China's Ji Cheng rides into cycling history

Chinese fans had a new reason to cheer when they watched the just-concluded Tour de France, as 26-year-old Ji Cheng became the first rider from the country to compete for the highest honor in the sport of cycling.

Chinese fans had a new reason to cheer when they watched the Tour de France, as 26-year-old Ji Cheng became the first rider from the country to compete for the highest honor in the sport of cycling.

It has been 10 days since the 101st edition of the Tour de France ended, and Ji Cheng now has a one-month holiday to sort himself out, and reflect on his unforgettable journey.

"The Tour gave me the most precious thing: experience. It's a sense of accomplishment and recognition. I feel I was trusted by my teammates, and there's also so much more I could say," he said.

Ji, a member of the Giant-Shimano team, had also competed in the sport's other two highest profile races: the Spanish Vuelta and the Italian Giro.

During the Tour, much of the spotlight was cast on his team's leader, four-leg winner Marcel Kittel. But the German was buoyed by the efforts of the other eight cyclists, including Ji, who is known as a "breakaway killer," an important role in the team's formations.

"'Breakaway killer' means I catch up with cyclists who try to get away from the pack of riders. The role is to help position my teammates on the nine-man squad to win races," Ji said.

Ji's home country had been waiting more than a century to see one of its riders compete in the Tour, but the Chinese cyclist made sure to set practical goals for the race.

"It was a dream stage for me. I didn't have a strategy going into the Tour. My goal was to try my hardest for my team, and to finish the whole three weeks. I'm glad I did that," he said.

Ji sees himself as a beneficiary of recent reforms in China's cycling program, and he says that he is hopeful that more people from the country can get in the saddle on the professional level, with his example perhaps helping kickstart a competitive two-wheel boom in the world's most populous nation.