Cycling polo

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Bicycle polo in Budapest

Cycle polo is a cycling sport that combines elements of cycle ball and polo played by riders on horses . The teams of two to three cyclists each try to drive the ball into the opposing goal with a stick on a long handle. It is allowed to catch the ball with the wheels.

For a long time, bike polo was played almost exclusively by women in sports halls, but for some years now, bike polo has been enjoying growing popularity, especially among bike couriers. Strongholds of this sport are u. a. New York , London , Karlsruhe and Munich .

The traditional game

Teams of four face each other on a large rectangular lawn (e.g. a soccer field). A game lasts 30 minutes, divided into 7.5 minute quarters. A ball about 10 centimeters in diameter is driven into the opponent's goal with a 1 meter long club.

Cycling polo was invented in County Wicklow , Ireland in 1891 by former cyclist and journalist Richard J. Mercredy. At the 1908 Olympic Games , a demonstration game took place in cycling polo, in which Ireland defeated the German team 3-1. A cycling polo tournament was planned for the 1916 Olympic Games in Berlin , which did not take place because of the First World War . Cycling polo was officially recognized by the International Cycling Federation in 2001 .

2-person bike polo

The game is played - like a bicycle ball - on an 11 meter × 14 meter field, which is bordered by a fence, on a 2 meter × 2 meter goal. Two teams are playing, each consisting of two players sitting on a special bike. You can also drive backwards with this. During the game you are not allowed to touch the ground with your foot or any other part of your body. If you do, you first have to cross your own goal line before you are eligible to play again. Both players may work as field players as well as goalkeepers. In cycling polo, the stick is one meter long and has a wooden stick on the lower side with which the ball is played.

Like all sports, cycling polo is divided into different age groups and leagues depending on age and qualifications. The 1st Bundesliga in Germany is the highest activity class (from 18 years). There are twelve teams in this class, which are divided into four groups. A second national league as well as national and association leagues complete the cycling polo competitions.

Since 2012, men have also been allowed to play polo. All-male teams or mixed teams can compete against each other in their own league. The national cup is played here. The first title holder in 2012 was RSV Kostheim with Lisa Berg and Oliver Brück.

3-man bike polo (hard court bike polo)

The rules are partly different and are only presented here in general terms. 3 players per team play here. The players are not allowed to touch the ground during the game; if they do, they have to go to the edge of the playing field at the level of the center line and sound a horn there or knock off a certain object. The racket consists of a long rod, at the end of which a tube about the diameter of the game ball is attached. The exact shape of the club is not specified. The gates are about as wide as a bicycle is long. Goals are often only allowed to be scored with the narrow, round side of the stick. If a goal is scored, the team that scored the goal must retreat to its half of the field, only then can the players continue playing. The winner is the team that scored five goals first or after the previously agreed time (5-30 minutes) has scored the most goals.

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ MDR - October 11, 2008 ( Memento from February 18, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
  2. ↑ City of Karlsruhe - Bikepolo was the crowd puller at the bicycle fair  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.karlsruhe.de  
  3. ↑ Regulations 2-er Radpolo of the BDR (PDF; 664 kB) accessed on March 2, 2012
  4. ↑ BDR Implementation Regulations Radball-Radpolo 2011 (PDF; 142 kB) accessed on March 2, 2012
  5. ↑ General invitation to tender for 2012 elite and junior cycling polo. Association of German Cyclists, 2012, accessed on August 16, 2016 .
  6. ↑ Report on the association's website. September 16, 2012, accessed August 16, 2016 .
  7. ↑ Rules of Bikepolo Munich ( Memento of the original from February 10, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.bikepolo-muenchen.de
  8. ^ Rules of the Greif Masters in Karlsruhe

literature

  • Thomas Fläschner, Ines Krumm: "I will only marry a man who also has something to do with cycling". On the history of women's cycling - cycling polo in Saarland . In: Eckstein - Journal for History 13 (2014), pp. 25–48.
  • Regulations for two-man polo. (pdf) Retrieved February 3, 2018 .