A group of dedicated athletes who celebrate life by riding our bikes for fun and competition.
We are proud to announce our sponsorship of the DORBA Frozen Endurance Series. As a sponsor for the series, we will be providing breakfast at the Frisco race for volunteers only. At the Northshore and Boulder races breakfast will be provided for all. So please come out and support DORBA by volunteering or racing, we guarantee a good time will be had by all!
Register for the DORBA Frozen series today!
Bearded Women Racing has a great interest in seeing the Northeast Texas Trail become an official state park, and a model rails-to-trail project like the Katy Trail in Missouri has become. The NETT Coaltion is a non-profit organization with the goal of making this happen, and we want to help.
In 2013, several Beards participated in the first Ride the NETT event. We discovered it’s beauty, wildness and serenity that draw so many people to it’s 130 contiguous miles. Our team continued to explore and help clear segments of over growth, and were the first to discover the downfall of the great Sulpher River bridge featured in this post.
We’ve taken on the challenge of adopting one of over a hundred former rail bridges now falling into disrepair that must be saved. Bridge #31, just north of the town of Celeste, TX is over 140 ft long and in immediate need. Our goal is to raise $11,186.1 to cover the costs of new approaches and decking material. Labor will be done by team members and other volunteers, and directed by the Infrastructure Committee for the NETT Coalition. Stop by our team tent to learn more and donate! Your direct donations to the NETT Coalition are tax-deductible. Donate via Paypal or check and add #31BWRBridge as a memo to your donation. Learn more about our fundraising campaign here!
The end of our second season racing caps a tremendously successful, and exciting 2014 for our team. The year has been fruitful, rewarding, tragic, and very special for all of our members. Here’s a look back at the season, including our 2014 team performance award winners, Jacob the Great, and what we accomplished:
On January 16, 2014 we tragically lost one of our own right as the new season was starting. Jacob Hollings joined our inagural 2013 squad as a mid-season addition at 20 years old, and quickly shined, winning multiple races and finishing the season on a very high note.
While his passing was very sad and difficult, we remember Jacob, not only through our own encounters with him, but also first hand through his father, Phil Hollings. Phil pledged to his son, posthumously, to race in Jacob’s place. He had never ridden a mountain bike before, and in his first race, he got 1st place, just like Jacob! We are so thankful to have Phil on the team, racing for himself and in Jacob’s memory. Read more about Jacob here.
Our team supports two types of members, racing and riding. Our racing members have the opportunity to compete for annual team awards to act as an incentive and motivation to perform well during the season. We track races completed and placings, and assign a points system to them. Based on the data, we have a pretty good objective way to award performance without any kind of subjective opinion. Here are the 2014 winners:
Not in attendance:
The 2014 racing season saw 34 out of 49 members compete in 43 unique sprint and endurance bike races for a total of 247 individual race entries logged by both racing and riding members, up 65 % from 85 logged in 2013.
By far our most represented Category is CAT2 (SS included) and 2nd most popular is CAT 3. There were 105 XC Races logged, and 62 Endurance type races. BWR was represented at a race in every month of the season in 2014!
Total team membership reached 49 for the season and consisted of 1 life time member, 32 racing members, 12 riding members, and 4 junior boys. The team became more gender diverse with 7 women on the team, 3 who raced consistently the entire season. We had 37 men, respectively.
Several of our racing and riding members placed in the top ten and reached the podium in multiple races during the season. Here is the breakdown of our best results:
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#WINNING |
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| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th – 10th |
| 33 | 34 | 17 | 18 | 63 |
That put’s a Bearded Women on the podium 84 times out of 247 individual race entries, a 34% podium achievement rate!
Click on a race to read each summary (not all races attended were summarized):
In addition to our racing performances, Bearded Women Racing is 100% focused on community outreach as well. Here is a summary of what our team accomplished this past season:
Aside from racing, our members are expected to participate in various community service events throughout the season. This past year, 22 members volunteered their time at 26 local events. Here are some of the events Bearded Women Racing was at:
For the past 2 years, Bearded Women Racing marched in honor of fallen soldiers and their families at Carry the Load. Here’s recaps from 2013 and 2014.
Carry the Load is a non-profit organization helping people celebrate a meaningful Memorial Day by conducting a 20-hour event that honors veterans and active duty service members, law enforcement officers, firefighters and their families.
This was the first year the team participated in DORBA’s Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day. Three trails celebrated TKMBD on Saturday, October 4, 2014. Bearded Women Racing (BWR) volunteered at two of those events: Horseshoe (Grapevine, TX), and the NW Community Trail (Frisco, TX).
In Frisco, seven BWR members came out to help check fit on the kids’ bikes and helmets, change flats, lead/sweep rides and cheer the kids on. Frisco drew 15 smiling, happy kids to their event and many laps around the trail were taken by all.
