...I guess that never happened. Whatever, life is going too fast these days to keep up too date right now. Toronto was a fun weekend in the sense that I felt fast and competitive again at a higher level than normal, but frustrating to know what I had to do to get there and what that costs you in results. You can't expect to win against riders at that level when you are working 50 hours a week and sleeping 5 hours a night, traveling at 4am to get to the race and home back in time to make it to work on Monday, yeah, that's just not going to win races. But, I'll take satisfaction for the time being in 1st place dad, 1st place working man, and knowing that I am riding well again.

Other than that, WI cross racing last weekend at a great course in Milwaukee. The courses I've done locally have all gotten better and are really starting to get well attended. Fun. This weekend is the Iceman. I might have to come down with the H1N1 to get out of work, but I'd do it not to miss the Iceman - too much fun.



Ellie is finally learning to cry herself to sleep at night. Really she doesn't have a choice anymore if she goes to bed, just how long she wants to cry before giving in. Her thumb eventually finds it's way in and that helps a lot. Good thing it's attached. She rolled over a couple times now but still has the bobble head going while on her stomach which is funny to watch.

Quick Trip to Toronto

Flew in and out of Canada in two days and got in two decent races. I'll update more later, gotta get back to work before they realize I was gone - gasp!
A couple pictures to hold you over.

Most Aggressive Rider??

Really fun weekend in Madison at the USGPs the last two days. I had the best legs of the year both days and was able to move up both days from near back row callups to the front of the race both days. Today I rode into 8th and was 10ft from latching onto Swiss rider Christian Huele and CrossVegas winner Driscol but after two laps of dangling I just couldn't latch on and ended up having to battle Wicks for 8th. To add to the good races they awarded me a monster check for being "most aggressive rider" rider of the day which was pretty special for me. I'm still wondering where the good legs came from, most likely from all the local fans screaming in my ears on the run up which was awesome. I also wasn't putting very much pressure on myself going into it and maybe that helped with the aggressive nothing to lose attittude. Still, there are days when you are feeling it and days your not and I've been getting kind of use to mostly not feeling it.
Anyway, I had a really fun weekend seeing everyone and catching up with a few of the crossers I've known over the years and the results were the topping on the cake. Sleeping at home during it all ranks right up there too. Felt bad for everyone packing up bikes and heading to airport early while I sleep in... not really.

Chequamegon

A lot of pain this year at Chequamegon for me. Looking at the riders in the top 20 overall after the race there was some serious horsepower in that race. AFter the front of the race split in half before OO I was in the 2nd group and everyone in that group was capable of winning the race, and we were in the 2nd group! I managed to hang on more than anything and by Seeley fire tower the race came back together with the lead group, but I new that was a really bad spot to make contact as we had probably burried ourselves catching the lead group at the hardest part of the course. I was right and as we all came over the fire tower the gaps opened right back up and I was in the 2nd, but smaller now, group again. We continued to pick up stragglers all the way to the finish but I was cramping bad and just couldn't go when the group got it going on the four wheeler trail into Telemark.
I was happy with 11th, not my worst and no my best, but satisfactory. The rest of the weekend was pretty standard other than doing it all with a baby for the first time. Traveling is still interesting and a learning experience along with eating out and being in large crowds like at the awards ceremony with Ellie. She has been getting better and we are figuring it out but it sure does change the procedures on a lot of things. She's already been to two of the triple crown races and she's only almost 3 months! If we could get her to like her carseat as much as she likes the blue bouncing chair we'd be set.

A bit of a rough day at the races this weekend in Green Bay. I was pretty sure before I started that I wouldn't be too hot, I'd taken almost 2 weeks completely off since O2S and other than racing around lake Winnebago I had mostly been off the bike and doing other things - like working 50 hour weeks, but that's boring to talk about here. I also believed everyone when they said the race was wide open and screaming fast so I was a bit out of position by about 20 places when the course went into singletrack .5 miles into the race. That pretty much took me out of the lead groups instantly as the gaps opened up wide right away and since I was lacking any amount of significant horsepower there was no way I was going to ride up to a group of the midwests strongest riders who had a 30 second headstart. So, I just rode hard with a group and had fun, the singletrack flowed well and the race went by quick until the last 3 miles where a lapper crashed while trying to pull over for our group, his bike went airborne and landed in my lap sending me airborne also. I pedaled in for 12th, definitely could have been better but I needed a break earlier and if racing is to continue on at all this fall it will pay off shortly when the fitness comes back around, hopefully in time for the Chequamegon.

Lull in the Action

I've backed off things hard since Ore 2 Shore two weeks ago. I'd been preparing for that race pretty hard and then things just didn't work out that well there. I felt fantastic Friday preriding and Saturday race day was no different. I was able to ride over the luge climb at the front and even gapped the front group on the downhill, but after that the race didn't really go that hard until the powerline climb where Brian and Mike got away and then we in the chase went the wrong way on the course at a critical moment as it was splitting up. To add to the wrong turn I flatted shortly after as we were riding through the field. Basically I was sitting on the back of the chase group unable to see the ground as Doug pulled at 30mph, hit a big rock and flatted the rear tire. My race was over and my Co2 was empty so I bummed a ride back in what was my shortest O2S race ever. Very disappointing and it let a little air out of my motivation which has definitely helped with the system shutdown after the race.

