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The Lightweight Boat Races, 2020 (Illustration: RR) This year has been, well, a tough one so far. But, if this was to be the only time Oxford and Cambridge matched up against one another on the Tideway in 2020, at least it was a great show. The above race was a historic event for women's lightweight rowing, as it marked the first time the women's lightweight match between Cambridge and Oxford was contested on the 4-mile, 374-yard Championship Course . And the race proved worthy of such a milestone. In the words of the silver-tongued Robert Treharne Jones , "It's a popular myth that the crew leading at Hammersmith is the one that will take the victory." It was certainly looking like Oxford's day coming underneath Hammersmith Bridge, having had the better of a clash in the first third of the race, and with the advantage of the bend as the crews rowed past the Chiswick Eyot. Cambridge, however, held on—and then moved just when the conditions were at ...

It's nearly time for the Boat Race , and both Oxford and Cambridge will be in the midst of intense training cycles before tapering down to the big day. Still, Oxford Brookes is in top form (preparing for the Head of the River in their own right), and when all was said and done, it was nothing short of a historic week for Brookes on the Tideway. "This is the first time a Brookes crew has beaten both Oxford and Cambridge in the same year, and it is testament to the strength in depth of the squad that the 2nd VIII also beat both Goldie and Isis." —BROOKES|Rowing The first of the two fixtures was against Oxford. As you'd expect, both pieces are extremely hard fought, with Brookes only taking a real advantage in the first piece in the final minute (an advantage that they push out to roughly 3/4 of a length by the end). The second fixture, held just last weekend, came against Cambridge. Rather amazingly, the two pieces look almost identical to those against...

Buckeyes atop King's College, Cambridge (Photo courtesy Madeline Davis) The following is the third installment from the Ohio State Buckeyes as they continue their pursuit of glory in England this summer. Having already won Henley Women's Regatta (and set a new course record in the process), the Buckeyes have been enjoying a bit of sightseeing and connecting with local athletes and friends while preparing for Henley Royal Regatta , which is set to start in just a few short hours now!

Op-Ed: A Celebration of Spirit While, in the not-too-distant past, we've had to lament troubles that beset one of the most storied traditions in our sport, 2016's event proved to be a shining example of why the Boat Races are still so important, and so relevant to every level of rowing.

Which Blue is your pick to win the Boat Races this year? This year's grudge match on the Thames marks another historical move forward for the event, as it's the first time that both the men's and women's races have had the same name: The CRUK Boat Races. And, it just wouldn't be us if we didn't shoot our mouths off about what we think is going to happen. Here's our take on who'll be tops on the Tideway this weekend.

With only a few hours left to go before the 2015 Oxford and Cambridge Boat Races take over the Tideway for the renewal of the age-old rivalry between two of the world's oldest universities, it's a time for reflection. So we're flashing back this Friday to 2003—a race that, after 4 miles and 374 yards, came down to 1 foot.

The buildup to this year's Oxford and Cambridge Boat Races has seen the bookmakers heavily favor  Oxford for both the men's and women's events, and, given the results from the Tideway Fixtures and the indirect comparisons to be made, that seems a logical conclusion. On both counts, Oxford has had arguably stronger results, and a side-by-side comparison of the athletes seems to show that the Dark Blues have the experience and talent edge in 2015. Finishing touches. A photo posted by Rowing Photography (@rowingphotography) on Apr 9, 2015 at 12:01pm PDT However, all of that is out the window as soon as the flag drops and the races begin on Saturday, and Cambridge will be keen to prove the doubters wrong.

This past weekend marked the renewal of the Henley Boat Races rivalry between Oxford and Cambridge, and while the bookmakers have 'tabbed' Oxford as the favorites in the men's and women's Boat Races on the Tideway, Cambridge scored not one but two victories over the Dark Blues just a few miles up the Thames.

This week's video offers an intense look at life as a member of Oxford University Boat Club . The crews for the 2015 Boat Races were announced on Friday, and this year's event will be historic in that it will be the first time that the men's and women's races have been held on the Tideway together on the same day. While there's evidence that the Cambridge men and women have made strides over the course of their winter training, so far the bookmakers and the pundits agree that Dark Blue is the favored colo(u)r to win again this year.

