{"id":2447672,"date":"2019-08-17T22:56:00","date_gmt":"2019-08-18T04:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/herman-repeats-as-power-of-four-mountain-bike-champ-smith-and-young-win-triple-crowns\/"},"modified":"2019-08-17T22:56:00","modified_gmt":"2019-08-18T04:56:00","slug":"herman-repeats-as-power-of-four-mountain-bike-champ-on-new-snowmass-course","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/herman-repeats-as-power-of-four-mountain-bike-champ-on-new-snowmass-course\/","title":{"rendered":"Herman repeats as Power of Four mountain bike champ on new Snowmass course"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery p402_hide\" readability=\"6.9372197309417\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-311379-996\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/powerfour-atd-081819-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/powerfour-atd-081819-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times | Lakewood's Thomas Herman crosses the finish line to win the Audi Power of Four 50-mile mountain bike race on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019 in Snowmass. He also won the 2018 race. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"0\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"11\">\n<p><strong>Lakewood&#8217;s Thomas Herman crosses the finish line to win the Audi Power of Four 50-mile mountain bike race on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019 in Snowmass. He also won the 2018 race. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/powerfour-atd-081819-1.jpg\" alt=\"Lakewood's Thomas Herman crosses the finish line to win the Audi Power of Four 50-mile mountain bike race on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019 in Snowmass. He also won the 2018 race. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/powerfour-atd-081819-1-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/powerfour-atd-081819-1-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times | A rider competes in the Audi Power of Four mountain bike race on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019 in Snowmass. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-0.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"10\">\n<p><strong>A rider competes in the Audi Power of Four mountain bike race on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019 in Snowmass. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/powerfour-atd-081819-1-1.jpg\" alt=\"A rider competes in the Audi Power of Four mountain bike race on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019 in Snowmass. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/powerfour-atd-081819-1-2-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/powerfour-atd-081819-1-2.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times | A rider competes in the Audi Power of Four mountain bike race on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019 in Snowmass. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-0.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"10\">\n<p><strong>A rider competes in the Audi Power of Four mountain bike race on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019 in Snowmass. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/powerfour-atd-081819-1-2.jpg\" alt=\"A rider competes in the Audi Power of Four mountain bike race on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019 in Snowmass. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/powerfour-atd-081819-1-3-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/powerfour-atd-081819-1-3.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times | Jim Paussa of Snowmass competes in the Audi Power of Four 25-mile mountain bike race on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019 in Snowmass. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-0.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"10\">\n<p><strong>Jim Paussa of Snowmass competes in the Audi Power of Four 25-mile mountain bike race on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019 in Snowmass. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/powerfour-atd-081819-1-3.jpg\" alt=\"Jim Paussa of Snowmass competes in the Audi Power of Four 25-mile mountain bike race on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019 in Snowmass. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/powerfour-atd-081819-1-4-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/powerfour-atd-081819-1-4.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times | Aspen's Aaron Pool, left, gets a fist bump from race winner Thomas Herman of Lakewood after the Audi Power of Four 50-mile mountain bike race on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019 in Snowmass. Pool finished third overall to lead the Roaring Fork Valley riders. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"1.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"14\">\n<p><strong>Aspen&#8217;s Aaron Pool, left, gets a fist bump from race winner Thomas Herman of Lakewood after the Audi Power of Four 50-mile mountain bike race on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019 in Snowmass. Pool finished third overall to lead the Roaring Fork Valley riders. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/powerfour-atd-081819-1-4.jpg\" alt=\"Aspen's Aaron Pool, left, gets a fist bump from race winner Thomas Herman of Lakewood after the Audi Power of Four 50-mile mountain bike race on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019 in Snowmass. Pool finished third overall to lead the Roaring Fork Valley riders. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/powerfour-atd-081819-1-5-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/powerfour-atd-081819-1-5.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times | Runner-up finisher and Triple Crown winner Cam Smith of Gunnison chats with fellow competitors after the Audi Power of Four mountain bike race on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019 in Snowmass. