Mark Wilson of Steamboat Springs competes Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020, in the snowbike cross qualifier. (Dale Pistole/Special to The Aspen Times)Dale Pistole/Special to The Aspen Times
Jesse Kirchmeyer competes in the snow bikecross finals at X Games Aspen on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020, at Buttermilk Ski Area in Aspen Snowmass, Colo. (Liz Copan/Summit Daily News via AP)AP | Summit Daily News
Canadian Cody Matechuk of Cochrane, Alberta, competes Saturday in the snowbike cross. He won golf for the third consecutive year. (Dale Pistole/Special to The Aspen Times)Dale Pistole/Special to The Aspen Times
Harris Huizenga competes in the snow bikecross finals at X Games Aspen on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020, at Buttermilk Ski Area in Aspen Snowmass, Colo. (Liz Copan/Summit Daily News via AP)AP | Summit Daily News
Mark Wilson of Steamboat Springs gets ready for the snowbike cross heat on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020. (Dale Pistole/Special to The Aspen Times)Dale Pistole/Special to The Aspen Times
on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020. (Dale Pistole/Special to The Aspen Times)Dale Pistole/Special to The Aspen Times
Cody Matechuk competes in the snow bikecross finals at X Games Aspen on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020, at Buttermilk Ski Area in Aspen Snowmass, Colo. (Liz Copan/Summit Daily News via AP)AP | Summit Daily News
on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020. (Dale Pistole/Special to The Aspen Times)Dale Pistole/Special to The Aspen Times
Yanick Boucher competes in the snow bikecross finals at X Games Aspen on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020, at Buttermilk Ski Area in Aspen Snowmass, Colo. (Liz Copan/Summit Daily News via AP)AP | Summit Daily News
on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020. (Dale Pistole/Special to The Aspen Times)Dale Pistole/Special to The Aspen Times
Seth Fischer competes in the snow bikecross finals at X Games Aspen on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020, at Buttermilk Ski Area in Aspen Snowmass, Colo. (Liz Copan/Summit Daily News via AP)AP | Summit Daily News
on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020. (Dale Pistole/Special to The Aspen Times)Dale Pistole/Special to The Aspen Times
on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020. (Dale Pistole/Special to The Aspen Times)Dale Pistole/Special to The Aspen Times
on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020. (Dale Pistole/Special to The Aspen Times)Dale Pistole/Special to The Aspen Times
Mick Olson competes in the snow bikecross finals at X Games Aspen on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020, at Buttermilk Ski Area in Aspen Snowmass, Colo. (Liz Copan/Summit Daily News via AP)AP | Summit Daily News
Yanick Boucher competes in the snow bikecross finals at X Games Aspen on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020, at Buttermilk Ski Area in Aspen Snowmass, Colo. (Liz Copan/Summit Daily News via AP)AP | Summit Daily News
Colton Davis competes in the snow bikecross finals at X Games Aspen on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020, at Buttermilk Ski Area in Aspen Snowmass, Colo. (Liz Copan/Summit Daily News via AP)AP | Summit Daily News
Yanick Boucher competes in the snow bikecross finals at X Games Aspen on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020, at Buttermilk Ski Area in Aspen Snowmass, Colo. (Liz Copan/Summit Daily News via AP)AP | Summit Daily News
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Doug Henry is basically the Lebron James of snow biking. Hes been around a long time, and doesnt seem to know how to lose.
The Connecticut native, who just turned 50, won his third consecutive gold medal at the X Games as he crossed the line Saturday with a massive lead in the para snowbike cross finals.
With decades in the sport and a heavy haul of hardware, Henry has considered retiring a few times. Still, he cant seem to stay away from the sport. Right now, his goal is to keep competing until hes 55.
Its been a thought probably five times, said Henry, who is the oldest athlete in this years X Games. Ive tried, but as long as Im having fun and still competitive, Im gonna do it.
Henry won gold in the para snow bikecross in 2019, and finished first in the adaptive version of the event the year before.
Henrys only competition was eliminated early as Will Posey took a jump too aggressively and wiped out just as he started lap two. From there, Henry cruised to a 15-second margin of victory. Henry nearly committed a crucial mistake when he didnt take enough horsepower into a jump, but managed to keep his track on the ground and his bike moving forward.
The first lap or two, youre just trying to keep it up and start improving, getting a little bit faster here and there, he said. I just looked behind me, I had a little bit of a gap.
Brandon Dudley finished second, while Leighton Lillie picked up a bronze medal.
The snow bike veteran Henry has been attending X Games since 1999, but says the thrill of attending and performing well hasnt faded.
You have no idea how early this is in my head and in my mind. In November, Im training pretty hard, Henry said. Its pretty much a year-round thing. X Games is top of my list of events I want to win.
Cody Matechuk ran away with his third straight gold medal in snowbike cross, finishing a whopping 16 seconds ahead of Yanick Boucher.
The whole race, one of his crew members stood near the lap line, gesturing with his arms how great a lead he had. With each lap, his hands got farther and farther apart, to the point he could no longer accurately express how large Matechuks advantage was.
I really dont like racing and looking backwards, so I rely on my mechanic to give me gap, Matechuk said. I could see the gap growing. I just felt like I was in a good rhythm. I was hitting all my marks, I wasnt pushing.
He was so far removed from the rest of the race, as the cameras swarmed him at the finish Matechuk asked his crew, Who got second and third?
Boucher took second, and Jesse Kirchmeyer picked up bronze. Kirchmeyer finished second last year. Boucher made it to the finals in 2019, but didnt finish the race.
Matechuk couldnt avoid drama in his semifinal. At the start of the first semifinal, Hoyer and Josh Hill jumped the gun, having to be moved behind the line and work their way back to the front throughout the race.
That put Matechuk at an advantage, which he held for most of the race, but with a few laps to go, he bailed off his bike when it malfunctioned. He got back on and crossed the line in second to make the finals.
Sometimes that stuff just finds you, but it wouldnt be a good story without a little bit of adversity, Matechuk said. We broke a ski on that first race, still ended up getting second place. We went back and changed it for the main. Its X Games. You got to leave it all on the table.
See the article here:
Henry, Matechuk earn third consecutive X Games golds in snowbike disciplines - Aspen Times