This season, each member was challenged to complete at least 8 hours of trail work for the year. The team requires members to give back in various ways, and putting in trail time is one of the main activities we do. We had 36 members work a total of 462 trail hours at 17 different trails! We hope to double that amount next year.
The first Saturday of October every year is the official Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day (TKMBD), as decreed by the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA). This event is celebrated around the world including: Italy, Australia, South Africa, Canada, Malaysia, and Mexico. TKMBD celebrates the joy of riding in the dirt.
In Frisco, seven BWR members came out to help check fit on the kids’ bikes and helmets, change flats, lead/sweep rides and cheer the kids on. Frisco drew 15 smiling, happy kids to their event and many laps around the trail were taken by all.
BWR is not just about racing, we also give back to the community through events like this. In addition, team members have participated in Cub Scout bike safety rodeos, Children’s Red Balloon Ride, Ride 2 Recovery, Carry the Load, and other fundraising and community service events.
Our team supports various causes related to the military, police and fire, Carry the Load is one where several members show their support by donating and walking this unique and incredible event. On May 25th – 26th, team members Jonathan Braddick, Brad Wendling, and Nathan Delahoussaye all gathered at Reverchon Park in near downtown Dallas to participate in a 24 walk along the Katy Trail to show their support for this great organization. The group raised up to $200 for the organization and walked 91 miles combined as a team. You can join the 2015 event, and start raising money to support this great organization.
Here are some photos during the event:
Katie is one of the newest members of Bearded Women Racing and a recent University of North Texas graduate. She has a passion for riding bikes and helping people. This summer, Katie will have the opportunity to combine both her passions and take on an epic adventure when she journeys across the United States with the Bike & Build program.
Tell us who you are, where you come from, and why you’re here.
Greetings! My name is Katie Shaw and I hail from Denton, TX. I’m a recent college grad of the University of North Texas with a degree in English Literature, and I’m here to chat a little bit about my upcoming summer, which I’m super stoked about.
In your own words, can you tell us about the Bike & Build program?
Bike & Build is a non-profit organization that focuses on raising awareness and funds for affordable housing projects in America through cross-country cycling trips. The organization also aims to instill service and leadership in its participants. Beginning in June, I’ll be cycling across the country with 34 other young adults from Portsmouth, NH to Vancouver, Canada. Along the way we’ll be stopping to build homes with Habitat for Humanity and other similar non-profits. Some days we’ll bike and other days we’ll build. Each rider participating is required to raise $4,500 for the trip, which goes to food, fuel for the support van, and to non-profits that are dedicated to ending the affordable housing crisis in America.
What made you decide to take on this grand adventure?
A few of my friends did this trip last summer, and I was so inspired after hearing the stories of their life-changing summer, so I knew right away that I had to cycle across the US and build houses. They told me stories of all the neat people they met and the connections they made—(WARNING: sappy sentence approaching) the kind of stories that make you tear up because your body is so full of those feel good emotions.
How have you been preparing or training for the long days in the saddle?
I’ve been getting in as many miles as I can on the road. I just got my brand spankin’ new Giant Avail road bike shipped to me about two weeks ago from Bike & Build, so I’ve been familiarizing myself with my steed that will take me across the US this summer. And yoga. Yoga is part of my training to keep me limber.
What can we (readers) do to help this worthy cause?
As I stated earlier in the interview, each participant is responsible for raising $4,500 for the trip. This is where you, the readers, and anyone interested in the affordable housing cause come in. Donations to make this trip possible would be greatly (I mean GREATLY) appreciated and are also 100% tax-deductible. If you’d like to read a little bit more about me or donate to the cause, follow this link: http://bikeandbuild.org/rider/7240. To read more about Bike & Build, check out www.bikeandbuild.org or visit their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/BikeAndBuild.
-JESSE B
Early this month, the team celebrated completing it’s first inaugural racing season at the Bearded Lady on South Magnolia in Ft. Worth. It’s a must go kind of place that has one of the most comprehensive craft beer selections in North Texas!
At the party, the team had the pleasure of having pro racer, Geoff Godsey, from Team Giant Southwest and DFW Active Life as a guest speaker, and assisting us in giving out our team performance awards.
