DFW Series Racing
Who doesn’t love the excitement of race day? The rush of adrenaline, the anticipation of testing your skills against other racers, and the satisfaction of seeing all your hard work pay off as you fly through the course. Whether you are aiming for a podium or racing to push yourself to your limits, there’s nothing else quite like race day.
But what if I told you that you could experience that same feeling without having to wait months for the day to arrive or travel for hours to get to the course?
If you live in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, that is actually possible thanks to Shawn McAfee and the DFW series.
Shawn who now?
Shawn and the DFW Series have been hosting around DFW since 2013. You can generally find them at Erwin Park in McKinney, Texas for the Winter and Summer Series races, which aim to deliver some great grassroots racing right here in Dallas Fort Worth.
The first time I encountered him, he'd sent out a request for a photographer to capture his races, and I eagerly stepped up. When I arrived at the Erwin course, I was directed toward him and right off the bat, his passion for mountain biking shined through. Chatting with him, you quickly realize he's fully tuned into your every word – a rare and refreshing quality. I soon learned that his mission in launching the DFW series was to cultivate a space where folks of all ages and abilities could experience the thrill of racing while bonding with their families and local communities.
One of the first things you will notice when you arrive for your first or even tenth DFW Series race is the number of families that have shown up. In fact, it's just about the best part of these races each week. Week after week, racers of all skill levels from strider to hardened veterans show up with the whole family ready to line up and throw down every Thursday during the series.
These races are set up as short-track mountain bike races with 2-3 mile loops with multiple laps depending on the category. They typically take place every Thursday evening of the eight-week series and begin at 6 pm.
You might be thinking “That sounds cool and all, Jordan, but I have a job and a family. I don’t know that I want to commit to racing that much after working at the office all day.”
Frankly, I’d say that’s even more of a reason to join.
Look, I hear you. I have days where I get off work after staring at a computer all day and just want to veg out on the couch and binge-watch some TV. But have you ever regretted going out to the trails, even when you weren’t feeling particularly motivated? I don’t know about you, but I always end up leaving the trailhead so thankful that I decided to go out.
Though most of you reading this would probably prefer to be on our bikes all the time, sadly we cannot. This is something else the DFW Series does really well. The team works tirelessly to orchestrate everything behind the scenes to ensure the race stays on schedule and each of the categories gets off to the races as close to their scheduled start time as possible. They know that we have work and school Friday morning and do everything they can to ensure that participants can rely on the schedule they provide.
Okay, I’m in. Where do I go?
The courses for the DFW Series races are typically at the Erwin Park mountain bike trails on the outskirts of McKinney. Although the Erwin trails contain over eight miles of singletrack, winding through a mix of dense forests, open meadows, and creeks, the DFW Series races make use of about 2.7 miles, including sections with long, steady ascents that challenge your endurance and quick downhill segments that can get your adrenaline pumping.
In the past, the series has taken place in a winter season running from January to early March and a summer season from mid-June to August. However, thanks to their recent partnership with TREK of Dallas-Fort Worth and the Fort Worth Mountain Biking Association (FWMBA), this year they were able to expand and hold a brand-new spring series at Gateway Park, which just so happens to be a trail that holds a special place in my heart.
When I started mountain biking back in 2018, the Gateway trails were some of the first that I ever rode, and they are amazing because they have a little bit of something for every rider. The east loop is a somewhat advanced trail, with good elevation and several technical sections, but the magic of race day happens at the west loop.
This loop focuses on fun and flow with wooden features that were built with skill progression in mind and each with its own bypass for riders who are still building the confidence to really send it. There’s also a pretty sick party laps jump line with a spectator ridge for riders who like to show off (or, in my case, be one of the reasons everyone has to yell, “Rider down!”).
Same Trail, New Opportunities
One reason that I enjoy this series so much as a photographer is that going to the same trails week after week challenges me to get creative with my shots.
It’s kind of like riding the same trail over and over again. You still love the ride and the trail, but after a while, you start to lose the sense of discovery that you had when you first rode there. Shooting at places like Gateway and Erwin often brings out this feeling since I know the trails there so well. Sure, taking pictures at party laps at Gateway usually guarantees some good photos, but relying on that same spot for every race leads to me feeling like I’m not living up to my own potential.
Both of these trails have so much to offer and so many places to shoot that I’m not doing justice to the racers, the trail, or even myself if I don’t look for a way to push myself out of that comfort zone.
Shooting these races serves as a reminder – even when I'm in a place I've visited countless times, there's always room for growth and skill expansion if I'm willing to embrace the challenge and seek out new opportunities.
Sign me up!
As of this blog post, the 2023 DFW Spring Series has come to an end, but the [summer series] back at Erwin Park is right around the corner.
I honestly cannot recommend these races enough. They are a great way to see where you stand before heading off to a big race and connect with other riders. No matter how far along you are in your mountain biking journey, there’s always something new to learn, and riding with new people is the best way to find out what you are missing. Plus, what better way to find more people to group up with for that next trip to Angel Fire or maybe to spend some time in Bentonville?
Go check out these links down below and make sure to give the DFW series and Trek team a follow. Block off your calendars for the summer series races and I will see you out there on race day.
I'll be the guy behind the lens cheering for you and reminding you to pedal.
DFW Series Racing Website
