Cycle ball

Cycle ball
Cycle ball
Highest governing bodyUnion Cycliste Internationale
First played1883
Characteristics
ContactNo
Team membersYes
Mixed-sexNo
TypeCycle sports
Presence
Country or regionEurope, Japan
OlympicNo
World Games1989
Cycle-ball, early 20th century

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

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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.

Championships

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill (October 16, 2011). Historical Dictionary of Cycling. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 56–57. ISBN 9780810871755.
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