CUBC training in Banyoles (screen capture) This week's video comes to us from the Estany de Banyoles in Girona, Spain, and allows a peek inside Cambridge University Boat Club's winter training camp. The Light Blues made the most of their trip, going head to head in everything from pairs to eights, and even exhibiting some surprising skill on the basketball court. The footage includes a combination of on-the-water and drone's-eye-view camera angles. What it shows is some nicely executed technical rowing, especially by eights, that could up the Boat Race banter level entering the Tideway Fixtures ( recently announced by the official website of the Boat Races ). From the look of it, head coach Steve Trapmore has his CUBC squad in a good place at this point in the season, but whether he'll be able to steal Sean Bowden's mojo come April is another question entirely. Have a submission for 'Video Of The Week?' Shoot us an email at rowingrelated [at] gmai...

This week's video comes to us from the Tideway, where yet another Boat Race was marked by a singular incident that proved to be, as Henri Cartier-Bresson might have described it, "the decisive moment." Once again, the race was more closely contested than most thought it would be through the early stages—much like the first half of the now infamous 2012 Boat Race , which was later marred by outside interference, and then by a disastrous clash that sheared off a blade in the Oxford boat—only to finish in a veritable parade. The disappointing thing is that we didn't get to see a true reflection of Cambridge's speed over the full course. It's no-one's fault—take a look at the slow-motion replay in the video to fully comprehend just what a freak accident it was—as a host of circumstances conspired to make for the worst possible outcome: just as Luke Juckett is squaring his blade to the water, Oxford seven-man Sam O'Connor's blade emerges from the...

2013-03 Boat Race Selection - Images by Iain Weir The 2013 Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race was everything that the Boat Race should be—hard fought, closely contested, and fairly won. Oxford , led by two-time Olympic medalist Malcolm Howard at stroke, showed that they had the grit and determination to gut out a close race despite being heavy favorites, which is a testament to their mental toughness. While the focus is always on the winning crew, Cambridge showed equal tenacity, if not boat speed, on the Tideway today, and a real star emerged from the Light Blue crew. His name? Henry Fieldman . The Oxford start was, as widely predicted, very good, and saw the Dark Blues have an almost immediate advantage. However, the same crafty coxing that saw his GB crew to victory at the E.ON Hanse Cup in 2010 were in evidence early and often, as Fieldman steered a brilliant line through Hammersmith, tucking into the Oxford blades just slightly and disrupting them just enough to keep his CUB...

Photo: Cambridge launches for the 2008 Boat Race (© B. Kitch) The crews for both the men's and women's Oxford and Cambridge Boat Races have been announced, and there is a ton(ne) of international talent on display. The men's boat race will feature two double Olympians in the form of Oxford stroke Malcolm Howard and Cambridge two seat Milan Bruncvik —a first for the Boat Race. Howard won gold with the Canadian men's eight in Beijing, and took silver at Eton Dorney. Sitting right behind him? Constantine ('Stan') Louloudis , British stroke from the Olympic bronze medal-winning crew in 2012. Nothing against Niles Garratt (UW alum) and Alexander Scharp of Cambridge, but that is one hell of a stern pair for Oxford. The Cambridge crew (follow the link for a Bloomberg video interview with Steve Dudek, Alex Fleming and Ty Otto), which bounced back from its fixture against Washington with a solid performance against Leander , also features a 2012 GB Olympic bron...

This week's video comes to us from the University of Cambridge , and showcases the men's and women's rowing programs, with a number of cameos from some very high profile alumni & current students. Among those making an appearance in the film are GB 2008 and 2012 Olympic gold medalist Tom James , two-time Olympian Annie Vernon (silver in Beijing), 2012 bronze medalist George Nash (CUBC president this year), former UW Husky and 2011 U23 world champion Ty Otto (rocking a serious fu manchu), and triple Olympian Sarah Winckless  (bronze in 2004). Also included in the footage are well-known rowing blogger Anna Railton  from the victorious CUWBC crew in 2012 (at 2:09, second from the back—if you've never enjoyed a Railton rant on rowing, be sure to follow this link ), and former Wisco Badger Steve Dudek, who rowed on the winning Cambridge Blue Boat last year and looks to be in the top crew once again this season. While the fixture on Saturday proved a very stern tes...

Washington leads at Hammersmith (Photo: © Tim Koch) Despite traveling roughly 5,000 miles to race on (relatively) unfamiliar waters in London, the University of Washington Huskies were able to take two victories on the Tideway earlier today in their fixture against Cambridge. Both lineups included 2012 Olympians, with Conlin McCabe in the Washington crew, and GB silver medalist George Nash and Milan Bruncvik in the crew from Cambridge. Going into the racing, it looked as though the CUBC crew would benefit from a higher level of experience, with several of the Husky oarsmen having competed as frosh in 2012—though these same Washington athletes are more familiar with the Thames than most American rowers, having won the Temple Challenge Cup last summer at Henley Royal Regatta. Still, this is a tremendously impressive result for Washington, given the unusual race format and the logistics involved—also, the performance of sophomore coxswain Lisa Caldwell is not to be ignored, as the...

