Video: Amazing riding skills on show at the UCI Indoor Championships in "ballet-on-bikes" artistic cycling and fast and furious cycle-ball

The UCI Indoor Championships took place over the weekend, at the Porsche arena in Stuttgart, Germany, with German, Austrian, Slovakian and Swiss riders dominating the medals table.

Indoor cycling comprises single, doubles and teams artistic cycling, as well as cycle-ball, a kind of football played with two player teams on adapted bikes, where the front wheel is used to hit the ball, often while riders pull one-handed wheelies.

Austria's Marcel Schnetzer and Markus Bröll took the rainbow jersey in cycle-ball for the fourth successive year, while Germany dominated artistic cycling in front of the home crowd, becoming world champions in the men’s and women’s singles, and men’s and women’s pairs artistic cycling events.

Switzerland became the women’s team artistic cycling world champions, in the four rider event.

Germany's Lukas Kohl beat the defending men's singles artistic cycling champion, and compatriot, Michael Niedermeier 199.43 points to 192. German Sisters Julia and Nadja Thurmer beat compatriots (and also sisters) Lena and Lisa Bringsken to gold in the artistic cycling pairs competition. Interestingly, the men's artistic cycling pairs World Champions, Andre and Benedikt Bugner, are also siblings. And German.

German Lisa Hattemer is the new World Champion in the women's single artistic cycling event. She said: "You train so long for this. It’s unbelievable that I’ve now won the title."

UCI President, Brian Cookson, said:  “This is my first time at an indoor cycling event, but I’ll certainly be back – amazing.”

The UCI Indoor Championships will take place in Dornbirn, Austria, next year.