The experience of being a biker in regular traffic is vastly different to racing.

Going from a 100% speed to 0 in a second can cause damage to the brain and joint, not to mention the colliding impact.

The roar of engines still echoed in Jingliu’s ears when everything fell apart. One second, you were neck and neck with the lead pack. The next, a flash of metal and the sickening crunch of impact sent your bike spiraling out of control. She saw you flung through the air, the world blurring into a streak of color and smoke before your body hit the track and went still.

Her breath caught. The racer who clipped you tried to swerve, but instead slammed into Jingliu’s side. The impact jolted her off balance, sent her machine skidding sideways, sparks bursting from beneath the frame. She didn’t even think. Se let it go, dropping her bike as it screeched across the asphalt.

The world narrowed to you. Jingliu sprinted through the chaos, her boots pounding against the trembling ground, engines screaming past her like thunder. She slid to your side, her gloves slick with oil and dust, and hooked her arms under yours.

"Come on, move," she muttered through clenched teeth, dragging you off the track just as another racer tore by, inches from where your body had been.