g) In 2013 Valentina was given a six year contract and has since been competing in the boys

category at most iXS races. _____

h) She began riding when she entered primary school. ______
(born For most,
she ______
i) Her grandmother is also a great rider. isn't a name you would have heard
20 September 1991,
j) In 2013 she raced in the iXS Rookies before,
Cup but considering
for the she's
third time. only thirteen,
______
Redcar, England) is an that's to be expected. Despite
k) She has never considered becoming a professional mountain biker. her age she's
______
making a name for herself in the industry.
l) SheEnglish downhill
wants to mountain surgeon. ______
be a veterinarian
Two years ago she was signed with YT Industries, given a
m) At the moment,
biker who she wants for
rides to finish school and take a degree. ______
six year contract and has since been competing in the boys
Mondraker. category at most iXS races. Growing up in Saalbach,
Austria, she began riding from the moment she could walk.
He won the 2011 and 2016 UCI Combine this with supportive parents, an understanding
Mountain Bike World Championships. head teacher and a godmother who rides, it's pretty much a
recipe for success when you include Vali's talent.
Hart was educated at Rye Hills School in While she may be young, Vali hasn't escaped the attention
Redcar. He had received financial of the industry, from Rachel Atherton to a whole host of
sponsors, Vali has her head in the right place. She's
support from Redcar and Cleveland
focused, dedicated and already has a strong social media
Young People's Trust as a junior rider. presence and her own athlete page on Facebook. If her
name is unfamiliar to you, rest assured she'll be one to
In October 2011, after winning the
watch in future. She's already posting times faster than
World Championships, Hart and former most women she competes against and is often posting
times faster or equal to boys her own age. We caught up
Olympic triple-jumper Jonathan Edwards
with her to find out about her riding, racing and dreams for
and world paratriathlete Charlotte Ellis the future.
helped launch a £31m project to build a R: You actually competed in your first race when you
were three, when did you start riding?
leisure centre in Redcar. Vali: I started riding without training wheels when I was
Hart won the 2007 youth national three years old, after this first race, I wanted to race more,
but I was only three, so I couldn’t race anymore races. I
championship at Rheola, Wales in
started to ride kids freeride races (it was kind of a dual
conditions he described as 'really slalom) when I was 7 or 8 and I really loved it. In 2013 I
raced in the iXS Rookies Cup for the first time, it was really
terrible'. In 2008, when 16, he began
impressive to see so many kids racing.
competing the elite class internationally, R: How old were you when you considered that you'd
with a best DH World Cup result of 22nd like to pursue mountain biking as a career, or is there
something else you’d like to do as you get older?
at Vallnord, Andorra in June. In 2009 he Vali: It is my biggest dream to be one day a professional
won the Maxxis Cup in Vigo, Spain, and mountain biker, for sure, but it is a long way to go and
nobody knows what happens. I'd also like to finish school
came second in the junior national and to go to university later and study event marketing. At
championship at Innerleithen, Scotland, first I wanted to be a veterinary surgeon and teacher, and
sometimes a junior boss of our lodge, but it would be really
third at the junior world championship in
cool to be a manager in a downhill race team or a journalist
Canberra, Australia and 20th in the Elite for Red Bull or Pinkbike. I only want to see the world, cause
life is short.
class at the Fort William, Scotland round
http://www.pinkbike.com Sep. 9, 2015 (abridged)
of the World Cup in June of that year.

Read the above texts and say if these statements are TRUE or FALSE.
a) Danny hart is a well-known mountain biker, but he has never won a
championship. _____
b) Danny is sponsored by Redcar and Cleveland Young People's Trust. _____
c) Hart, Jonathan Edwards and Charlotte Ellis helped created a three million project to build a
leisure centre in Redcar. _____
d) When he was seventeen, he started competing the Elite class internationally. _____
e) In 2009, he got the 3rd place at the junior world championship in Australia. _____
f) In spite of being very young, Valentina is well-known all over the world as a great mountain
biker. ______
 Find synonyms for these words/expression in texts A and B.

