February 25, 2003 (Hayward, WI) – A field of 6,000 racers competed in the prestigious American Birkebeiner, the largest cross-country ski race in the U.S. Team Rossignol racer Brooke Baughman of Ketchum, ID skied the 55k course in 2:25:17 with a pack of three women to take third place. The winner was 2003 World Loppet champion Lara Peyrot of Italy followed by two times Olympian Katerina Hanusova of the Czech Republic in second place. Other Team Rossignol women in the top 20 were JoAnn Hanowski 10th, Lorrie Wesolek 12th, Kim Rudd 14th, Muffy Ritz 16th, Sara Russell 17th, Diane Holliday Welsh 18th, Victoria Asmus 20th.

In the men's Birkebeiner, the Italian men showed their dominance by attacking near the beginning of the race to make an early break. Close behind was a pack of four racers who included Team Rossignol skiers John Bauer and Marc Gilbertson. Thousands of spectators anxiously awaited top racers as they lined the snowed covered Main Street in downtown Hayward, WI. The first into view were the Italian team led by Rossignol skier Gianantonio Zanetel who sprinted for 1st place to become the leader in the World Loppet Series. Two minutes off the pack of the Italians was another group of four skiers including Team Rossignol Olympians John Bauer and Marc Gilbertson who crossed the finish line 7th and 8th. Other Team Rossignol skiers in the top 20 included Eli Enman 10th and Torgeir Lien in 12th.

One week prior to the Birkebeiner was France's largest ski race, the Trasjurassienne ski World Loppet held Les Rousses. The 46k racecourse specifically designed for women rolled through the small villages along the border of France and Switzerland. Team Rossignol racer Christie Aschwanden placed 2nd in a highly competitive field of European women. Christie, a technical writer is spending the winter racing in Europe with her husband Dave.

While the American Birkebeiner was the premier event in the U.S. over the weekend, some other key events worth noting were the Payette Marathon in McCall, ID, the Sacagawea Ski Marathon in Bozeman, MT and Yosemite Glacier Point 36k skate race in Yosemite, CA. Each race was won by Team Rossignol athletes.