Ji Cheng (; born 15 July 1987) is a Chinese former professional

cyclist Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from two ...

, who rode professionally between 2006 and 2016 for and .

Career

Before 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 Harbin (; mnc, , v=Halbin; ) is a sub-provincial city and the provincial capital and the largest city of Heilongjiang province, People's Republic of China, as well as the second largest city by urban population after Shenyang and largest ...

, where temperatures can drop to in winter, when Ji could train for cycling indoors. Initially a track cyclist, he later switched to road racing. Ji moved to Europe in 2006, competing in amateur

criterium A criterium, or crit, is a bike race consisting of several laps around a closed circuit, the length of each lap or circuit ranging from about 400 m to 10,000 m. Overview Race length can be determined by a number of laps or total time ...

races in the Netherlands before turning professional. In 2012, Ji became the first Chinese rider to race in, and complete, a

Grand Tour The Grand Tour was the principally 17th- to early 19th-century custom of a traditional trip through Europe, with Italy as a key destination, undertaken by upper-class young European men of sufficient means and rank (typically accompanied by a tuto ...

, when he finished 175th at the

Vuelta a España The Vuelta a España (; en, Tour of Spain) is an annual multi-stage bicycle race primarily held in Spain, while also occasionally making passes through nearby countries. Inspired by the success of the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, the r ...

. By taking the start in the

2013 Giro d'Italia The 2013 Giro d'Italia was the 96th edition of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It started in Naples and finished in Brescia. Vincenzo Nibali of team Astana won the general classification. Teams As a UCI World Tour race, the ...

, he likewise became the first Chinese cyclist to start that race. The following year he was selected for the

2014 Tour de France The 2014 Tour de France was the 101st edition of the race, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The race included 21 stages, starting in Leeds, Yorkshire, United Kingdom, on 5 July and finishing on the Champs-Élysées in Paris on 27 July. The race al ...

, and became the first Chinese rider to compete in the Tour. Ji managed to complete the race despite a knee injury, finishing last as the 2014 race's

lanterne rouge The ''lanterne rouge'' is the competitor in last place in the Tour de France. The phrase comes from the French for "Red Lantern" and refers to the red lantern hung on the rear vehicle of a passenger railway train or the brake van of a freight tr ...

Major results

;2008 : 1st Stage 1

Tour of South China Sea The Tour of South China Sea is an annual professional road bicycle racing classic one-day race held in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau since 1996 as part of the UCI Asia Tour. It has been held during Christmas holiday every year since 1996 to celeb ...

;2012 :

Combativity award Stage 19

Grand Tour general classification results timeline

References

External links

Profile on team website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ji, Cheng 1987 births Chinese male cyclists Living people Cyclists from Harbin 21st-century Chinese people