Race Cyclocross!

1. How old are you?
25

2. Where did you grow up, and where do you live now?
I grew up on the 3rd coast (lake Michigan) in Sheboygan, WI where I still live for a larger percentage of time than anywhere else of the year.

3. How long have you been racing? As an elite?
I did my first race when I was 15 so I guess that makes about 10 years. I think 2003 was my first Pro mtb. race.

4. What was your first bicycle?
My first bike was a banana yellow 20″ bike my dad and I made it with random parts. The first bike I bought was a huffy. The first bike I raced on was a GT Tequesta with a Rockshox Quadra 5 – it was rad cause it had shox.

5. What is your road/mtb racing background?
I raced on and off road for a bunch of years mostly in Wisconsin early on with good success. In 2002 and 2003 I rode with the Saturn Development team all around the country and did like 80 races, but never had any really good results. The team folded at the end of 2003 so I went back to mountain biking and shortly after got hooked up on the Trek program which I have been racing on for 3 years now. In 2004 I did the U23 Pan Am Championships and U23 World championships in Les Gets, France with the U23 National team.

I picked up cross in the fall of 2003 and have expanded my schedule each year since. Early this spring I was able to go to Belgium and race Elite World Championships with the US national team.

6. Describe your first exposure to cyclocross.
It’s actually pretty funny how I started racing cross. I had been racing mountain bikes pretty successfully for a few years and in 2003 a friend was going to a cross race in Milwaukee. I decided to go along with my mountain bike and I ended up winning the elite race pretty easily. I liked winning so I went back the next weekend and discovered I could win cross races as well as mountain bike races so I kept going all fall. Then I borrowed a real cross bike and went to Portland in 2003 for U23 Nationals and just got throttled by Jesse Anthony and Alan Obeye, it was an eye opening experience racing in the mud, I had never done that before. I think I finished 5th or 6th.

7. Would you consider yourself a cross specialist?
I’ve had decent results through the last two seasons and even a few really good ones when the conditions fit me. I won the Beacon cross last fall which was a UCI race and also placed 8th at Nationals in 2005 so I’ve probably had some bigger results on the national level racing cross than mountain bikes, but a cross specialist – I’m not sure. I think I can do really well on certain courses and under certain conditions, but I’m still trying to find the consistency that would make me a specialist. I guess more and more I consider myself a cross racer over anything else so maybe I am heading that way?

8. Do you race full time? If not, what other job(s) do you have?
I have basically been racing full time the last 3-4 years although I’m still looking to make an actual salary. I work part-time at a bike shop in Sheboygan were I’ve worked for over 10 years now. I’ve really cut down my hours and the last two years I’ve probably only worked a total of like 200 hours total. I try to keep the bills at a minimum so I can pick up and leave whenever I want and squeak by on prize money. It seems to be working for the most part.

9. Did you go to college? If so, what was your major?
I went to a technical college near Sheboygan for 3 years and have an associates degree in Electro-mechanical technology. Basically it’s electricity, hydraulics, pneumatics, motors, and electronics used in industry to control robots.

10. Describe the first time you shaved your legs.
I think I was about 12 years old and probably didn’t even need too, but thought it was really cool cause all the pros did. I also rode around in the big chainring all the time cause I thought that was cool too.

11. Do you have any tattoos, and/or piercings?
Zero

12. Pre race rituals?
I have tried to do away with any rituals since it always seems like I’m in a different situation each week which just going with the flow and not always being able to do what you want before a race. when I was younger I would always try and do what I did the week before, but then when it doesn’t work out it’s easy to freak out and think your race is going to be bad since you didn’t eat the right thing at just the right time. I won the iceman one year on toaster waffles and peanut butter cause that’s all there was available. Standard procedure: Eat 3 hours before the start, warmup, munch on a powerbar, eat a gel during staging and race.

13. Post race meal?
Chocolate milk and bagel to get me home, then whatever I can find.

14. How do you wind down after a race?
Lay on the couch and watch a movie, take a walk, take an ice bath.

15. Your idea of the perfect cross course?
Slippery, either from snow or thin mud. Short climbs, lots of slippery corners and oh yeah, slippery mud.

16. Espresso or tea?
Tea

17. For you, what is the essence of cyclocross?
Only those that practice it are good at it.

18. Tubulars or clinchers?
I’ve only ever had clinchers.

19. Write a haiku about 2006 CX Nats.
…

20. My mind wanders when I’m racing. What were you thinking about during your last race?
I felt really bad at my last race and wanted to quit racing, but I must have forgot that already.

21. Seen any good movies lately?
24 Solo

22. What are the last three albums you’ve listened to?
I usually just have my Ipod on shuffle so it could be anything, although I do remember hearing some Fall Out Boy and Green Day.

23. Who is going to win USA CX Nationals this year?
Me

24. In three words or less, describe how you feel about top mount cross brake levers.
Amature.

25. Would you use disc brakes on your cross bike if they were UCI legal?
Yes, cross racing is all about breaking.

26. What is the craziest thing you’ve done to lighten your bike?
Drilled out a water bottle cage.

27. Any season goals you’d like to share?
Progression.

28. What result are you most proud of?
2006 UCI Beacon Cross win

29. Who has most influenced your cross racing career?
…

30. Is there another rider you train with regularly?
Not really, I mostly ride by myself unfortunately.

31. Why do you think the Europeans are so much faster than the US crossers?
They grow up doing it, it’s more cultural.

32. Are you married? Have any children?
No

33. Any (other) passions or hobbies in your life?
XC Skiing

34. What would you be doing if you weren’t racing cross?
Taking time off of riding and probably preparing for mountain bike season, skiing.

35. Do you have a blog or online journal?
tristanschouten.blogspot.com

36. Any words of advice for those new to cyclocross?
Do lots of intervals and mounting/dismounting practice.

On top of those questions, if you feel like giving me a little background? Where you living now? how long you been on your current team? How was your euro cx experience? What did you take from it? You planning on doing a big cx season again?

I do a lot of couch surfing these days, although home is still Wisconsin. I’ve been with Trek 3 seasons now and am really enjoying the team and the support I get from them. The regional programs are really fun, and I’ve been able to hitch on with the “pro” team at most of the big races I want to do. Euro cross experience was just that, a lifetime experience. I can’t say I raced well or felt that great, mostly I felt like I was getting tossed around without any feeling of going forwards or fast, just tossed. The best part was right before I got lapped near the end the roar of the 50,000 cheering on Vervecken was so loud I got the chills. They came around me on the pavement and I was barely pedaling cause I was watching them race, I was able to spectate from on the course I guess. What’d I take, well, I want to do it again, but I can see I have tons of room to grow before getting competitive over there. If you don’t go full balls out of every corner someones gonna sneak past you and before long you’ll be going backwards fast. It’s a pretty cool feeling though to have that many people pay to watch you race, it actually makes you feel like you’re doing something respectable and not just riding your bike around in an empty field.