His advice to young people from nowhere? "Figure out what you want. Be really clear. Then go after it like crazy. That saying online, that some things are impossible no matter how hard you try? That"s not true. If you want it badly enough and you work hard enough, you can achieve it."

　　When asked what the 19-year-old version of himself, the one chasing that television crew through the rain, would ask the 39-year-old champion, Zhang paused, his eyes glistened with tears.

　　"That hypothetical doesn"t really work," he said. "But if he met me, I"d tell him to just keep doing what he wants to do. Just keep going."

　　Staff members operate on an assembly line at the production workshop, April 1, 2026. (Xinhua/Huang Wei)

　　Zhang (C) takes a group photo with team riders at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit in Australia, Feb. 20, 2026. (Xinhua)