March 8, 2003 (Oslo, Norway) – Thomas Alsgaard, one of  Norway's best cross-country skiers ever, said Wednesday that he would retire at  the end of this season. The 31-year-old told reporters that he'd simply had  enough. “I  know myself very well, and know that enough is enough,” Alsgaard said at a press conference in Oslo. He noted that  he'd faced a lot of challenges this season, especially in advance of the recent Nordic World Championships in Italy. “I just feel that I don't want to keep at it,” said Alsgaard, who's won six World Championships and four Olympic gold medals during his long career. Alsgaard, who skis  for the Eidsvold Verk club, made his breakthrough at the Winter Olympics in Lillehammer in 1994, when he won the 30-kilometer race in front of then-reigning cross-country sensation Bjorn Daehlie. This past season has been difficult  for him, though, as he's swung from despair to jubilation because of accidents  and illness. A bicycling accident last summer left him on the sidelines at the beginning of the season, and then he was plagued by a bad back just before the championships in Italy. While there he won two gold medals  but also was knocked out of some events because of a stomach ailment. Alsgaard said he'd  been fretting all season over whether to quit now, or continue to compete until  the Olympics in Torino in 2006. “But I don't have the  motivation to tackle a new season,” he said. He considered simply taking a year off, but decided that wasn't a good solution. “It's important for me to get on  with my life,” he said on the eve of this weekend's cross-country events at  Holmenkollen in Oslo. He'll also compete at World Cup  events in Finland and Sweden later this month.