The forgotten story of a phenomenal Australian cyclist

You are going to read part of a newspaper article about an Australian cycling champion. Six paragraphs have been removed from the article. Choose from the paragraphs A-G the one which fits each gap (41-46). There is one extra paragraph which you do not need to use. 

 

The forgotten story of a phenomenal Australian cyclist

 

With his glasses taped to his head and a heavy, boneshaking push bike for a ride, the lanky 18-year-old seemed an unlikely prospect when he turned up for his first club cycling race one day in 1946. Yet, when he died 12 years later, there was a feeling that Russell Mockridge had not yet reached his full potential.

 

41.- ____

 

Someone who achieved this degree of success throughout his cycling career was likely to be self-confident, and might even be forgiven for arrogance. Yet, with his two feet on the pavement, Mockridge was a retiring and painfully shy mano He couldn't handle the 'roughness' of most other cyclists, who referred to him in his young days as 'The China 0011'. For his part, Mockridge preferred to spend time with English literature.

 

42.- ____

 

Officials looked at the skinny Mockridge, at his do-it yourself bike shoes and at his battered roadster with its handlebars turned down, and wondered what they were seeing. The disbelief grew when Mockridge innocently asked if it would be all right if he stayed out in front all the way - he was concerned that his poor eyesight might cause an accident and endanger other cyclists.

 

43.- ____

 

The official was amazed. 'Well, you certainly won the race and probably have the fastest time , but we don't actually know what your time for the distance is, so we can't give you that one,' he told Mockridge. However, impressed he might have been, he could hardly have foreseen that this was just the start of Mockridge's run of victories.

 

44.- ____

 

At the Australian 200km road championship, Mockridge was the sole member of his team left riding when it carne down to the last few hundred metres. The pack was well ahead and beginning their final sprint while Mockridge, whose appetite was astounding, lagged behind finishing off a snack from his food bago

 

45.- ____

 

Another of Mockridge's mad final dashes, on the last day of the 1957 Sun Tour, was one of the most memorable rides of his career. Neck and neck with George Goodwin, Mockridge threw himself into the wending steep hillsides. Goodwin then found himself desperately hanging onto Mockridge's back wheel as the champion unleashed a ride that simply destroyed 28 of Australia's best riders.

 

46.- ____

 

Goodwin crossed the finish line in a final sprint just ahead of Mockridge - a very rare defeat that Mocka suffered in what can only be considered a brilliant and inspirational career. He deserves to be remembered as one of the greatest cyclists of all time.

 

A.-

How fast were the pair pedalling? About 100km/h or more. In fact, they were travelling so quickly that the two police motorcycle escorts had sparks shooting up from their footrests hitting the bitumen as they negotiated the treacherous curves.

 

B.-

This impression of weakness that Mockridge gave was reinforced by his weak vision - he couldn't see the other side of the road without glasses. It was a defect that barred him from most sports, particularly his beloved Australian Rules Football. He was 18 when he entered the weekly Geelong Amateur Cycling Club 40km road race because he was suffering from lack of exercise.

 

C.-

The next week, and the next, Mockridge again won, and a cycling legend was born. In the following few months, he won eight of his 11 starts. Mockridge was hailed as an emerging champion and his rise from club rider to Olympic champion was meteoric.

 

D.- Despite his disappointment, it was during this tour that Mockridge set his sights on making the Australian team for the next Olympic Games. In the lead-up to selection, he won all ten Olympic qualifying races in Australia, then left for Europe.

 

E.-

Any laughter died when Mockridge settled down to his machine-like rhythm and burned off other competitors. Alex McPherson , who was timing the cyclists for the club, waved them past the halfway mark, and hopped into his car to greet the finishers. When he arrived, he found Mockridge waiting and puzzled.

 

F.-

His coaches and teammates had given up on him, as Mockridge still trailed well in the rear, but once he was ready to get back to the matter in hand, he settled into some serious pedalling. Ken Graves was being acclaimed the winner by announcers just as Mockridge burst through the pack and cut him down , snatching victory out of almost certain defeat.

 

G.-

By then 'Mocka', a freakish and courageous talent, had won two Olympic and two Empire gold medals and countless world records. In his day, his feats were as acclaimed as those of other Australian sporting icons, such as cricketer Don Bradman.

O’Dell, Felicity (2015) Advanced Trainer. 2^nd edition. Reading and Use of English Part 7 Test 5. Cambridge University Press: Dubai. Pages 160 and 161.