But the money never lasted. "From the moment he started making his first product in Chongqing, we were borrowing," Chen later told Jiemian News. For five years, the couple borrowed from relatives and friends, totaling several million yuan.

　　Chen kept a meticulous ledger, marking each debt with a checkmark once repaid. They never defaulted. Spring Festival, when debts are traditionally settled, was the hardest time. If they had money, they paid. If not, they begged for extensions, or borrowed again, or sold spare parts.

　　In 2018, Kove Moto launched its first production bike, the 500X, selling 800 units that year. "That was when Zhang started to made 10,000 yuan a month," Chen said. "I finally felt our life was improving."

　　Zhang never gave up his own racing dream. In 2023, he led Kove to the Dakar Rally, becoming the first manufacturer ever to have all its bikes finish on the first attempt. That same year, at China"s Taklimakan Rally, he raced himself. Midway through a stage, an off-road vehicle clipped him. He was knocked unconscious, and suffered a fractured finger. He woke up and still finished the day"s stage.

　　But time catches everyone. In the Xinhua interview, asked if he has any personal racing goals left, Zhang shook his head. "Personally, no. Unless there"s some senior category or recreational class I can join."

　　Then why not race anymore? His answer was brutally honest: "No, it"s that I can"t run anymore. You ask a 40-year-old track athlete if he still competes. What can he say?"

　　So is he a sportsman or a businessman? "Half and half. Deep down, I wish I could be a pure rider. But realistically, I have to feed all these people. If I don"t make money, everyone starves. Then would I still have a bike to ride? Could I still race? No."

　　THE ENGINE THAT COST EVERYTHING