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"0\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"11\">\n<p><strong>Runner-up finisher and Triple Crown winner Cam Smith of Gunnison chats with fellow competitors after the Audi Power of Four mountain bike race on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019 in Snowmass. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/powerfour-atd-081819-1-5.jpg\" alt=\"Runner-up finisher and Triple Crown winner Cam Smith of Gunnison chats with fellow competitors after the Audi Power of Four mountain bike race on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019 in Snowmass. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/powerfour-atd-081819-1-6-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/powerfour-atd-081819-1-6.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times | Aspen's Jessie Young approaches the finish of the Audi Power of Four mountain bike race on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019 in Snowmass. Young won the 50-mile women's race, taking 15th overall. She also won the Power of Four Triple Crown. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"1\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"13\">\n<p><strong>Aspen&#8217;s Jessie Young approaches the finish of the Audi Power of Four mountain bike race on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019 in Snowmass. Young won the 50-mile women&#8217;s race, taking 15th overall. She also won the Power of Four Triple Crown. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/powerfour-atd-081819-1-6.jpg\" alt=\"Aspen's Jessie Young approaches the finish of the Audi Power of Four mountain bike race on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019 in Snowmass. Young won the 50-mile women's race, taking 15th overall. She also won the Power of Four Triple Crown. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/powerfour-atd-081819-1-7-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/powerfour-atd-081819-1-7.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times | Aspen's Chris Klug, a 2002 Olympic bronze medalist in Alpine snowboarding, laughs after finishing the Audi Power of Four mountain bike race on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019 in Snowmass. Klug finished 14th overall in the 50-mile race. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"1.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"14\">\n<p><strong>Aspen&#8217;s Chris Klug, a 2002 Olympic bronze medalist in Alpine snowboarding, laughs after finishing the Audi Power of Four mountain bike race on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019 in Snowmass. Klug finished 14th overall in the 50-mile race. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/powerfour-atd-081819-1-7.jpg\" alt=\"Aspen's Chris Klug, a 2002 Olympic bronze medalist in Alpine snowboarding, laughs after finishing the Audi Power of Four mountain bike race on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019 in Snowmass. Klug finished 14th overall in the 50-mile race. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/powerfour-atd-081819-1-8-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/powerfour-atd-081819-1-8.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times | Aspen's Tess Strokes crosses the finish line of the Audi Power of Four mountain bike race on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019 in Snowmass. Strokes, alongside husband Greg Strokes, won the 50-mile team event. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"1\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"13\">\n<p><strong>Aspen&#8217;s Tess Strokes crosses the finish line of the Audi Power of Four mountain bike race on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019 in Snowmass. Strokes, alongside husband Greg Strokes, won the 50-mile team event. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/powerfour-atd-081819-1-8.jpg\" alt=\"Aspen's Tess Strokes crosses the finish line of the Audi Power of Four mountain bike race on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019 in Snowmass. Strokes, alongside husband Greg Strokes, won the 50-mile team event. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/powerfour-atd-081819-1-9-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/powerfour-atd-081819-1-9.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times | Runner-up finisher Cam Smith, right, chats with Aspen teen Caden Klein after the Audi Power of Four 50-mile mountain bike race on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019 in Snowmass. Klein, 16, finished 13th overall. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"2\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"15\">\n<p><strong>Runner-up finisher Cam Smith, right, chats with Aspen teen Caden Klein after the Audi Power of Four 50-mile mountain bike race on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019 in Snowmass. Klein, 16, finished 13th overall. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/powerfour-atd-081819-1-9.jpg\" alt=\"Runner-up finisher Cam Smith, right, chats with Aspen teen Caden Klein after the Audi Power of Four 50-mile mountain bike race on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019 in Snowmass. Klein, 16, finished 13th overall. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/powerfour-atd-081819-1-10-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/powerfour-atd-081819-1-10.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times | A rider competes in the Audi Power of Four mountain bike race on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019 in Snowmass. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-0.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"10\">\n<p><strong>A rider competes in the Audi Power of Four mountain bike race on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019 in Snowmass. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/powerfour-atd-081819-1-10.jpg\" alt=\"A rider competes in the Audi Power of Four mountain bike race on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019 in Snowmass. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/powerfour-atd-081819-1-11-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/powerfour-atd-081819-1-11.