February 2, 2006 – The Noquemanon, a FIS and American Ski Marathon Series point race, is one of the most popular races on the circuit because of its majestically scenic point-to-point course and the extensive menu of events offered – 51K classic and freestyle as well as 25K classic and freestyle. The Noquemanon trail’s fantastic views offer welcome distraction from its deceptively tough nature. With every terrain change imaginable – it is virtually a Nordic racer’s amusement park – characterized by rolling hills, exposed flat lake crossings, feisty climbs and seemingly never-ending ripping descents.

In the women’s 51K Team Rossignol’s Kim Rudd dominating skiing left her alone to battle herself and the clock. She hammered along the challenging terrain, exhibiting her strong form and building on her season’s winning momentum to crush the women’s field and capture the crown in 3:07:57. Team Rossignol’s Vicki Asmus and Rossignol skier Kelly Skillicorn combined forces in an attempt to track down Rudd, but to no avail, they skied in for second and third respectively at 3:10:06 and 3:10:34
In the men’s 51K Classic Chad Giese came in first at 2:22:07, followed a few minutes later by Eric Meyer at 2:24:48 and close behind Andre Watt at 2:24:54. Team Rossi racers stacked the top ten deck with Alex Churikov parlaying his fine fitness and form from past weeks of strong SuperTour finishes to take fifth at 2:27:39. Team Rossi’s Owen Hanley crossed the line on Churikov’s heels to take a solid sixth at 2:28:05. Team Rossignol’s resident Doc, Adam Swank snuck in for a tremendous top 10 finish at 2:38:18.

In the men’s 51K skate race, the big Swede and Team Rossignol skier Vilhelm Hampusson skied to strong second place in 2:12:44 behind local favorite Matt Weier (2:11:17). Team Rossignol’s sprint star and 100m world record holder, Kevin Hoctl just missed the podium, getting edged out by endurance athlete Dusty Olson by 5 seconds (2:19:08 and 2:19:13). In the women’s skate race, Team Rossignol skier Lori Wesolek skied a strong race and finished in fourth followed by Rossignol skier Jamie Misner in 9th.