When the ice melts at the hockey rink behind London’s King’s University College during summer, a different sport takes over the space.
Instead of ice skates and hockey sticks, players ride into the rink on bicycles while wielding custom mallets in one hand, ready to engage in the exciting sport of bike polo.
“You’ll notice there’s no horses,” said Jordan Bowden from Forest City Bike Polo. “It’s kind of like hockey, but on a bicycle. It’s got more in common with hockey than it does with polo.”
The game is usually played three against three on speed bikes, Bowden mentioned, aiming to use mallets to score by hitting a ball into the opponent’s net.
There are no fixed positions; players rotate between being goalie, offense, and defense.
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Jordan Bowden from Forest City Bike Polo states that the sport resembles hockey more than polo as players strive to score into their opponent’s net. (Alessio Donnini/)
“There’s always this dichotomy of if it’s a sport or if it’s a game,” Bowden explained. “It’s not as serious as other sports out there; there’s no money in it [and] there’s no professional bike polo, but it’s something that we all really love.”
Around fifteen individuals regularly participate with Forest City Bike Polo, which meets every Wednesday evening for casual games.
“Growing up riding mountain bikes and still cycling today at my age, it’s fun to play bike polo three [versus] three on the court,” player Mitch Hipwell shared, noting his enjoyment of the fast-paced nature of the sport.
“It took me a bit to get comfortable riding one-handed because you have a mallet in your dominant arm,” he added. “You’ve got to get comfortable on the bike.”
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Forest City Bike Polo gathers at London’s King’s University College for pickup games every Wednesday during summer. (Alessio Donnini/)
According to Bowden, who has been playing for about four years now, there’s a do-it-yourself vibe regarding equipment used in this sport.
Players can customize their bikes and mallets for optimal movement and scoring efficiency.
“You could play bike polo on really any bike,” Bowden stated. “There are people who play on mountain bikes. There are specific bike polo bikes that have shorter wheelbases … but almost all of us play on single-speed bikes since there’s no gear changing and you’re typically using a low gear ratio that helps you accelerate quickly and perform cool tricks like wheelies.”
Forest City Bike Polo has begun hosting “newbie nights” aimed at inviting curious Londoners to try out this sport. The club provides bikes and mallets with hopes of encouraging more people to join in playing around the city, according to Bowden.
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