Carry the Load 2014

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:

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August 27, 2014 0

Corey Fawcett, Racing Member, Geared

Racing Results

2014

1/18/2014	Northshore Frozen Series Endurance	DNF due to fire
2/1/2014	OCNP Frozen Endurance	27th out of 60th, 4 hour open
6/3/2014	DFW Summer Series Boulder	4th out of 15th, Sport
6/7/2014	Terra Firma Dallas Rocks Adventure	2nd out of 25th, Solo Male
6/14/2014	Smurf Boy RCP	7th place out of 35th, Solo Male
6/21/2014	Lonestar XC LBH	5th out of 33rd, Sport
7/12/2014	Smurfboy River Legacy	6th place, Men 39 and under

Profile

Birth Date	April 20 1976
Birth Place	Dallas
Home Town	Garland
List and describe your bicycles	Specialized Stumpjumper Comp 29er My XC racer, well the only mountain bike I got. Schwinn Fastback Sport, with some upgrades, Roadie and training bike, for when I like to go fast.
List past racing accomplishments in any sport you’ve competed in	Finished 24th (DNF Crashed) Smurfboy RCP Finished 10th overall Vocation 5k 22:08 Finished 16th Cat 3 30-39 LBH DORBA Race Finished 16th Cat 3 30-39 RCP DORBA Race Finished 8th Cat 3 30-39 CHSP DORBA Race
What is your first memory of riding a bicycle?	Riding home from elementary school on my BMX Huffy, doing everything I could to beat the cars in the school zone.
Why do you ride a bicycle?	Fitness, Fun, escape, I happen to be decent at it.
What does Bearded Women mean to you?	I’m hoping it means expanding my skills, meeting new people, becoming a better cyclist/human.

Corey Fawcett

August 26, 2014 0

Rudy Project

One of our newest product sponsors, members get great discounts on helmets, sunglasses, and apparel!

About

For more than 27 years Rudy Project has been committed to technology and technological innovations that offer unique solutions for athletes and weekend warriors. The unquestionable excellence of the Rudy Project line of products is a result of the desire and intuition to continuously create new ideas and to implement them in the form of development activities and quality management, on-going research in the field of materials, a rigorous program of experimentation and testing, and in interactive relationships with the recipients of the finished product. The results are astonishing. The combination of design and professionalism, the merger of aesthetics and materials: the winning mix… Our magic. Our athletes. Our men and women.The stars of the Rudy Project World.

Helmets

Sunglasses

Gear and Apparel

July 25, 2014 0

GoTStrong.com

We’re honored to have Go T Strong.com as our Title Sponsor this year! Torrence is a strong bicycle advocate for Texas, and we’re excited to have him on board.

Bicycle Camping Trips
Bicycle Messenger
Bicycle Safety Classes
Bicycle Tours

July 25, 2014 0

Greg Campbell, Racing Member, Geared

Racing Results

2014

Tx Chain Ring Massacre
Red River Riot
Dirty Kanza 200	110 miles completed, DNF mechanical/injury
The Hell of North Texas

Profile

Birth Date	January 26 1970
Birth Place	Chicago
Home Town	Richardson
List and describe your bicycles	Jamis 29er Cannondale CAAD 8
List past racing accomplishments in any sport you’ve competed in	Mountain bike – I have ridden in the Ouachita Challenge as well as a some DORBA races. For the road I have ridden HHH the past 2 years
What is your first memory of riding a bicycle?	Flying down the hill in my neighborhood and slamming on the coaster breaks to see how big of a skid mark I could leave.
Why do you ride a bicycle?	I ride to keep my mind and body free. I always feel great when I’m out in the woods with no cares in the world for that time.
What does Bearded Women mean to you?	A chance to meet a new great group of riders and to challenge myself on the racing level.

