DUBUQUE — Jacob Oyen made a three hour trek to Dubuque for the Eagle Point Criterium on Sunday and finished fifth overall. The race, previously part of the Iowa Cup, had smaller fields than years past despite the great weather.

The race had a small five man break early which cut the field in half. Halfway through the race, a rider from HBA rolled off the front only to be brought back on the final lap. A sprint finish completed the day with Oyen taking fifth in the sprint.

“I always enjoy coming to Eagle Point to race,” Oyen said. “The course is technical and challenging for all riders. It also gives us that first taste of criterium style racing early in the season.”

The Pella Bike Racing team is headed to Iowa City area next weekend for the Iowa City Road Race and the Old Capital Criterium.

TIFFIN — Doug Klahsen took a seventh place category finish in the Kent Park Classic on Saturday. Klahsen led his Iowa Orthopaedic teammates finishing 26th in the overall race standings.

The Kent Park classic is often used to gauge early season fitness and the race lived up to its usual challenging standards. A fast start, and a large pack allowed racers to get a good taste of what is to come for the 2008 racing season.

Steve Reynolds, Jacob Oyen and Lee Current lost the main pack early but finished in strong packs. Reynolds and Oyen were 16th and 17th respectively in the category standings with Current placing 24th.

The team is headed to the Altoona Road Race next weekend, a grueling 54 miler outside of Pleasant Hill.

Members of the Pella Bike Racing team have been training all winter long to get ready for a rigorous 2008 season. Every Thursday night for the past three months, the team has met in Rick Gritter’s shop to do some training together.

The team will be opening the season at the Kent Park Classic, a 24-mile circuit race northwest of Iowa City, on March 30.

The Pella Bike Racing team is proud to announce it’s 2008 roster and sponsors. Based in Pella, Iowa the racing team will compete primarily in road racing events throughout the state of Iowa and the Midwest. Along with a full season of racing, the Pella Bike Racing team will also host the Iowa State Criterium Championships, Aug. 23 in Pella, Iowa. More information can be found on the team’s Web site: www.pellabikeracing.com.

Iowa Orthopaedic is the title sponsor for the Pella Bike Racing team. Digital Solutions Inc. and Iowa Bike and Fitness, are also sponsoring the team’s 2008 campaign. The race team would like to thank all of the sponsors for their support.

Pella Bike Racing’s 2008 roster includes the following racers:
Lee Current
Kyle Fleener
Rick Gritters
Doug Klahsen
Jacob Oyen
Steve Reynolds
Todd Toom
Zach Vander Horst