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times | A rider competes in the Audi Power of Four mountain bike race on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019 in Snowmass. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-0.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"10\">\n<p><strong>A rider competes in the Audi Power of Four mountain bike race on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019 in Snowmass. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/powerfour-atd-081819-1-11.jpg\" alt=\"A rider competes in the Audi Power of Four mountain bike race on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019 in Snowmass. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/sports\/herman-repeats-as-power-of-four-mountain-bike-champ-smith-and-young-win-triple-crowns\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/sports\/herman-repeats-as-power-of-four-mountain-bike-champ-smith-and-young-win-triple-crowns\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText DropCap\">The debate likely will rage on for some time.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Since its inception a decade ago, the Audi Power of Four mountain bike race was a grueling climb and descent of the four local ski mountains. But this summer, with the creation of the new Snowmass Bike Festival, the 10th edition of the Aspen Skiing Co.-produced race <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/sports\/power-of-four-mountain-bike-race-returns-saturday-with-new-snowmass-only-course\/\">stuck to the single track in Snowmass<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">So, which course is better? Guess it depends on who you ask and how much they enjoy suffering.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cSome people just love to suffer. I like fun more,\u201d joked Aspen\u2019s Ryan Koster, a local radio show host on KSPN who competed in Saturday\u2019s 25-mile race, taking eighth. \u201cYou\u2019d have to come up with maybe a different name, but the name doesn\u2019t matter. It was super fun, so hopefully we can build on it. It would be good for the community \u2026 it was just a good vibe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The new course was essentially a 25-mile loop (Skico officially went with 26.5 miles after the fact) of mostly single track in Snowmass. The main race required doing that loop twice, equaling roughly 53 miles and just under 9,000 vertical feet of climbing. On top of the one- and two-loop solo options, there was a two-loop team race for pairs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The previous course included some long road slogs up Aspen Highlands and Aspen Mountain, while the new Snowmass course had less of that and more consistent up and down. Some, like Koster, were perfectly fine without the long climbs \u2014 he had never raced on the previous course for that reason \u2014 while some of the high-end 50-mile athletes seemed to miss that sort of suffering.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI\u2019m a purist in that it\u2019s the Power of Four, and this is more of a loop around Snowmass, which I think has its place as a race,\u201d said Aspen\u2019s Jessie Young. \u201cBut I think there are some fun challenges on the regular Power of Four course.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Young was the top female finisher in Saturday\u2019s 50-mile race, coming in 15th overall with a time of 5 hours, 53 minutes, 49.4 seconds. Aspen\u2019s Caroline Tory was second among women in 6:18:58.4 and Silverthorne\u2019s Jill Seager was third in 6:42:30.6.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">By comparison, last year\u2019s female Power of Four race winner, Marlee Dixon of Fairplay, had a time of 4:39:53, so the new Snowmass course was hardly an easy affair.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI really liked it. I don\u2019t know if I liked last year\u2019s or this year\u2019s better. I think this year\u2019s was harder,\u201d said Lakewood\u2019s Thomas Herman. \u201cFor me, I think the long, painful road climbs are better. This one had it broken up. This one was still a ton of fun, but if I had to pick, I think I would say go back to last year\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Herman won Saturday\u2019s Snowmass-only Power of Four 50-mile race in 4:52:41.4, the only racer to finish within five hours. The Groove Subaru-sponsored rider who works for Boa Technology \u2014 they make the unique closure systems readily found on snowboard and biking boots these days \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/herman-overcomes-fall-dixon-hail-to-win-power-of-four-mountain-bike-races\/\">also won the 2018 Power of Four<\/a>, then with a time of 3:48:11.01.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Runner-up on Saturday was Gunnison\u2019s Cam Smith, who had a time of 5:00:29, while Aspen\u2019s Aaron Pool, who led most of the 50-mile race early on, was third in 5:01:12.5. Carbondale\u2019s Levi Gavette was fourth (5:07:45.6) and Aspen\u2019s Max Taam was fifth (5:10:26.3).<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">This was Smith\u2019s first Power of Four mountain bike race, so he couldn\u2019t compare the old course to the new, but he liked what he found on the Snowmass course.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt was all new to me anyway. It seems this was a more fun-to-ride course,\u201d Smith said. \u201cThis one is definitely more showing off the things Snowmass is good at.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Longmont\u2019s Cesar Grajales won Saturday\u2019s 25-mile race in 2:53:05, with Eagle\u2019s Scott McCorvey taking second (2:53:11.5) and Aspen\u2019s Thomas Hayles taking third (2:58:38.8). Rachel Beck of Woody Creek was the top female finisher, taking seventh overall in 3:04:28.3. Second among women in the 25-mile race was Carbondale\u2019s Anne Gonzales (3:13:51.6) and third was Lindsay Jones, also of Carbondale, in 3:37:55.3.