July 25, 2014 0

24 Hours in the Canyon

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What an excellent venue for mountain bike racing. Let me be the very first to say that Palo Duro Canyon is one of the most spectacular destinations in all of Texas and easily as scenic as our best National Parks. So it goes without saying that the whole experience of doing a 24 hour mountain bike race in such a venue is impressively unique.

The weekend started off excellent, easy 5hr drive, beautiful weather, etc. etc.. We started setting up the pit area around 5pm on Friday and we were fortunate enough to be joined by Damon Williams from Cadence Cyclery (Highland Village) who had donated his time and skills to wrenching on peoples bikes for the race…. Not just Bearded Women or Cadence bikes, but everyone who needed mechanical support, Damon was there to help. This actually provided a lot of entertainment and comedic relief. It’s kinda funny to see some of the stuff that happens to peoples bikes before during and after a race. But it’s even funnier to hear them explain the problem or how to fix it to the mechanic. And we had a front row seat for the whole show.

The race went off without a hitch. We sent Brad out of the gate with one goal: Do the 1st lap as fast as possible, then we will start with the two lap rotations at a sustainable pace. The start line was two miles down the road in a separate campground from the pit area, so the rest of the team was just kinda hanging out waiting for Brad to come in and not really knowing what to expect from a timing standpoint. The initial lap had a lead out and lots of congestion so we were guessing lap times, 1hr, 55 minutes, 50 minutes… etc.. As you can imagine, we were pretty shocked when he rolled through with a 41:15 on the first lap! And then BAM! Eric goes out and puts down back-to-back 42 minute laps, almost identical. I think we knew right then and there 30 laps was going to be easily attainable. Jesse came in off his first set around 3pm and handed off to me and he was like “dude, it’s way hot”… and man was he right. I rode from about 3ish to 4:30ish and it was super hot and super dusty… I’m talking border line RCP backwards 2013 DORBA Fall Series hot and dusty. If you were there you know what I mean.

After the first full rotation we were locked in on auto pilot. We were watching the clock, making sure our teammates had water hand-ups when they came through, basically running like a well-oiled machine…. Unlike some of the bikes Damon was wrenching on in the meantime.

Nightfall came and once again we were in a position where we didn’t really know what to expect from a timing standpoint. Jesse came in with his lights on, but I started the first full dark lap so when I came through in 46 minutes on the 1st lap I was in disbelief. I thought for sure nightfall would have us well into the 50 minute range. But we were flying and we were more than halfway to our goal.

For me… this is where shit got real. 3am, I had been asleep for about an hour and half, Eric wakes me up and says “Jesse just did a 45 minute lap! You need to get up and get ready”. OK. So I put on some clean bibs and my sweaty jersey and I start trying to wake up and get excited to go ride in the desert all alone in the middle of the night for about 2 hours. Sounds awesome right? I hope you reading this realize that so far I have been screwed on this riding schedule. 1st set in the absolute hottest part of the day, 2nd set as soon as it gets dark, and now the 3rd set in the most lonely, most sleepy, most quiet, most eerie, most you name it part of the night. I think I fell asleep on the 1st lap of this set because I looked up and I was already ¾ finished… I thought, man this aint too bad… but then for some reason I woke up and the 2nd lap lasted an eternity. I was literally talking to myself, “once you finish you can go to sleep, keep pedaling and you can go to sleep, don’t walk this section, you can finish faster and go to sleep”. Then I started thinking to myself “shit, you were supposed to wake up Brad when you finished your first lap. You forgot to do that!…. What if he isn’t ready to go?. WHAT IF I HAVE TO DO A 3RD LAP!!!!????” Anyways, I roll up and that dude is awake and ready to go… High five, hell yeah, I’m going to sleep.

Well while I was asleep the good times kept rolling, except for Eric who flipped over the handlebars and for Damon who had to fix Eric’s bike in the dark at 5am (more on that in a minute). Lap times remained well under 50 minutes for the most part and by the time I woke up at 730 all we had to do was crank out three more laps and we were at 30. Jesse was on his final lap, I put in number 29 and Brad closed it out. We could have done 31, but we decided to save some for next year 😉

All in all we had 1 mechanical and no serious injuries. Eric’s rear brake pad separated from the metal backing and he had to finish GSL (the most technical section) with only a front brake… That’s how he ended up going over the bars.

