Disciplines

Main Race

The undisputed supreme discipline of every CMWC is the Main Race, also known as the Messenger Race.

In a closed-off area, the daily courier routine is simulated in which all participants have to complete assignments between different posts. Quick perception, clever combination, perfect choice of route and cycling skills are required in equal parts in this discipline. Qualifying heats determine who gets to compete for the messenger crown in the final, which lasts several hours.

Cargo Bike Race

The Cargo Bike Race works in the same way as the Main Race, with the difference that here the shipments consist of bulky goods. In order to win, you need a cargo bike and a lot of skill in loading and unloading, so that no shipment falls by the wayside. Especially for the spectators this discipline offers a lot of spectacle.

Mountain Time Trial

This popular cycling discipline also has a long tradition in the messenger city of Zurich. As early as 25 years ago, the world’s fastest Messengers dueled in a sprint up the Zürichberg (steep hill in Zurich). Something that the local messenger industry is used to in its everyday work. But the competitors from Lausanne, Bogotà or San Francisco is no less mountain-tested.

Sprints

In inner cities, they’re part of the courier’s daily routine: lining up as soon as the intersection is clear and heading for the next destination as quickly as possible. Sprint follows sprint, as it is often necessary to pick up and deliver several shipments within a few hundred meters.

It goes without saying that sprint duels are a must at the industry championships. Sprint competitions are particularly interesting for sponsoring because the entire racing action is concentrated in a small area over a period of several hours, which offers attractive locations for perimeter advertising, give-away campaigns or an information pavilion.

Track Stand / Footdown

These disciplines are about skill, namely who can sit on the bike the longest without standing down. In Track Stand this is done while standing still. One by one the participants have to take their hands from the handlebars and their feet
off the pedals. In Footdown, also called “Abstiegerlis” in Swiss German, the participants try to bring each other off balance. The one who puts his foot down last is the winner.

Skid

The Skid is a skill competition exclusively for bicycles without freewheel (also called “Fixie”, derived from “fixed gear”). The goal is to slide as far as possible across the asphalt with the rear wheel locked. After a short acceleration section, the rear wheel is locked by counterpressure on the pedals and the weight is placed on the front wheel as far as possible in order to keep the ground resistance of the rear wheel as small as possible.