Natalie 4th at Owl Creek Chase

Woody Creek Racing once again had a great weekend here at home. The annual Aspen Nordic Festival and Owl Creek Chase are two of the highlights of the season for us and this year was no exception. Although Mike Trecker is out with a knee injury, Natalie (Ward)Trecker took up the slack and thrilled the hometown crowd with a couple of fun and inspiring races.

On Saturday Natalie bolted out of the gate and brought the spectators to a fever pitch as she took the early lead at the 1.5km mark in the 5k classic AVSC SuperTour event. Natalie eventually succumbed to an over aggressive race plan and faded to 9th place, but it was still an amazing day for her, competing in front of the home town fans.

On Sunday Natalie again took to the trails against some of the best skiers in the country. She skied solidly and finished in the money in 4th place. The 21km Owl Creek Chase is one of the premier events in the country and also part of the USSA SuperTour and it was fantastic to see Natalie skiing so well.

On a special note, Polly Tucker from Swix, loaned Natalie a pair of the new Swix Triac poles that are currently being used at the Olympics. Said Natalie about the new poles,

"Right away, double poling out of the start, I said to myself, these poles are awesome, I don't have to be as careful, I feel like I can really get after it. They are really light and stiff."

Thanks Polly for the help this last weekend and to the whole staff at Swix, one of Woody Creek Racing's biggest supporters.

Pictures on the way, stay tuned.

Above Left: Madshus skiers Kristina Trygstad-Saari, Glen Randall and Natalie Ward

Above Right: Natalie skis through the half-way point in 4th place

Left: Natalie previewing the classical course on Friday

Natalie 2nd at Governor's Cup

Woody Creek Racing's nordic skiers continued to hit their stride mid-season, first with some fine performances at the Aspen Pursuit and the following weekend at the 23rd Governor's Cup at Devil's Thumb Rancher in Fraser, CO.

Mike Trecker, Natalie Trecker and Russ Bollig were 2nd, 3rd, and 4th overall in the 2-day Aspen Pursuit, with Natalie skiing particularily well, taking 3rd overall in the 10k classical portion, under a minute behind the winner, Mike Trecker.

Yesterday at Devil's Thumb, Natalie conitnued her great skiing and stayed with perrenial favorite, Sarah Konrad of Laramie, for the first 15k lap. This move helped Natalie stay clear of the field and secure 2nd place in the women's race, 17th overall against the men. The silver medal position was also good for a $600 pay day. Special thanks to Igor and the Fanch's from DTR, they put on a great day of racing and helped raise the bar for future Governor's Cup events. Great Day DTR, thanks a bunch. On the men's side, Mike Trecker finished in 16th overall, just in front of Natalie with Russ just behind in 18th. These results were also good for 3rd and 4th on the day in the men's 40-49 age division. Congrats old dudes!

Woody Creek Racing opens Nordic season, 1-2-3 overall in Aspen Cup standings

Woody Creek Racing's nordic skiers opened their seasons this past weekend with some solid racing. Natalie Ward(Trecker) won both women's races yesterday at the Aspen Cup openers while Mike Trecker took second in the classic race and Russ Bollig took third in the skate event. At the end of the day, Mike Trecker leads the overall combined men's and women's standings with a 2 point lead on Bollig while Natalie picked up enough points racing against the boys to hold third overall 6 points back.
Congrats Woody Creek Racing and keep it up.

Also of note: One of Woody Creek's favorite athletes, Simi Hamilton of Aspen, is the new USA Nordic Sprint national champion. Congrats to Simi, one of the best all around pure skiers in the world.

Orange Guy Clark Sheehan joins Woody Creek Racing

Woody Creek Racing is pleased and honored to announce the merger of WCR and the Orange Guy Fence and Truss cycling team starring masters national champion and former Tour DuPont stage winner Clark Sheehan. Clark brings a packed resume and a wealth of experience along with a solid group of masters racers from the Front Range. With this merger, the OGF&T/WCR cycling team becomes one of the top masters teams in Colorado. We look forward to joining with Clark this season and anticipate great things to come.

Woody Creek Racing working on new logo, accepting sponsorship proposals

Woody Creek Racing is currently working on a new logo design for 2010, the above is a current mock up of what we might be looking at.

Also, Woody Creek Racing is working on sponsorshps for 2010 and beyond. WCR is unique in the fact that sponsors can sign on with the team and receive year round exposure in a variety of sports rather than the traditional deal that would give sponsors exposure just in a chosen specialty. Various sponsorship packages are available in cross country ski racing, bicycle road racing, duathlon and triathlon and trail running. Interested parties should contact Mike Trecker at jimartintrecker@hotmail.com or trecker@utemountaineer.com

Woody Creek Racing puts in good showing at Aspen XC meet

Natalie Ward placed 2nd among women and 10th overall in the Chuck Severy Memorial citizen's 5k cross country running meet in Aspen on Saturday. Ward was roughly thirty seconds behind women's winner Robin Pfaultz(Severy). In the men's race Woody Creek Racing's Dylan Johns placed 4th and Mike Trecker 5th. Great job team, especially in an event that is far from your specialty. Congratulations Woody Creek Racing, keep it up!

Western Slope athletes to make up core of Woody Creek Racing

Woody Creek Racing, ready to launch in 2010, will consist of a cohesive core of athletes led by Mike Trecker of Woody Creek, CO, one of the state's top masters road cyclists and cross country skiers. Trecker led the Denver/Boulder Couriers cycling team for nearly two decades which has been a mainstay on Colorado's cycling circuit, producing many top results and graduating several riders into the semi-pro ranks. He also has been a consistent racer on Colorado's cross country ski circuit and a long time member of the Alpina factory team. Trecker looks forward to continuing a strong, competitive tradition with Woody Creek Racing starting in 2010.

Joining Mike Trecker on Woody Creek Racing will be several additional athletes spanning many different endurance sports in Colorado, most notably Natalie Ward, Trecker's wife. Natalie, a native of Aspen and Woody Creek, is one of the top cross country ski racers in the state as well as a talented cyclist and trail runner.

Christian Garlapow of Avon, CO is another talented cyclist ready to hit it hard for Woody Creek Racing in 2010. Garlapow, originally from Buffalo, NY, is a Cat 1 road racer and a top sprinter and we look forward to big things from him next year.

Dylan Johns of Basalt, CO also joins Woody Creek Racing for 2010. Johns' resume is stocked with big time trial and duathlon wins and he is also a talented runner having competed for Cornell in cross country. Johns looks to expand his resume in 2010, tackling some trail running races as well as his traditional menu of road cycling and duathlon.

Stay tuned for more updates on the new powerhouse of Colorado endurance sports, Woody Creek Racing.