I didn't ride much last week except to do the Race The Lake road race around Winnebago on Sunday. It was too far to La Crosse for the WORS race and it was only 30 minutes to do the 90 mile race with good prize money. I didn't have that great of legs after being off all week but it was fun and we were done racing by 9:30 am which has to be a new record for me - 90 miles in by 9:30 in the morning - nice! It kind of reminded me of when I was training in Tucson and would leave at 5:30am in the dark and freezing cold to get to the shootout on time, then ride home with pockets jammed full of cold weather clothing at noon in 100 degree heat with 100 miles in. Kinda like that. Ryan Baumann won, he rode strong and hurt a lot of people in the crosswind sections. I had good position throughout the race but had bad cramping issues in my left hamstring which is still sore today, better take another day off.

Ellie is getting baby pictures today, I hope she smiles. She started a little bit last week but it's kind of hit or miss. She has more clothes than I do and she took over my closet and dresser.
She also gets to take a nap whenever she wants ( which actually doesn't seem that often) on the couch where I use to, now I have to go to work instead.

Summer Racin'

The weeks are flying by. Things are starting to settle in a little more with the 3rd person in our house and last weekend I made it back to the races and I would even say somewhat successfully. Getting use to all the planning ahead it takes with a little baby is hard to adjust too, but Jamie is doing a great job and definitely more than her fair share I have been able to continue training and racing.

Last weekend I made it to Sunburst for the mtn bike race. While it is pretty far down on the list of fun races, it's made up for by the close proximity to home - 40 minute drive time. I had a decent race but needed my full suspension bike to be able to pedal any harder. You would think riding on 90% grass at a mtn bike race would be a good hardtail course but I knew it wasn't going into it but that's the only bike I had ready to go and I paid the price dearly as Brian floated over the cut grass and I bounced off the saddle. Luckily it was a shorter race.

I am amazed at the photos WORS collects for their photo contest, there are some really great ones and I am impressed what people can come up with. Thanks to everyone that submitted.

Yesterday I made it to my first Superweek race in Milwaukee. I can't complain about racing on a Wednesday, especially when it meant a total of 97 miles and 4 hours of riding along the lakefront in Milwaukee. There were some pretty big teams pressent and although I felt good, my positioning experience is not that great when there are groups of 15-20 attacking of the front constantly and into crosswinds. I had fun though and came away fealing good so hopefully it was good training for Ore 2 Shore, can't wait for that. Saturday night I am hoping for a little speedwork at the Great Downer Avenue bike race, I haven't done that one in years and am looking forward to it.

Sleep

Sometimes we all get some, sometimes only a few of us.

Our New Little Girl

"I praise You for I am fearfully and wonderfully made!" Ps 139:14--

Ellie Grace Schouten born 6/30/09 at 12:03am. 6# 10oz.

WORS Cup Stage Race

What an awesome weekend of bike racing the last few days. Finally some really great weather to enjoy at one of the best races of the season and Don and WORS crew put on another top notch event with a tough course and great competition for 2 days of racing fun.

Saturday's XC was hot, first actual hot day of the year. The front of the race whittled down over the first lap to 5. I could tell we were all hurting in the heat, everyone seemed content to ride hard, but never too hard. I could tell my HR was a little high for the effort and felt pretty dizzy for the first hour of racing, kind of a shock to the system to ride in heat in humidity while just a week ago I was riding in armwarmers and a vest.

The pace hurt though and by lap 3 Travis had the group down to 4 and I was dangling off the back while the cramps seemed to be appearing a bit early. I managed to get back on the decent and by the start of the last lap I decided to spice up the race more out of boredom and desperation in a decision to either get 4th cause I attacked and then got dropped, or get 4th cause I just got dropped. For some reason though hurting on the back of the group hurts more than hurting 20 seconds off the front and after realizing if I ignored my cramping quad on every pedal stroke and kept my gap I might be able to hold off a charging Jesse Lalonde. Desperation turned into motivation as the finish line came closer and with one section of hard climbing remaining the relization that I might pull it off began to settle in just as I turned to see Jesse full on the gas. I managed to make it over the climb with cramping quads and just a few sections of downhill singletrack where all that were left to cross the finish 17 seconds up on Jesse. I'm still not sure where it came from, but it sure was refreshing to take a win again on the mountain bike.


Really big thanks to Jamie for sitting in the sun all weekend handing me bottles and to Planet Bike for the great support and motivation. My GT Zaskar was the fastest bike on the course and it was great to ride it to victory. I really owe all my sponsors for standing behind me and supporting me through the last few years ups and downs.


The only thing better than winning was jumping in the lake afterwords and cooling off, that was awesome.