Play bike polo in Provo

Exercise is hard.

 

But if you’re looking for a new way to burn some calories while decreasing your carbon footprint and knitting the social fabric of Provo, the answer is easy. Bike polo.

 

Provo has its very own bike polo group, about 40 members strong and almost a decade old. They play every week and you are welcome to join.

 

The rules of bike polo are simple—two teams of 3-6 riders use handmade mallets to knock a small ball through goal posts. The sport closely resembles traditional polo, but in case you couldn’t guess, they travel on wheels instead of hooves. Teams are smaller and matches are typically shorter, but specific rules vary from city to city.

 

Bike polo is not a new fad. It’s actually an old one. Bike polo was invented before the turn of the century by Richard J. Mecredy, a retired cyclist from Ireland. Since its creation in 1891 bike polo has always held a prominent foothold in the cyclist community, albeit a quiet one.

 

In recent years there has been an influx of bike polo teams. Currently there are official bike polo leagues in 17 countries: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, India, Ireland, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland and the USA.

 

For Chris Manor, Provo-based cycle enthusiast and bike polo player, the best part of the sport is “the people that come together to create a space for it to exist.” Manor encourages anyone who is curious to come and watch a game.

 

“If you bring a bike, we’ll have extra mallets waiting,” he said.

 

 

Bike polo

Wednesdays, 6:30 p.m.

86 N. University Avenue

(South of the Wells Fargo building)