Sun or clouds, wind or calm, rain or snow, turf or tennis court, a small corner of the near-east side of Madison plays host to weekly games of bike polo, the two-wheeled update on that archaic game played atop four-legged locomotion.
Organized by a group of local bicycle messengers and fellow enthusiasts of the sport, matches have been held for a couple of years. They've gotten so proficient on their two-wheeled steeds, in fact, that a sister group in Chicago has challenged them and other Midwestern players to hold a championship this November.
So they're practicing.
Madison's two-wheeled polo gang is hosting the 2006 Mid-West Bike Polo Championship this weekend on Saturday, Nov. 4. Held at Reynolds Park in the near-east side Tenney-Lapham neighborhood, teams from Milwaukee, Minneapolis and Chicago as well as Madison are expected to play in the three-on-three tournament.
More information is available from mad bike polo, as well as from the Chicago Bike Polo MySpace page. For a closer look at what the game looks like, photos of Madison bike polo action are available here.
A very brief clip featuring "a bit of late October polo" follows below.
For another look, there's this equally brief clip featuring a Madison bike polo player taunting the competition headed to town this weekend.
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