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Meet the artistic cyclist who can ride a bike while doing a handstand

Video Credit: SWNS STUDIO - Duration: 01:50s - Published
Meet the artistic cyclist who can ride a bike while doing a handstand

Meet the artistic cyclist who can ride a bike while doing a handstand

Superfit Viola Brand looks 'wheely' impressive as she flips a bicycle from end to end while riding it - before performing handstands. Viola, 25, has been competing in 'artistic cycling' competitions since she was six-years-old. She said: "The most important thing is to be disciplined.

This is something you learn while training.

You need to overcome your fear.

You need courage. "You realize that some tricks take hours to learn and other tricks take weeks and months to learn.

Eventually you start learning tricks that take years to master." It took Viola seven years to become adept at performing a handstand on a moving bike. Viola, of Stuttgart, Germany, said: "First we have a handle bar on the ground just to feel how it feels to grip it."Then we have a handle bar that is on a wobbly plate, but this is all still on the ground.

When you can do this then you can start on the bike."Most of our training is technique training directly on the bike but it's necessary to have general fitness and stamina. "I do a lot of handstand training, strength training with my body weight.

I don't train in the gym with machines.

I train only with my body weight."Artistic cycling is a fiercely competitive sport that is most popular in Europe. Viola said: "It is a competitive sport here in Germany.

There are clubs for the sport all over the world."In my little village, where my mother and family used to live there was a club who did this sport professionally. "My mother learned about it through the newspaper.

My three older brothers started with it.

Then I went to the training with my mother very often.

I started when I was six."Despite the sport being a family affair, Viola is the standout of the Brand clan and she claims that she benefited from being the youngest of her siblings.Viola said: "I have the most medals compared with my brothers.

Two of them retired from the sport very early.

My eldest brother is still competing. "I had more support from the national team at an early age.

My mother, who was my coach, knew how it worked by the time I got into the sport."When I was nine I joined a small regional team."Viola now competes all across Germany in five minute routines that are scored by a panel of judges. She added: "There are four disciplines: single woman, single man, women's pairs, male or co-ed pairs. "You get five minutes for every performance and you do 30 tricks.

Depending on how difficult the trick is, it's worth a certain score. "You submit your routine before the competition and they reduce points based on mistakes.

The world championship has three to six thousand people in the stands."  Despite the dangers inherent to her sport, Viola has only suffered one injury in her 18-year career. She said:"I once broke three metatarsals in my foot.

It was the only big injury I had."Viola has decided to move away from the competition circuit to pursue a career as an entertainer. She is also studying nutrition at University of Hohenheim.

Superfit Viola Brand looks 'wheely' impressive as she flips a bicycle from end to end while riding it - before performing handstands.

Viola, 25, has been competing in 'artistic cycling' competitions since she was six-years-old.

She said: "The most important thing is to be disciplined.

This is something you learn while training.

You need to overcome your fear.

You need courage.

"You realize that some tricks take hours to learn and other tricks take weeks and months to learn.

Eventually you start learning tricks that take years to master." It took Viola seven years to become adept at performing a handstand on a moving bike.

Viola, of Stuttgart, Germany, said: "First we have a handle bar on the ground just to feel how it feels to grip it."Then we have a handle bar that is on a wobbly plate, but this is all still on the ground.

When you can do this then you can start on the bike."Most of our training is technique training directly on the bike but it's necessary to have general fitness and stamina.

"I do a lot of handstand training, strength training with my body weight.

I don't train in the gym with machines.

I train only with my body weight."Artistic cycling is a fiercely competitive sport that is most popular in Europe.

Viola said: "It is a competitive sport here in Germany.

There are clubs for the sport all over the world."In my little village, where my mother and family used to live there was a club who did this sport professionally.

"My mother learned about it through the newspaper.

My three older brothers started with it.

Then I went to the training with my mother very often.

I started when I was six."Despite the sport being a family affair, Viola is the standout of the Brand clan and she claims that she benefited from being the youngest of her siblings.Viola said: "I have the most medals compared with my brothers.

Two of them retired from the sport very early.

My eldest brother is still competing.

"I had more support from the national team at an early age.

My mother, who was my coach, knew how it worked by the time I got into the sport."When I was nine I joined a small regional team."Viola now competes all across Germany in five minute routines that are scored by a panel of judges.

She added: "There are four disciplines: single woman, single man, women's pairs, male or co-ed pairs.

"You get five minutes for every performance and you do 30 tricks.

Depending on how difficult the trick is, it's worth a certain score.

"You submit your routine before the competition and they reduce points based on mistakes.

The world championship has three to six thousand people in the stands."  Despite the dangers inherent to her sport, Viola has only suffered one injury in her 18-year career.

She said:"I once broke three metatarsals in my foot.

It was the only big injury I had."Viola has decided to move away from the competition circuit to pursue a career as an entertainer.

She is also studying nutrition at University of Hohenheim.




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