This was a great experience and the team of guys couldn’t have been better. Nothing beats getting a 1st place trophy on your very first 24hr mountain bike race! Looking forward to next year!

-Dan Johnson

June 4, 2014 2

The Red River Riot

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The Red River Riot.

As told by Eric “Lacy” Swarvar, Racing Member, SS

After doing a few Spinistry Gravel rides I thought I knew what to expect. Kevin runs a professionally organized promotion like no other. An entry fee of $30 got me an option of 3 distances of 40,72, or 123 miles, I wisely choose the middle for my cross bike and I. Fellow Beards Mike and Greg were also at the race and after exchanging greetings at Muenster High School, we quickly realized the event was off to a start. We started to the back, which is never my favorite place to start. I began to push to get to the front of the group but only made it to the 2nd peloton. The group was led out by Kevin in his vehicle to begin the day. The pace picked up quickly and I settled in to a 17+mph average. At mile 4 a rider went down in a gravel turn. I did not stop to offer assistance as my level of medical training is not good and he already had 4 fellow riders helping. I rode a little cautious for the next few miles until the scenery drew my attention away from my thoughts on the wreck. From mile 8 to 25 I rode with a few individuals I know, but not working a pace line, we were turning the cranks and chewing the cud. At mile 25 a pace line formed and the speed picked back up. There were about 20 riders pushing through and at mile 30 my loins were releaved to feel pavement. I cranked the speed up for a fast mile hitting a 30.8 MPH average just to have a little fun with the guys on the MTB. It was my impression that the first loop was a 35 mile loop before coming back to Muenster High to check in. I was wrong since it was a keen 40 miles. I averaged a nice 17.3 MPH average, far from the guys in the first group with a 19+ mph average.

Loop two will forever be known as the bastard loop to me. It had a lot more elevation changes then the first but the scenery was equally beautiful. For a while I rode with Chaos(for those of you that have meet him you know him). He was rolling a single speed fixed gravel bike and was smiling the entire time. Halfway into the second loop you could break left to the winery or right to stay on course, Chaos went off to the winery with a, “Yhea Man!” as I pushed to stay on course. Thats when trouble occurred at mile 56. The real climbing began. 400+ feet over 4 miles and the peak of the climb was 160 feet over .7 miles….quads cramped and admittedly I became a hiker instead of a biker for about .3 miles. Once the hill leveled I jumped back on the saddle and started to pedal. I took about a mile to settle back in and feel good. Finishing 72 miles in 4 hours 32 minutes with over 4,100+ feet of climbing on gravel felt good. I consumed 3 bottles of Scratch labs, 1 water bottle, and 4 Scratch rice cakes. Next time I will eat a little more on the ride, I believe thats where the cramping came from.

After most Spinistry events Kevin provides BBQ brisket, beans, salsa, to make your own tacos or sandwiches. He also took pictures out on the course, posted the results in less then 24 hours, and emailed each participant their individual results by Monday. This is an event I will keep on my calendar year after year, and highly encourage everyone to hit up a few of his events.

Results here:

Eric Swarvar, Medium Route, 26 of 90, 4:36:23

Mike D’Aurelio, Medium Route, 71 of 90, 5:39:43

Greg Campbell, Short Route, 20 of 80, 2:35:23

Eric Swarvar, Racing Member, SS (Right)

-Eric “Lacy” Swarvar

April 24, 2014 0

Spring time XC racing in DFW has been a rarity in years past. From February to August the only racing we saw was the occasional TMBRA race in Big Cedar, which went as quickly as it came. Even so, there was a large void that could only be filled by a Spring XC series. This year however, Shawn McAfee (Texas Mountain Bike Trails) in collaboration with Kevin Lee (Spinistry) have put together a very exciting grass roots XC series that focuses on hometown racers that can’t, or don’t want to travel to TMBRA races.

