The final week of Easter term this year marks the start of May Bumps. The 2019 May Bumps will take place from Wednesday 12 June to Saturday 15 June. Here’s what you need to know…

What is May Bumps?

Started in the 19th century as an answer to the limited width of the River Cam which doesn’t allow side-by-side racing, the May Bumps is a ‘bumping race’ that involves the rowing clubs of the colleges of the University of Cambridge. At the start of the race, crews line up, in their finishing order of the previous year, along the river with one and a half boat lengths of clear water between them. The firing of a cannon marks the start of the race, and all crews chase each other up the river. The aim is to bump a crew to move up the divisions.

What is a ‘bump’?

A bump occurs when one crew is touched by its chasing crew. When this happens, both crews must pull over to allow the other crews to continue racing.

How does the race continue each day?

The next day, all crews involved in a bump swap places and the race is run again. Crews can also ‘row over’ which means they neither bump or get bumped and they start in the same place in their division the following day. After four days of racing, the results are in and the ‘head of the river’ – the top crew to lead the first division – is announced. Crews can also ‘win their blades [oars]’ by bumping up every day of the May Bumps.

Bumps excitement

Reading the above, it all sounds very orderly but Bumps rarely is. Neither the crews nor the spectators will know where on the course bumps will happen. For the crews, that makes the race a sprint of indeterminate length. For spectators, a bump might happen right in front of you or you might not see one at all! (A tip: bumps often happen on corners because the boats usually have to slow down or steer around tricky bends – see our tips for good vantage points further down).

Spare a thought too, for the ‘sandwich boat’. If you finish at the top of a division you get to row all over again in the next higher division to try to make a bump into that division. It has been known for a sandwich boat neither to bump nor get bumped and have to row over eight times in the week!

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How many Caius crews are racing?

Eight Caius crews are racing in the May Bumps 2019. The start order can be found on the CUCBC website.

How can I support the Caius crews?

Spectators are encouraged to come down and cheer on our Caius crews as they make their way down the river. The River Cam map can provide information on the best vantage points. Many bumps occur around ‘First Post’, ‘Grassy Corner’ and ‘Ditton Corner’, so The Plough in Fen Ditton is a popular place to watch the action.

The Caius Club is organising a Bumps event on the Caius Meadow on Saturday 15 June. This informal gathering, which is well placed at the halfway point of the Bumps course, has seen several hundred Caians and their families attend in recent years. All Caians, parents and friends of the College are welcome to attend. Attendees can book a parking ticket on the meadow for £5 per car. More information is available on the Caius Bumps Event page.