CYCLE MESSENGER WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (CMWC) since 1993 |
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by Joe Hendry The Cycle Messenger World Championships (CMWC) are the ultimate urban cycling competition. The strongest, smartest and fastest bike messengers from across the planet converge once a year to determine who is the best in a variety of events that test riders’ physical and mental limits. It is a fully insured competition on a closed course that is sanctioned by the International Federation of Bike Messengers Associations (IFBMA). The CMWC’s originated in Berlin, Germany in 1993 and have been held annually all over the world. The world championships have traveled to a diverse group of cities that include London (1994), Toronto (1995), San Francisco (1996), Barcelona (1997), Washington DC (1998), Zurich (1999), Philadelphia (2000), Budapest (2001), Copenhagen (2002), Seattle (2003), Edmonton (2004), New York (2005), Sydney (2006) and Dublin (2007). CMWC is a world championship sporting event but it is also a world festival celebrating messenger culture and its broad influence on modern urban culture. The championships host a variety of related galas, shows, parties and vendor markets where spectators mingle with messengers to get a jump on the latest bike trends and urban utilitarian fashion. The side events showcase the artistic, photographic, musical and literary talents of the world’s hardest working professional athletes. While most of the competitors are bike messengers, the events are open to everyone with many non-messengers enjoying the challenge of the competition. In addition to the main race CMWC's have many side athletic competitions at the discretion of the host city. While these side events may change from year to year they most often include a cargo race, track stand, longest skid, bunny hop, backward circles and bike polo. The showcase event of the CMWC is the main world championship race. Each race is individually designed by the host city but it generally (although not exclusively) follows a similar style. The race usually consists of a grueling three hours or more of sprinting and navigating through multiple checkpoints on multiple manifests. It is the most complex bicycle race in the world as riders may have to make up to 100 drops and picks. Racers must determine not only the fastest route but also most efficient order of pick-ups and drop-offs of all their packages. After racers finish one manifest they are given another one to complete. The field of racers is reduced after each successive manifest and racers won’t know their series of checkpoints until they receive their new manifest. Copyright Mess Media 2006
For Videos of CMWCs got to the CMWC Video page Articles about CMWC: CMWC 2010 - Panajachel Guatemala September 4-12, 2010  CMWC 2009 - TOKYO, JAPAN September 19-23, 2009  CMWC 2008 - TORONTO, CANADA June 13- 16, 2008 CMWC 2007 - DUBLIN IRELAND Dublin Exiles `Reckless' Biker Games to City's Bucolic Edge - Bloomberg, August 3, 2007 CMWC 2006 - SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA Sydney couriers take to the streets in race - PM, ABC Local Radio, October 2, 2006 CMWC 2005 - NEW YORK CITY, USA No Yellow Jerseys Here - The Morning News, July 26, 2005 Bike messenger ‘Olympics’ spins in Queens - Metro, July 5, 2005 Couriers skid across Jersey - Christian Science Monitor, July 5, 2005 NYC messengers bike for the gold - City
Limits Monthly - July/August 2005 Bike Messengers Take the Street to the Track - New York Times, June 10, 2005 CMWC 2004 - EDMONTON, CANADA Bike messenger pedals to medal in World race - Boston Globe, July 11, 2004 European couriers deliver championship -
Edmonton Journal, July 5, 2004 Bike couriers hit the saddle in Edmonton -
Globe and Mail, July 3, 2004 Courier business is slowing, but bike champ is gearing up - Boston Globe, June 13, 2004 Edmonton lands world bike courier Olympics - Edmonton Journal, May 19, 2004CMWC 2003 - SEATLLE, USA Boston bicyclist delivers trophies - Boston Globe, September 16, 2003 Couriers' championship sends a message: Bikers' jobs take skill - Boston Globe, September 13, 2003Bike Messenger Olympics Hit Seattle - September 2003 Cycle Courier Wants Top Prize - CBC Saskatchewan, September 2003 CMWC 2002 - COPENHAGEN, DENMARK "Street-cycling Man" - Independant on Sunday, 12 May 02 CMWC 2001 - BUDAPEST, HUNGARY CMWC 2000 - PHILADELPHIA, USA Fast
Times at the Bike Messenger World Championships - Village Voice,
20-26 Sep 00 Pedal
Pushers - Philadelphia City Paper, August 31, 2000 Spandex, spokes and a whole lotta nerve - US News & World Report, 18 Sep 00 "Niet remmen, gaan" - Volkskrant Magazine, 09 Sep 00 "Car Free Zone" - Philadelphia Weekly, 06 Sep 00 [at CMWD] "Who's the fastest of them all?" - Philadelphia Inquirer, 03 Sep 00 CMWC 1999 - ZURICH, SWITZERLAND CMWC 1998 - WASHINGTON DC, USA "Get The Message" - Velo News, 05 Oct 98 "Asphalt Jungle" - ESPN Magazine, Oct 98 "Cycle Messenger World Championships" - Good Morning America, 06 Sep 98 "World's best bike couriers test mettle" - USA TODAY, 03 Sep 98 CMWC 1997 - BARCELONA, SPAIN "5th CMWC Barcelona 1997" - The Bicycle Trader, Sep 97 CMWC 1996 - SAN FRANCISCO, USA Naked City - Bicycling! Magazine, March 1997 "Double Rush Worlds" - Bicyclist, Jul 97 "Deliverance - CMWC '96" - Cycling Plus, Nov 96 "Did She Deliver?" - The Los Angeles Downtown News, 23 Sep 96 "Bicycle Messenger Olympics" - CNN, 01 Sep 96 (also video and audio) The Gathering - Hideousewhitenoise, Fall 1996The Worlds - San Francisco 1996 - Iron Lung, Volume 2, Issue 1, 1997 CMWC 1995 - TORONTO, CANADA CMWC Toronto 1995 - Hey Tony, Winter 1995 Red Nic- Toronto Life, August, 1995 Dreaming of delivering a world title - Philadelphia Inquirer, August 20, 1995 Courier Couture - The Toronto Star, August 17, 1995 Putting Pedal to the Mettle - Washington Post, August 14, 1995 Bike Courier Beats - August 10, 1995 Courier culture puts pedal to the medal - Toronto Star, August 10, 1995 Meals On Wheels - Toronto Star, August 9, 1995 Cycling demons - Toronto Star, August 6, 1995 German wins 1995 Bicycle Messenger World Championship - VelolinqCycle Messenger World Championships 1995 - Iron Lung, July 1996 Talkin Bout Courier City - Hideousewhitenoise, Summer 1995 CMWC 1994 - LONDON, UK Organized Chaos - Mountain Biker Int'l, Oct 94 London Lives: Ain't nothing like the wheel thing - The Independent (UK), June 14, 1994 Hell Checkpoint - Moving Tagret, Spring 1995 The View From the Telephone - Moving Target, Fall, 1994CMWC 1993 - BERLIN, GERMANY Berlin - Moving Tagret, Spring 1995 World's top bicycle couriers to compete - Toronto Star, July 23, 1993 Razing in Berlin - Mercury Rising, December 1993 |