An introduction to Bumps racing

Cover image: @2052photos

Cannons, whistles and crashes galore – welcome to the chaos of Bumps racing! 

As all eyes in the rowing world turn towards The Boat Race, perhaps they missed out on the other, and arguably far more exciting, set of races synonymous with Oxford and Cambridge – Bumps.

Some of these took place last week and, like many recent rowing events around the country, they too have been affected by the recent rain and flooding. Unfortunately, Torpids (the Oxford version) and the lower divisions of Lent Bumps (the Cambridge version) had to be cancelled due to the strong stream.

What are Bumps?

Bumps racing is a bit like a head race except that all the crews are lined up a fixed distance apart and set off at the same time by a cannon.

They are raced over a fixed distance and the aim is to catch the boat in front of you without being caught by the boat behind. They are usually raced over several days with the starting order for each day being based on the results from the previous day or previous year if it is the first day. A crew that bumps will swap positions with the crew they bumped. If a crew does not bump or get bumped then they are said to have “rowed over” and will start the next day in the same position.

Bumping every day will earn a crew “blades” whilst being bumped every day earns a crew “spoons”.

While crashes are somewhat inevitable, to be awarded a bump, the chasing crew does not necessarily have to make contact with the crew in front. In Cambridge, up until a certain point – the towpath gate on Grassy Corner – if the bow ball of the chasing boat passes the cox, then the bump will be allowed. After this, it is either necessary to completely overtake a crew or to make contact with them. The latter is usually preferred.

Bumps: a history

The first Bumps race was conducted in Oxford in 1815 between eights from Brasenose College and Jesus College. The crews raced upstream from Iffley Lock to near Folly Bridge with the boat behind aiming to bump and secure victory and the boat in front aiming to avoid being bumped. The winner would claim the title of “Head of the River”.

Bumps racing began in Cambridge 12 years later.

Nowadays, they are held twice a year in both locations with Torpids and Summer Eights in Oxford and Lent and May Bumps in Cambridge. A Bumps race is ideal in both locations from an entertainment point of view as the Rivers Isis and Cam are too narrow for side-by-side racing.

From past, to present

As someone who rowed at a high level prior to being a student at Cambridge, it is safe to say there is nothing quite like bumps racing.

Most of my training as a junior was dedicated towards preparing for 2000m races. However, in bumps, at Cambridge at least, the distance you row depends on your speed relative to the crews around you as once a bump has happened, both crews are required to pull into the bank so they don’t interfere with the other racing crews.

If you are similar in speed, then bumps are unlikely and you may have to row the full course. If you are much faster, then you may only have to row for a couple of minutes. As an example, at Lent Bumps in 2023, my crew bumped another crew in just 24 seconds.

This essentially results in all crews sprinting off the start and seeing how long they can maintain it for.

The logistics

As the distance between the first and last boat is so large, instead of an umpire or electronic lights, a cannon is used to signify the start. There is a four (or five in Oxford) minute cannon, a one minute cannon and the starting cannon.

Once the first cannon has sounded, coaches of all the crews begin counting down to the race start and the anticipation starts to build. They stop counting with about five seconds to go and an eerie silence descends on the course. You can hear a pin drop.

Bang!

The starting cannon is fired and all the crews simultaneously begin their sprints.

To let the crew know how far away they are from the crew they are chasing, the coaches whistle from the bank. In Cambridge, the crews are lined up with one and a half boat-lengths of clear water. One whistle means one length, two whistles means half a length and three whistles signifies overlap.

Sometimes it can feel like you are on three whistles forever with the crew you are chasing not wanting to give in, hoping that you will either make a mistake so that they can get away or in the time that they are digging in, you will get caught by the boat behind you. This is known as a “three-boat sandwich” and, speaking from experience, it is absolutely gutting to be bumped when you are in this situation and a big relief if you are lucky enough to bump. 

Although my Bumps didn’t go to plan, it was still a very exciting week. There were lots of bumps as well as some blades and spoons being awarded.

Lady Margaret M1 and Jesus W1 maintained their headships by rowing over each day and Queens’ W1 secured the first over-bump in the Women’s First Division since 2019.

Cambridge colleges will now turn their attention towards Mays, and with triallists from The Boat Race potentially coming back, anything could happen.

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