2014 World Cup Champions’ Secret Weapon Revealed

Did you know that Germany, the winners of this year’s World Cup championship in Rio, had a secret weapon? It may well have been the reason they ended up as the top dog. Argentina may have had Messi, Brazil, Neymar and Portugal, Ronaldo but the reason for the success of the German team may not have been a human but instead the greatest man-made machine ever – the bicycle.

You obviously think I have watched too many of these FIFA games and I have lost my marbles (the truth is, I only watched the highlights) but we all know that at the highest levels of competition the difference between the winners and the losers can be measured in nanometers. So how could the bicycle be the difference? Well, if you take an epidemiological approach and compare what makes the German team different from the others you will discover that among the 32 participating nations attempting to become the champions, only one team sent their team for cycle training in the Italian mountains – the Germans. Is that a coincidence?

But that was not all. I also discovered that the German team bought a bicycle for each player to Brazil so they could train and move around while preparing for the games. Of course, you will say that this is really far-fetched. But think about it for a second. The benefits of cycling are many. Any serious cyclist can tell you that cycling will build up your lungs – aerobic fitness – (think overtime when the last game was won). It is a wonderful way to achieve a calm, meditative state and intense focus (unlike the jitters Brazilian team showed before their match or Mr. Messi throwing up during the first half of the final game), not to mention strengthening a variety of muscle groups like the back of the legs which increases the legs’ explosive power and reduces the chances of injury (consider the abuse some Germans players took from the Argentinians in the final game).

I rest my case. Without any doubt, the difference in the championship match was the bicycle. Here are my suggestions for the rest of the world’s football players and national football/soccer national federations. If you want to win the next World Cup championship in 2018, provide bicycles for each aspiring star. The worst that can happen, if you do not win, is to do like the Germans did. After the championship they donated their bikes to a local school. And, maybe just maybe, that may make you feel like a champion of the world.