a) raised ____________________ e) encouraging __________________

b) younger ___________________ 1- Rim
f) funds providers ___________________
2- Saddle
c) free time __________________ g) not known ______________________
3- Seat post
d) first class __________________ h) work towards ____________________
4- Chain
5- Brake caliper
6- Head tube
Match the names of these bicycle parts. Write the numbers in the
7- Gear/brake
boxes.
levers
8- Top tube
9- Handlebars
10- Seat post
clamp
11- Hub
12- Valve
13- Pedal
14- Wheel
15- Fork
16- Chain rings
17- Tyre
18- Down tube
19- Spoke
20- Jockey wheel
21- Seat stay
22- Chain stay
23- stem

Complete the sentences with one of the words in the box.

a) A bicycle ______________ is simply a roller chain that transfers the power you put into your
______________ to the _______________ of your bike.
b) The basic function of ______________________ is to activate the brake mechanism, which
allows people to slow down or stop while they are riding a bike.
c) From the earliest days of cycling, inventors realized that having a comfortable
_______________ was key and they experimented wildly to come up with sweet seats.
d) A __________’s purpose is obviously to hold and steer the front wheel.
e) Bicycles have multiple _____________ so that it's easier to go up hills, and so you can
go faster on level ground. You can think of _____________ as the same thing as speeds.
f) A ____________ opens to admit gas to a chamber and is then closed
to prevent the gas from escaping.
 Read the above texts and say if these statements are TRUE or FALSE.
a) Danny hart is a well-known mountain biker, but he has never won a championship. _FALSE_
b) Danny is sponsored by Redcar and Cleveland Young People's Trust. _TRUE_
c) Hart, Jonathan Edwards and Charlotte Ellis helped created a three million project to build a leisure centre
in Redcar. _FALSE_
d) When he was seventeen, he started competing the Elite class internationally. _FALSE_
e) In 2009, he got the 3rd place at the junior world championship in Australia. _TRUE_
f) In spite of being very young, Valerie is well-known all over the world as a great mountain biker. _TRUE_
g) In 2013 Valerie was given a six year contract and has since been competing in the boys category at most
iXS races. _TRUE_
h) She began riding when she entered primary school. _FALSE_
i) Her grandmother is also a great rider. _FALSE_
j) In 2013 she raced in the iXS Rookies Cup for the third time. _FALSE_
k) She has never considered becoming a professional mountain biker. _FALSE_
l) She wants to be a veterinarian surgeon. _FALSE_
m) At the moment, what she wants to finish school and take a degree. _TRUE_

Find synonyms for these words/expression in texts A and B.

raised ___educated__ e) encouraging ___supportive___
younger ___junior____ f) funds providers ___sponsors___
free time ___leisure____ g) not known ____unfamiliar____
first class ___elite____ h) work towards ___pursue___

Match the names of these bicycle parts. Write the numbers in the
1- Rim
boxes. 23 5 2- Saddle
3- Seat post
2 9
4- Chain
10 8 5- Brake
7
3 caliper
6
0 6- Head tube
0 7- Gear/brake
17
21 levers
18 15 8- Top tube
9- Handlebars
1 10- Seat post
clamp
11- Hub
12- Valve
11
13- Pedal
14- Wheel
15- Fork
16- Chain rings
16
17- Tyre
20 13 18- Down tube
4 12 14 19- Spoke
22 20- Jockey
19 wheel
21- Seat stay
Complete the sentences with one of the words in the box.
a) A bicycle chain is simply a roller chain that transfers the power you put into your pedals to the wheel of your bike.
b) The basic function of brake levers is to activate the brake mechanism, which allows people to slow down or stop while
they are riding a bike.
c) From the earliest days of cycling, inventors realized that having a comfortable saddle was key and they experimented
wildly to come up with sweet seats.
d) A fork’s purpose is obviously to hold and steer the front wheel.
e) Bicycles have multiple gears so that it's easier to go up hills, and so you can go faster on level ground. You can think of
gears as the same thing as speeds.
f) A valve opens to admit gas to a chamber and is then closed to prevent the gas from escaping.