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Only two pairs competed in the 50-mile team race, with the Aspen husband-wife duo of Greg and Tess Strokes winning in 5:52:21.9. Greg Strokes, 46, recently won his age division at the USA Cycling Mountain Bike Nationals in Winter Park.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Taking second was Boulder\u2019s Rea Kolbl and Trever Townsend in 6:47:27.4. Kolbl is an elite Spartan athlete who also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/eberly-gets-redemption-wins-power-of-four-50k-trail-run\/\">won the Power of Four 50-kilometer trail run<\/a> back in July.<\/p>\n<p>Complete race results <a href=\"https:\/\/my7.raceresult.com\/131823\/results?lang=en\">can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Subhead\">AN EPIC WIN FOR HERMAN<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Winning back-to-back Power of Four titles is impressive enough. But Herman made it even more ridiculous by having just finished the six-day Breck Epic stage race, which concluded Friday. <a href=\"https:\/\/breckepic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Stage_6_GCv2.pdf\">He finished 22nd<\/a> in the UCI Elite Men division.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">While his body was \u201cnot great\u201d after six straight days of racing, Herman said the routine of race and recovery actually helped him out in what essentially became Stage 7 on Saturday in Snowmass.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThis I had such a good time at last year and love the Aspen area. So I don\u2019t know, I had the weekend off and figured why not drive here and try and repeat?\u201d Herman said. \u201cGetting into that routine, this is the seventh day of that routine and it\u2019s been helpful for me. I was very careful not to crack myself out there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">He made it clear he won\u2019t be racing again on Sunday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cStage 8 is going to be a massage and a lot of sleep,\u201d Herman said with a laugh.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Subhead\">TRIPLE CROWN WINNERS<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Saturday\u2019s race concluded the three-part Power of Four Triple Crown, which awards competitors who competed in all three races: the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/extra-snow-doesnt-stop-gaston-and-taam-from-winning-another-power-of-four-crown\/\">winter\u2019s ski mountaineering race<\/a>, the trail run and the mountain bike race. Smith won the men\u2019s Triple Crown with a collective time of 15:42:11, while Taam finished second. Young won the women\u2019s Triple Crown in 19:08:58, followed by Seager and Kolbl.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Smith said his next goal is to win the Grand Traverse Triple Crown, which he\u2019ll have a shot at Aug. 31 and Sept. 1, when the popular race from Crested Butte to Aspen (and back again) takes place. Smith <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/sports\/smith-kelly-win-22nd-annual-grand-traverse-skimo-race\/\">won the skimo race back in March<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI like staying local with the races I do,\u201d said Smith, who is a member of the U.S. ski mountaineering team. \u201cWe have so many cool things going on here in the Elk Mountains, whether it\u2019s CB or Aspen, I don\u2019t want to leave if I don\u2019t have to. So I kind of sat down and figured I\u2019d do the Power of Four Triple Crown and the GT Triple Crown, and call it the double-triple.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Subhead\">SNOWMASS STAYING EXCLUSIVE?<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Whether future renditions of the Power of Four mountain bike race remain exclusively in Snowmass isn\u2019t known. Prior to the race, Deric Gunshor, Skico\u2019s director of event development, said they wanted to see how things played out and get feedback before making any decisions on next year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Also new this year was the fact that the trail run and mountain bike races weren\u2019t held on back-to-back days. Gunshor said some of this was just logistics, with the trail run fitting into the Skyrunner Series schedule best in July and a later date for the mountain bike race fitting into the bike festival weekend at Snowmass, which includes the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bigmountainenduro.com\/\">Big Mountain Enduro finals<\/a>, which wrap up Sunday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWe\u2019ll just kind of take it year by year,\u201d Gunshor said. \u201cWhen we do something new like this, we like to see how it works, how it works in the community. We work pretty closely with Snowmass Tourism on programming that summer calendar. So we really just want to be able to see what works for everyone and get some feedback on it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Tagline\"><a href=\"mailto:acolbert@aspentimes.com\">acolbert@aspentimes.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/sports\/herman-repeats-as-power-of-four-mountain-bike-champ-smith-and-young-win-triple-crowns\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lakewood&#8217;s Thomas Herman crosses the finish line to win the Audi Power of Four 50-mile mountain bike race on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019 in Snowmass. He also won the 2018 race. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times A rider competes in the Audi Power of Four mountain bike race on Saturday, Aug. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-2447672","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-25 05:53:39","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley&#039;s Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2447672","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2447672"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2447672\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2447672"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2447672"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2447672"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}