The Washington Huskies have been preparing to send a crew to England for a fixture against Cambridge, set for Saturday 16 February. The fixture will take place on the Tideway on the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race course (from Putney to Mortlake), and will presumably be broken into two parts. While it's not clear as of yet what crew CUBC will send to the line, there is evidence that the Washington squad will be a powerful foe for the Light Blues. Vintage day with the University of Washington :) campl.us/nV3D — Everett Rowing (@EverettRowing) February 9, 2013 The above crew, shown here on 'Vintage Day' courtesy of Everett Rowing, is, quite frankly, stacked. From stern to bow, the Husky lineup appears to be this: Coxswain: Lisa Caldwell , 2012 IRA winner in the frosh eight (new course record), and 2012 Henley winner in the Temple Challenge Cup Stroke: Dusan Milovanovic , rowed on the 2010 undefeated Husky frosh eight, 2010 Henley winner, triple IRA champion in frosh ei...

Barnes Bridge, Tideway, London (Photo: © B. Kitch) Tomorrow morning, Oxford and Cambridge will send their Trial Eights down the Boat Race course (from Putney to Mortlake) on the Tideway in London, in what will be an important, intra-squad tune-up for the main event, set for 31 March, 2013 at 4:30pm GMT. Dark Blue and Light Blue athletes seeking selection for the top boats have been divided into four crews. Two crews from Oxford, this year called 'Hurricane' and 'Spitfire' for the two most important British fighter planes during the Second World War, will face off against one another. Hurricane includes Yale alum William Zeng at stroke (perhaps most famous for his eloquence following the disruption of the Boat Race last year ), and GB 2012 bronze medalist Constantine Louloudis in the six seat, while the latter includes Canadian Olympic gold (Beijing) & silver (London) medalist Malcolm Howard at stroke. Cambridge will line 'Bangers' up against ...

This week's video comes to us from the Thames, where the 2012 Head of the River Fours took place over the weekend, showcasing some of the top international and club athletes in the UK battling to begin a new quadrennium with a bang. The video shows the first 52 crews coming through the starting queue, led off by Leander Club's elite men's quad, who repeated as champions by just over two seconds ahead of Tideway Scullers in a time of 17:51.0. Oxford and Cambridge also had crews on the water, facing off for the first time, albeit not in match-race style. This time, Oxford's Elite Coxed Four bested bested their rivals, with Oxford's Isis II (a crew that included GB Olympic men's eight stroke Constantine Louloudis, and Canadian Olympic silver medalist Malcolm Howard ) placing seventh overall to CUBC's 11th, though Cambridge I (featuring GB Olympic bronze medalist George Nash ) crossed the finish just five second back of the Dark Blues. For complete resu...

Oxford launching (Photo: © B. Kitch) Like many people in the rowing community watching all over the world today, I found the events of the Boat Race difficult to stomach, for a number of reasons. While I, along with many others, had expected something of a one-sided affair with Oxford being the favorite, the race was developing into what might have been an all-time great, with the crews level pegging through the halfway point, and Oxford just beginning to take advantage of their station as they drew near to the Bandstand. And then it stopped. Everyone already knows what happened as a result of the 'boat race swimmer.' The boats were forced to restart, and there was a clash that resulted in the loss of Hanno Wienhausen's blade, effectively ending the race as they passed the Chiswick Eyot. Congratulations to Cambridge, who should be lauded for mettle given the circumstances, and who fought well when there was a fight to be had. The first thing that crosses your mind ha...

The Boat Race is just around the corner, and, as usual, we have some thoughts on just what to look for this weekend. We've seen the evidence from fixtures and early season training, gone over the lineups, and, in the end, we've come to the same conclusion as the bookies– Oxford will win the 2012 Boat Race. Not only that, but we will say that Oxford will win by three lengths. Why? Oxford head coach Sean Bowden has proven again and again that he knows exactly what it takes to produce a Boat Race winning crew, and this alone is enough to convince us that the weight differential is not a major concern (though typically the heavier crew–that would be Cambridge this year–has an advantage in the often rough conditions on the Tideway). Having been tested against some similar competition, Oxford have shown that they are capable of battling back from adversity , enduring clashes and racing at close quarters. Also, it's worrying that Cambridge struggled against the University of...