Ji Cheng (simplified Chinese: 计成; traditional Chinese: 計成; pinyin: Jì Chéng; born 15 July 1987) is a Chinese former professional cyclist, who rode professionally between 2006 and 2016 for Purapharm and Team Giant–Alpecin.[2]
 Ji at the 2015 Brabantse Pijl. | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Ji Cheng |
| Nickname | Breakaway killer[1] |
| Born | July 15, 1987 Harbin, Heilongjiang, China |
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) |
| Weight | 67 kg (148 lb; 10.6 st) |
| Team information | |
| Current team | Retired |
| Discipline | Road |
| Role | Rider |
| Professional teams | |
| 2006 | Purapharm |
| 2007–2016 | Skil–Shimano |
Career
editBefore taking up cycling, Ji competed as a runner whilst at school. One factor which led to him switching sports was the weather in his hometown, the northern city of Harbin, where temperatures can drop to −20 °C (−4 °F) in winter, when Ji could train for cycling indoors. Initially a track cyclist, he later switched to road racing.[3] Ji moved to Europe in 2006, competing in amateur criterium races in the Netherlands before turning professional.[4]
In 2012, Ji became the first Chinese rider to race in,[5] and complete, a Grand Tour, when he finished 175th at the Vuelta a España.[6] By taking the start in the 2013 Giro d'Italia, he likewise became the first Chinese cyclist to start that race. The following year he was selected for the 2014 Tour de France, and became the first Chinese rider to compete in the Tour.[3] Ji managed to complete the race despite a knee injury, finishing last as the 2014 race's lanterne rouge.[7]
Major results
edit- 2008
- 1st Stage 1 Tour of South China Sea
- 2012
Combativity award Stage 19 Vuelta a España
Grand Tour general classification results timeline
edit| Grand Tour | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | DNF | — | 156 | 154 | |
| — | — | 164 | — | — | |
| 175 | — | — | — | — |
| — | Did not compete |
|---|---|
| DNF | Did not finish |
References
edit- ^ "Chinese 'Breakaway Killer'". pelotonmagazine. 14 July 2014. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
- ^ "Ji Cheng". Retrieved 28 July 2012.
- ^ a b Tolan, Casey (4 July 2014). "Ji Cheng to ride into history as the first Chinese cyclist in the Tour de France". CNN.com. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
- ^ Cary, Tom (25 July 2014). "Tour de France 2014: Ji Cheng blazes a trail for China by coming last". telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
- ^ Hood, Andrew (21 August 2012). "From China to the Vuelta: Ji Cheng is riding into history". VeloNews. Competitor Group, Inc. Archived from the original on 2 January 2013. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
- ^ Benson, Daniel (9 September 2012). "Degenkolb takes fifth Vuelta stage win in Madrid". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
- ^ Austen, Ian (27 July 2014). "Italy's Vincenzo Nibali Wins the 2014 Tour de France". nytimes.com. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
External links
edit- Profile on team website
- Ji Cheng at ProCyclingStats