Cycle ball
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|
 Cycle ball | |
| Highest governing body | Union Cycliste Internationale |
|---|---|
| First played | 1883 |
| Characteristics | |
| Contact | No |
| Team members | Yes |
| Mixed-sex | No |
| Type | Cycle sports |
| Presence | |
| Country or region | Europe, Japan |
| Olympic | No |
| World Games | 1989 |
Cycle-ball, also known as "radball" (from German), is a sport similar to association football played on bicycles. The two people on each team ride a fixed gear bicycle with no brakes or freewheel. The ball is controlled by the bike and the head, except when defending the goal.
History
[edit]The sport was introduced in 1883 by American artistic cyclist, Nicholas Edward Kaufmann.[1] The first match was played on September 14 that year between Kaufmann and fellow artistic cyclist John Featherly.[1] Its first world championships were in 1929. In the early 20th century, the sport spread to Germany; in the modern day, Germany is the location of the sport's largest fanbase.[1] Cycle-ball is also popular in Austria, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic.[1] The most successful players were the Pospíšil brothers of Czechoslovakia, world champions 20 times between 1965 and 1988.
Closely related is artistic cycling in which the athletes perform a kind of gymnastics on cycles.
Rules
[edit]The game is played by two teams of two players in a field of 11 meters length by 9 meters width.[2]
Championships
[edit]- UCI Indoor Cycling World Championships
- Cycle-ball at the 2005 and 2007 Asian Indoor Games
- Cycle-ball at the 1989 World Games
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill (October 16, 2011). Historical Dictionary of Cycling. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 56–57. ISBN 9780810871755.
- ^ "UCI CYCLING REGULATIONS - PART 8 INDOOR CYCLING - CYCLE BALL" (PDF). Union Cycliste Internationale.