Geoff turned PRO in 2000 at the age of 23, and has raced for several teams including TREK-Volkswagen Pro Cycling (Off-road & On-road), Ranch London (On-road), Specialized Factory Team (On-Road), Team Hotel San Jose (On-Road), Kenda-5hr Energy Pro Cycling (On-Road), GIANT Factory ON-ROAD Team (formerly GIANT Bicycles-SOUTH). His career includes both domestic and international experience (primarily Central / South American Tours). He’s had 25 + Career Victories, Multiple Texas State Championship titles (includes current 2-time Masters State Criterium Championship). Some highlights – (3) Stages wins at the International Cycling Classic, (4) Stage wins at the Ciclismo Internationale de Brazil, Top 20 Performance at the US National Championship ITT – PR 51min 37sec (40K)
Our team supports two types of members, racing and riding. Our racing members have the opportunity to compete for annual team awards to act as an incentive and motivation to perform well during the season. We track races completed and placings, and assign a points system to them. Based on the data, we have a pretty good objective way to award performance without any kind of subjective opinion. Here are the 2013 winners:
Along with individual performances, we feel our team fared pretty well as a whole. Here is a breakdown of our team performance from this past year:
The inaugural racing season saw 23 members compete in 8 USAC sanctioned, sprint and endurance mountain bike races for a total of 85 individual race entries completed. 20 members in Category 3 age group, and 3 in Category 2 single speed classifications. Total team membership reached 29 for the season and consisted of 23 adult males, 3 adult females, and 3 junior racers.
Several of our racing members placed in the top ten and reached the podium in multiple races. Here is the breakdown of our best results for the season:
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MTB Sprint |
MTB Team Endurance |
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| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th – 10th | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th – 10th |
| 5 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | |
The team also had several top DORBA Fall Total Series placing’s, including 1st and 4th place for Cat 2 SS, 1st and a tie for 2nd place in the Cat 3 20 -29, and 1st place in Clydesdale
In addition to our racing performances, Bearded Women Racing is 100% focused on community outreach as well. Here is a summary of what our team accomplished this past season:
In May of 2013, Bearded Women Racing marched 91 miles in 17 hours and raised over $600 in honor of those fallen soldiers and their families at Carry the Load. The team will make this an annual fundraising event each year!
Carry the Load is a non-profit organization helping people celebrate a meaningful Memorial Day by conducting a 20-hour event that honors veterans and active duty service members, law enforcement officers, firefighters and their families.
The team was able to provide 20 adult, refurbished bicycles to those in need through this local organization located in Mansfield, TX. Their mission is to provide low cost transportation options to students, micro-businesspeople, health care workers and others in developing nations and in our local community by recycling and reusing bicycles and their component parts
Pedal-Power is a non-profit 501©3 organization that recovers used bicycles, repairs them to working condition, and donates them to individuals locally and in developing countries.
The team helped to supply 480 NEW BALANCE sport t-shirts to Walnut Ridge Baptist Church for Samaritan’s Purse International Relief for Operation Christmas Child.
Dallas Off-Road Bicycling Association
One of our team principles is giving our time back to the mountain bike community trails. On Sunday, September 15 our members gave a hefty about of muscle and sweat to preparing Boulder Park for the upcoming but eventually cancelled DORBA Fall Series race.
24 volunteers and 120 man hours later, a new super-berm was erected, miles of trail were trimmed, plant beds were managed, and hundreds of yards of grass were cut! BWR team members turned out in force alongside many other DORBA and local volunteers to make the effort a memorable one! Trail Steward Cash Lopper and game day coordinator Todd Brashear led the effort alongside sponsors Bearded Women Racing and B & B Bicycles.
Also, a few team members spent 9 man hours at another trial maintenance day at Cedar Hill State Park. A huge berm was repaired as well as a creek crossing. The team will continue to work with local trail stewards and schedule work days as a part of our membership requirements, and obligations to our community trails.
The Dallas Off-Road Bicycle Association is a 501c3 non-profit and its primary mission is providing access to great local trails.
In May of 2013, Bearded Women Racing marched 91 miles in 17 hours and raised over $600 in honor of those fallen soldiers and their families at Carry the Load. The team will make this an annual fundraising event each year!
Carry the Load is a non-profit organization helping people celebrate a meaningful Memorial Day by conducting a 20-hour event that honors veterans and active duty service members, law enforcement officers, firefighters and their families.
*Photos by Brandon Schrader, Bearded Women Racing member
One of our team principles is giving our time back to the mountain bike community, and other worthy endeavors. This past Sunday, our members gave a hefty about of muscle and sweat to preparing Boulder Park for the upcoming DORBA Fall Series race on October 19th.
24 volunteers and 120 man hours later, a new super-berm was erected, miles of trail were trimmed, plant beds were managed and one bad ass mower man cut up hundreds of yards of grass! BWR team members turned out in force along side many other DORBA and local volunteers to make the effort a memorable one! Trail Steward Cash Lopper and game day coordinator Todd Brashear led the effort along side sponsors Bearded Women Racing and B & B Bicycles.
In order to race on our great North Texas mountain bike trails, the team must give it’s own time to keep those trails in their best possible shape.
That’s why on September 15th, at 8:30 AM, Bearded Women Racing and B & B Bicycles will be hosting a trail maintenance day at Boulder Park. We’ll have food and beverages, and lots of work is being promised by the DORBA Trail Steward, Cash Lopper. Volunteer to help give back, and please RSVP here!
Bearded Women Racing 