The first race in this series was held at Northshore trail, one of the most popular trails in DFW. Brad Wendling, Moreece Griffin, Randy Davis, and myself all competed in this series opener.

Here are the results:

Brad Wendling(35+ Advanced Class): 26 of 37, 1:53:39 (Single Speed)

Moreece Griffin(35+ Sport Class): 6 of 30, 1:08:26

Randy Davis(35+ Sport Class): 9 of 30, 1:10:38

Jesse Bernal(Under 35 Advanced Class): 9 of 12, 1:56:55 (Single Speed)

The second race was held at Marion Sansom Park, easily one for the most demanding trails in North Texas. The course was short, 2 or 3 laps, 5 miles each, but deceptively difficult. That didn’t discourage team BWR. Especially racing member Daniel Johnson who earned a first place finish in advanced/intermediate under 35 class. Racing member Moreece Griffin also had a good day on the saddle with a 4th place finish in sport class. James Henson took 16 of 22 in 35+ sport class which was quite the feat in itself. I managed to squeeze out a 4 of 6 (2 racers DNS) place finish in 1+1=1 single speed class. I was just happy to finish.

Here are the results:

Daniel Johnson(Under 35 Advanced Class): 1 of 4, 1:43:41

Moreece Griffin(35+ Sport Class): 4 of 22, 1:16:11

James Henson(35+ Sport Class): 16 of 22, 2:11:01

Jesse Bernal(Under 35 Single Speed): 4 of 6, 1:59:13

Racing Members: Jesse Bernal, Moreece Griffin

Racing Member SS: Jesse Bernal

Racing Member: Moreece Griffin

The next race in the series will be held at Erwin Park. See y’all there!

J3SSEB

#beardedwomenracing, #iridebikesgood, #lonestarxc

April 21, 2014 0

David Foster, Riding Member

Profile

Birth Date	January 28 1971
Birth Place	Oceanside,CA
Home Town	Wylie
List and describe your bicycles	2011 Access Prowler 2.0
List past racing accomplishments in any sport you’ve competed in	placed 5th out of 9 for my first mountain bike race at PCR. Also completed 50 miles of the NETT ride.
What is your first memory of riding a bicycle?	My grandfather bribing me to take the training wheels off as a child
Why do you ride a bicycle?	It’s a great stress reliever with the added benefits of being healthier.
What does Bearded Women mean to you?	camaraderie

February 19, 2014 0

Eric Swarvar, Racing Member, SS

Eric Swarvar, Racing Member SS

Racing Results

2014

Ray Porter Memorial	6hr Solo Male, 6th place out of 50, 7 laps, 5:59:53
Frozen IDB	4hr Solo SS, 2nd place out of 7, 4 laps, 3:50:16

Red River Riot

Medium Route, 26 of 90, 4:36:23

Profile

Birth Date	April 25, 1978
Birth Place	Found under a rock
Home Town	FloMo
List and describe your bicycles	Salsa El Mar stock Niner EMD XT everything.
List past racing accomplishments in any sport you’ve competed in	Cedar Hill 2013 cat 2 – 3 ss Win Mellow Johnny’s raced 3 years running Sansom 66 relay (better looking half) win. River Legacy smurf boy SS 2nd place Cedar Hill smurf boy ss 3rd Big Cedar Chilly Willy 3rd.
What is your first memory of riding a bicycle?	My Dad purchasing a girls bike because I was so short and convincing me it was a boys bike….to all the neighborhood kids don’t forget I beat you when I was riding a girls bike.
Why do you ride a bicycle?	Why not?
What does Bearded Women mean to you?	Bearded Women means I have probably had a little to much to drink and am now seeing women with beards.Seriously I look forward to a lot of fun.