Bumps
Bumps are College rowing races on the Cam in which boats chase each other in single file and try to catch the crew ahead. Side-by-side racing is impossible on a river as narrow as the Cam below the city, so crews line up a fixed distance apart and race to make contact with the boat in front before they are caught from behind.
In practice
The University holds two series each year: the Lent Bumps in late winter and the May Bumps, which despite the name take place in June during May Week. Each runs over four days on the stretch of river downstream of the city towards Baits Bite Lock. A crew that bumps swaps places with the boat it caught for the next day. Bumping on every day earns "blades", a painted oar for each rower; being bumped every day earns "spoons". The town's own rowing clubs race separate Town Bumps in summer.
Why it matters to newcomers
The May Bumps are one of the great social days of the Cambridge year: crowds line the towpath and the meadows at Fen Ditton, with picnics and cheering. Cycle or walk along the river from Stourbridge Common; parking near the course is very limited.
Related
- May Week and May Balls - the week the May Bumps belong to
- College - every crew rows for one
- Blue - the University-level honour for rowing against Oxford