PART 2

Describe an unforgettable bike trip

You should say:

• When it was
• Where you went
• What happened during the trip
• And explain how you felt about it
It didn’t take me long to narrow down* what I’m going to talk about because there is a bike ride that I took a few
years back that is memorable**, but for all the wrong reasons. It was a bit of a nightmare***, to be perfectly
honest.

*to narrow down = to reduce the **memorable = unforgettable ***a bit of a nightmare = very bad
number of possibilities

I’d been planning to get fit for a while and so I bought a bike and all the gear* –
helmet, cycling shoes and suchlike**. I was determined to get fit*** and because I
live in quite a hilly location, I thought it would be perfect to go out on my bike a few
times a week to shed**** a few kilos. When you try any activity for the first time,
it’s recommended that you take it slowly. Not me, though. I set off with a grand plan
of doing a 30km circuit. To be fair, it was going quite well. I’d done about 10k and
was feeling comfortable and then disaster struck*****.
*gear = equipment **and suchlike = and so on ***to be determined to do something = focused; strong-minded

****to shed = to lose *****disaster struck = something bad happened

Fluency and Coherence - Organisation

Grammatical Range and Accuracy - Grammar
Lexical Resource - Vocabulary
Whilst I was coming down a fairly steep* hill, I hit a pothole and went flying over the handlebars** of my bike.
Luckily, I landed on the grass verge so I didn’t get many cuts and bruises, but unbeknownst to me*** at the time,
I had broken my finger. I got back on the bike, but I was pretty shaken up****.
*steep = sharp incline **to go flying over the handlebars = to go head first over your handlebars

***unbeknownst to me = I didn’t know ****to be shaken up = to be shocked and upset

I tried to carry on*, but I was struggling to hold the handlebars and I couldn’t
really control the bike. Defeated**, I phoned my husband/wife/girlfriend etc and
asked him to come and pick me up***. When he arrived, I burst into tears****
and he took one look at my finger and said ‘we need to go to A&E/ER*****’. I can
see the funny side****** now, but at the time, I wasn’t laughing. I’ve since sold
my bike and bought an exercise bike. It’s far safer for me!

*to carry on = to continue **defeated = beaten ***to pick someone up = to collect someone

****to burst into tears = to start crying *****A&E or ER = Accident & Emergency ******I can see the funny side = to realise
that something bad is also funny

Fluency and Coherence - Organisation

Grammatical Range and Accuracy - Grammar
Lexical Resource - Vocabulary