December 29, 2016 (Val Mustair, Switzerland) – The U.S. Cross Country Ski Team will enter one of its deepest and most experienced squads ever with nine athletes named, as the FIS Tour de Ski 2017 gets underway in Val Mustair on New Year’s Eve day with a freestyle sprint. The 7-stage tour will cover four stops in three nations before the finale up the staggering Alpe Cermis hill climb in Val di Fiemme, Italy on Sunday, January 8.

Among the top U.S. skiers will be Jessie Diggins (Afton, MN), who led the USA last year finishing 10th overall; Sophie Caldwell (Putney, VT), who won a classic sprint stage a year ago; Liz Stephen (E. Montpelier, VT), a powerhouse on the final climb who holds the U.S. best overall finish in fifth; and Simi Hamilton (Aspen, CO), winner of a sprint in the 2014 Tour at Lenzerheide (SUI); also returning to the Tour after a year’s absence will be Kikkan Randall (Anchorage), who won the Val Mustair sprint in 2013.

Andy Newell (Shaftesbury, VT), the lone skier at Team USA’s inaugural Tour in 2010, is sitting out this year while fellow American, Kris Freeman (Andover, NH), skied to the best-ever U.S. men’s finish in 2011 claiming 7th. Randall scored the first U.S. podium at the Tour in 2012 finishing second in the sprint at Toblach; the next year she earned two stage wins. As mentioned Hamilton won in 2014 and last year, Caldwell won a classic sprint while Diggins took a 5km freestyle victory.

Diggins, who took a World Cup win this season at the 5k freestyle in Lillehammer (NOR), will be looking to improve on her 10th place TdS finish a year ago. Bjornsen, meanwhile, has had a solid and consistent early season across both freestyle and classic races and is poised to improve on her 14th place Tour finish a year ago.

Again this year, NBC Sports will be covering the entire Tour de Ski with live streaming each day at NBCSports.com, plus same-day broadcast coverage every afternoon (USA time) on Universal HD featuring commentary from world champion and Olympic medalist Johnny Spillane. Live scoring data will be available at FIS-Ski.com, including GPS tracking on several events.

2017 U.S. Team Tour de Ski 2017 Roster

MEN
Erik Bjornsen, Winthrop, WA
– Third Tour de Ski start
– Finished 41st in 2016, only full Tour finish

Simi Hamilton, Aspen, CO
– Fifth Tour de Ski start
– Won 2014 Lenzerheide freestyle sprint
– Has not completed full Tour

Noah Hoffman, Aspen, CO
– Fourth Tour de Ski start
– Fastest time in freestyle pursuit from Cortina to Toblach in 2014
– Finished 22nd in 2016
– Has three full Tour finishes

WOMEN
Sadie Bjornsen, Anchorage (Winthrop, WA)
– Third Tour de Ski start
– Finished 14th in 2016 in lone Tour finish
– Strong, consistent early season results this year

Rosie Brennan, Anchorage (Park City, UT)
– Second Tour de Ski start
– Was 42nd in first appearance in 2016

Sophie Caldwell, Putney, VT
– Fourth Tour de Ski start
– Won Oberstdorf classic sprint in 2016
– No full Tour finishes

Jessie Diggins, Afton MN
– Fifth Tour de Ski start
– Finished 10th in 2016 – matching second best U.S. women’s finish ever
– Won Toblach 5k freestyle in 2016
– Three full Tour finishes
– Strong early season including 5k freestyle World Cup win in Lillehammer

Kikkan Randall, Anchorage
– Returning after year’s absence to make fifth Tour de Ski start (skipped 2014 Tour to prepare for Olympics and 2016 while pregnant)
– Won two stages in 2013 including Oberhof prologue and Val Mustair freestyle sprint
– Finished 10th in 2012
– Three full Tour finishes

Liz Stephen, E. Montpelier, VT
– Seventh Tour de Ski start
– Has finished all six Tours she has entered
– Holds top U.S. Tour de Ski finish of fifth (2015) as well as a seventh (2014)
– Second in Alpe Cermis hill climb in 2013, 2014 and 2016
– 5th in Val di Fiemme10k classic mass start in 2016

2017 TOUR DE SKI SCHEDULE
All events to be live streamed on NBCSports.com

Saturday, December 31 – Val Mustair, Switzerland
8:50 a.m. – Men’s and women’s freestyle sprint

Sunday, January 1 – Val Mustair, Switzerland
7:00 a.m. – Men’s 10k classic mass start
10:00 a.m. – Women’s 5k classic mass start

Tuesday, January 3 – Oberstdorf, Germany
6:15 a.m. – Women’s 5k/5k CL/FS skiathlon
9:15 a.m. – Men’s 10k/10k CL/FS skiathlon

Wednesday, January 4 – Oberstdorf, Germany
5:30 a.m. – Women’s 10k freestyle pursuit
6:45 a.m. – Men’s 15k freestyle pursuit

Friday, January 6 – Toblach, Italy
4:45 a.m. – Men’s 10k freestyle
7:00 a.m. – Women’s 5k freestyle

Saturday, January 7 – Val di Fiemme, Italy
8:30 a.m. – Women’s 10k classic mass start
9:30 a.m. – Men’s 15k classic mass start

Sunday, January 8 – Val di Fiemme, Italy
5:30 a.m. – Women’s 9k freestyle pursuit – hill climb
9:30 a.m. – Men’s 9k freestyle pursuit – hill climb