Cycle-ball, also known as "radball" (from

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

), is a sport similar to

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

played on

bicycle A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike, push-bike or cycle, is a human-powered transport, human-powered or motorized bicycle, motor-assisted, bicycle pedal, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, with two bicycle wheel, wheels attached to a ...

s. The two people on each team ride a

fixed gear bicycle A fixed-gear bicycle or fixie is a bicycle that has a drivetrain with no freewheel mechanism, meaning the pedals always spin together with the rear wheel. The freewheel was developed early in the history of bicycle design but the fixed-gear b ...

with no brakes or

freewheel image:Freewheel en.svg, Freewheel mechanism In mechanical engineering, mechanical or automotive engineering, a freewheel or overrunning clutch is a device in a transmission (mechanics), transmission that disengages the driveshaft from the driv ...

. The ball is controlled by the bike and the head, except when defending the goal.

History

The sport was introduced in 1883 by American artistic cyclist, Nicholas Edward Kaufmann. The first match was played on September 14 that year between Kaufmann and fellow artistic cyclist John Featherly. 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. Cycle-ball is also popular in

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

, and the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

. The most successful players were the Pospíšil brothers of

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

, world champions 20 times between 1965 and 1988. Spielfeld Radball

Closely related is

artistic cycling Artistic cycling is a form of competitive indoor cycling in which athletes perform tricks (called exercises) for points on specialized, Fixed-gear bicycle, fixed-gear bikes in a format similar to ballet or gymnastics. The exercises are perform ...

in which the athletes perform a kind of

gymnastics Gymnastics is a group of sport that includes physical exercises requiring Balance (ability), balance, Strength training, strength, Flexibility (anatomy), flexibility, agility, Motor coordination, coordination, artistry and endurance. The movem ...

on cycles.

Rules

The game is played by two teams of two players in a field of 11 meters length by 9 meters width.

Championships

UCI Indoor Cycling World Championships The UCI Indoor Cycling World Championships are the set of world championship events for the disciplines of artistic cycling and a tournament of cycle ball. The World Championships are regulated by the Union Cycliste Internationale. The UCI awards ...

since 1930 (Men) / 2023 (Women) / Artistic since 1956/1959 / Pair 1986 / Quartets 2003 *Cycle-ball at the

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

and

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

Asian Indoor Games *Cycle-ball at the 1989 World Games * European Cycleball Championship since 1967 *15th Asian Indoor Indoor Cycling Championships in Hong Kong 2024 *UEC Indoor Cycling Juniors European Championships ( Union Européenne de Cyclisme) https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1143069/european-cycling-championships-locations

References

External links

List with over 420 cycle-ball clubs

2011 Dogo News Article
{{Authority control Team sports Cycle sport Association football variants Games and sports introduced in the 1890s

History

Rules

Championships

See also

References

External links