A bike polo game looks kind of like a dance — a dance on bikes, with mallets.
The players ride their bikes back and forth on a basketball court, trying to hit a ball the size of a large egg into the goal.
The most important skill for a bike polo player is patience, and being able to ride with one hand, two-year bike polo veteran Sebastian Beers said. And he said learning to fall gracefully is essential.
“Bike polo helps you develop every possible skill you would need on a bike as far as avoiding crashes, turning and sprints,” he said. “The best thing to do when you get into a crash on a bike is to come off the bike. So if you stay on the bike there is a lot more shock and things to hit.”
To outsiders, the game looks brutal since players race down the field to goals, swinging metal sticks wildly, and occasionally falling off their bikes into, hopefully, an unoccupied concrete space.
It’s normally a three-on-three game with two goals, and the players use a makeshift mallet. In this case, it’s made out of a piece of cut gas pipe attached to an old ski pole.
The bikes they use need to be able to take a beating, said Bret Chouinard, who organized ABQ Bike Polo two years ago. He said when a player tries to shoot the ball between the bike wheels, the mallet rails against the frame.
Some of the bike polo players have as many as 10 bikes, he said, and use certain bikes for casual riding and bike polo.
Some players use mountain bikes, while others use fixed gears or free-wheel bikes. He said polo bikes need to have good clearance from the ground so players can shoot in between the wheels, low gears and breaks that can be operated with one hand.
“It’s really hard at first to control your bike with one hand, and do something else with the other hand,” he said. “And then you get used to it and get really good at it. You find yourself riding on the street with one … and maybe texting with the other.”
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
