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PHOTOS: Gaston continues dominance in Snowmass 50 mountain bike race

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Austin Colbert

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Overall race winner John Gaston of Aspen chats with friends following the Snowmass 50 mountain bike race on Saturday, July 26, 2025, in Snowmass Village.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times

Age hardly seems like a hindrance for John Gaston.

The 38-year-old Aspen local and Strafe Outerwear co-founder once again dominated on home dirt, winning the Snowmass 50 mountain bike race on Saturday for the fifth time in six years.

He won the full 50-mile race in 4 hours, 17 minutes, 40.5 seconds, which is officially a new course record. The course asked riders to complete two roughly 25-mile loops around the Snowmass Bike Park and general Snowmass area, with a finish on Fanny Hill, next to the Snowmass Mall.

In second was Basalt’s Ricky Creel in 4:46:12, about 28 minutes and change after Gaston. Woody Creek’s Matt Fox completed the podium, taking third in 5:09:56.9.

This was the seventh running of the Snowmass 50 in its current form, with all races prior to 2019 being under the former “Power of Four” branding and on an entirely different course that included the other three local ski areas. The race is produced by Aspen Skiing Company.


Lakewood’s Thomas Herman won the second of his back-to-back wins in 2019, the official debut of the Snowmass 50, before Gaston won his first in 2020, a small race overshadowed by the pandemic. Aspen Olympic cross-country skier Simi Hamilton, then just into retirement, won the 2021 race with Gaston sitting out.

Since then, Gaston has won each Snowmass 50, his 2025 victory the fourth straight. He was about six minutes faster this year than in 2024, and about 10 minutes faster than his 2023 time. His 2020 time, during the limited COVID race, remains his fastest on record, winning in 4:08:13, but that isn’t being counted toward the official mark.

Gaston also won the older “Power of Four” mountain bike race in both 2015 and 2017 (the 2016 race was canceled).

There was only one female finisher in this year’s Snowmass 50 on Saturday, with 30-year-old Maddie Miller of Golden taking the win in 6:34:22, good for 22nd overall among the 42 finishers. The only other two women listed as being in the 50-mile race both ended with DNFs.

Golden’s Maddie Miller reaches the finish area to be the first and only woman to finish the Snowmass 50 mountain bike race on Saturday, July 26, 2025, in Snowmass Village.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
Carbondale’s Christopher Powell competes in the 25-mile option of the Snowmass 50 mountain bike race on Saturday, July 26, 2025, in Snowmass Village.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
Tristan Trantow competes in the team option of the Snowmass 50 mountain bike race on Saturday, July 26, 2025, in Snowmass Village.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times

In the 25-mile solo race option, which required completing just one of the loops, Carbondale’s Justin White took the win in 2:35:58.1. In second was Aspen’s Sam Blakeslee (2:35:58.5), and in third was Carbondale’s Joseph Demoor (2:42:19.5). Demoor won last weekend’s 25-kilometer Power of Two trail run.

Carbondale’s Meredith Miller won the women’s side of the 25-mile race on Saturday in 3:09:13.7, good for 12th overall. In second was Aspen’s Annie Hines (3:17:10.4, 16th overall), and in third was Carbondale’s Megan Ravenscraft (3:34:04.4, 27th overall).

The men’s team race, which required each teammate to complete one of the 25-mile loops for a combined time, was won by Max Rispoli and Andrew Bluemel in 5:06:23. The women’s team title went to Rachel Beck and Courtney Knott in 6:17:35. There was only one co-ed team competing, with Hazel Lazar and Canyon Cherney finishing in 5:17:10.

Race season continues this coming Saturday, Aug. 2, with the return of the Aspen Backcountry marathon.

acolbert@aspentimes.com

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