Wearing a blue cycling jersey, a colorful silk scarf wrapped around his neck, a pair of gray sunglasses hanging from his chest, black gloves, and a black beret—no one would guess this man, standing about 1.75 meters tall with a sun-tanned complexion, is over sixty.
Cycling Helps Him Regain His Health at Over Sixty
Zhou Jianping lives in Meiyuan Apartment in Shushan District and was formerly an optical research scientist at the Anhui Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics on Science Island. In 2003, Zhou was diagnosed with colon cancer and soft tissue cancer in his left arm, and doctors even suggested amputating his left arm.
Zhou opted against the amputation, but the soft tissue cancer, if it recurred, would cause a large lump to form under his arm, which would then have to be surgically removed each time. Over the years, Zhou has undergone five surgeries on his arm.
"The arm remained, but my left hand is useless," Zhou said with a wry smile. Due to the impact of the surgeries, his left hand’s fingers are now stiff and curled, cold to the touch, and completely numb.
By chance, Zhou joined a cycling group at the encouragement of a friend. "At first, the bike seat hurt my buttocks, and my legs ached terribly," Zhou recalled, admitting he thought about quitting. "But gradually, I built up from 20 kilometers to 30, then 40, and now I can cycle over 200 kilometers in a day."
Unlike most cyclists, Zhou has no sensation in his left hand and can only control the brakes with his right, so his bicycle is specially configured with reversed brake levers. Fellow cyclists affectionately call him "One-Armed Cyclist, Old Zhou."
In Zhou’s view, the biggest benefit of cycling is improved health. "When I go for medical checkups, many of my health indicators have returned to normal," Zhou said. He also plans to cycle to Tibet to challenge his limits. "Over the past two years, I’ve pretty much cycled through all the cities in the province, exploring the natural scenery of both southern and northern Anhui," Zhou said with a smile. In two years, he has cycled over 20,000 kilometers. "Now I often go to places like Huainan, Fuyang, and Shou County, making day trips back and forth—it’s like taking a walk."
So far, Zhou’s longest ride was from Hefei to Sanya, which took a full 18 days. "Late last year, my teammates and I cycled over 2,700 kilometers to Sanya, Hainan. Along the way, in every city we passed, we had the local post office stamp our notebook."
This year during the Qingming Festival, Zhou cycled back to his hometown of Shanghai for three days. On May 6, he and 10 other cyclists went to Qiandao Lake in Zhejiang for a 10-day round trip.
"I also plan to do a cycling tour around Taiwan with my teammates, and I might go to Guilin, Guangxi, in the second half of the year," Zhou said. If his health permits, "I’d also really like to cycle to Tibet and challenge my limits."