to tell him about the biggest and most prestigious cycling race in America, the Tour of California.
He would allow Li Ang to join their team to compete in this event.
"So, I hope you can prove yourself in the coming Tour of California."
"Perhaps you will witness a miracle happen."
Li Ang shook hands with him, agreeing to take on the challenge.
Any high-level competition eventually requires a team effort rather than a lone struggle to make a difference.
Even if he had great capabilities, he still relied on the qualification slots given by these teams.
Otherwise, one would have to set up their own team, burning through a lot of money, and then work on moving up step by step.
Once he realized that this was Sheila’s arrangement, Li Ang didn’t say too much in thanks; some things were better kept in the heart, and it was more worthwhile to repay with actions.
"Dear Mr. Li Ang, do you know what’s different here compared to the places we’ve been before?"
"Ah?"
Li Ang was somewhat puzzled by Sheila’s question.
"The age of sexual consent here is only 16 years old!"
