The Cycle Messenger World Championships (CMWC) is 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). While most competitors are bike messengers, events are open to everyone, and many non-messengers enjoy the challenge of the competition.

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. CMWC hosts 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.

The 16th Annual Cycle Messenger World Championships (CMWC) will be held from Friday to Monday, June 13 to 16, 2008 in Toronto, Canada. The event has exclusive use of the Hanlan's Point area of the Toronto Islands for the entire weekend, including use of its own ferry to transport competitors and spectators to the island.

Many events take place in the same area simultaneously. Qualifying rounds for the CMWC Bike Polo Tournament take place throughout the day Saturday, as do the qualifying heats for the main race finals. The band shell stage and bleachers enjoy full view of four bike polo courts, as well as much of the main racecourse, the beer tent and the vendor market place. Even the evening galas and parties are integrated with the Goldsprints roller racing world championships.

When the CMWC originated in Berlin in 1993, Toronto messengers were there. Two years later, in 1995, Toronto hosted North America's first edition of the races. Toronto makes history once more as it becomes the first city ever to do it all over again.

In 1995, Toronto welcomed about 500 messengers from about 20 countries. In 2008, we expect 700 to 1,000 competitors from all over the world.

Toronto has always been a pioneer of courier racing. Alley-Cat racing originated here, as did the Human Powered Roller Coaster. The St. Stephen's Courier Classic has raised a total of about $20,000 for a local charity. Then there are ice races, Goldsprints and of course Global Gutz. We've also celebrated Critical Mass on the last Friday of every month since the spring of 1994.

CMWC 1995 was held in the derelict urban splendour of an industrial warehouse district. For 2008, we change it up and move the races offshore to the Toronto Islands, a chain of small islands in Lake Ontario harbour, reached by a 15-minute ferry or water taxi ride. The Islands have a history of bike racing as the home of one of the city’s first outdoor cycling tracks. It’s also the original location of the legendary Toronto messenger ice race on the figure-eight track.

Instead of concrete and gravel, the atmosphere of CMWC 2008 is about trees, water and wildlife in a massive park that's also home to a car-free community of residents.

In 1995, the U.S. based Bicycling magazine named Toronto as North America's most bike-friendly city. CMWC 2008 is an official City of Toronto Bike Month event.

EVENTS

World Championship Main Race

EXTRA EVENTS

300-Metre Sprints
An exciting event for fixed-gear, road, mountain and BMX bikes, with prizes for fastest male and female

Cargo Race
An always-popular showdown that tests competiors’ ability to carry heavy loads over a challenging course

Bunny-Hop
Bike jumps over a bar that keeps being raised

Track Stand
A competition to see who can balance a stationary bike longest without putting a foot down. After starting with a basic track stand, competitors must gradually remove hands and feet take until only one bike remains standing.

Skids
Another fan-favourite fixed-gear event. Competitors sprint to high speed, then lock their rear wheel to see how far they can skid. (The world record is over 500 feet!)

CMWC Bike Polo Tournament
Teams of cyclists use a mallet to pass a ball and score without setting a foot down. Bike Polo was a demonstration sport at the 1908 Olympics. Now, messengers have helped re-vitalize the sport with their own brand of hard-court bike polo that is taking the world by storm.

The Slow Race
Riders race head to head, sprinting as slowly as possible trying to be the last to cross the finish line! A judge for each rider keeps a close eye at all times to insure the back wheel never stops or reverses. Zen challenge racing at it's best.

Pedal Boat Race
A fun race on the water in pedal-powered boats