The Women’s Top Banana Competition is starting to open up, and after Boyne, any women with a hope of winning will have to set their sights on the Cherry-Roubaix next month. 

Amy Stauffer’s Mount Pleasant glory was enough to keep her in with a shout, but only the Einstein contingent showed up in force at the Boyne Marathon. With her eye firmly on Top Banana points, Johanna Schmidt enlisted teammate Amanda Ryan to head north and pocket as many points as possible.

They didn’t get top points, however, as Heather Spencer went on an absolute rampage over the Cliffdweller Climb and took the win. The full haul of points puts Spencer into the running for a top ten finish by the end of the year, and it will be interesting to see if she targets anymore Banana races heading into the fall. Patricia Devost took second place in the grueling race and snagged a happy 19 points. The Einstein Cycling duo of Schmidt and Ryan came in third and fourth, respectively, ahead of Lisa Markely in fourth. Those high points were well earned on a demanding 34.7 mile course that shoved riders up over 4,400 feet in total.

Here’s the points haul at the Boyne Marathon:

1 20 HEATHER SPENCER 95 Team Fast 3:44:50
2 19 PATRICIA DEVOST 91 3:48:31
3 18 JOHANNA SCHMIDT 93 4:05:16
4 17 AMANDA RYAN 90 4:11:33
5 16 LISA MARKLEY 92 Roll Models Bike Shop 4:41:52
6  15 CHRISTINE ROSENDER 94 5:19:07

Like a shorter, more American version of Thomas Voeckler, Johanna Schmidt pulled faces and points enough to increase her lead, and coaxed another teammate to ride Top Banana events, giving Einstein an impressive presence in the overall Top Ten. With August 12th’s State Championship Road Race taking place at the Cherry-Roubaix, the roadies will have one final chance to gather points before the fall. As announced earlier this week, both the Men’s and Women’s road races will be worth double points. Stauffer will be ready to make a run at the lead on a tough course suited for a strong climber, but a rider capable of surviving two long, windy straight sections with low undulations. Schmidt will need all the help she can get if she’s hoping to hold of not only Stauffer, but Hagery Cycling’s Lauri Brockmiller, Susan Vigland and Bridgit Widrig. The Hagerty squad is heading into the Roubaix weekend with high ambitions and a bit of a deadline. For both Einstein and Hagerty, it’s the last year the Cherry-Roubaix will host the state championship on home turf, which also means on ridiculously hilly terrain. The climbing specialists have been taking special care to keep their legs ready for what might be their last chance at a state championship.

Johanna Schmidt at 68 points
Amanda Ryan at 47 points
Amy Stauffer at 40 points
Julie Whalen at 38 points
Susan Vigland at 38 points
Kathy Everts at 35 points
Bridgett Widrig at 32 points
Heather Spencer at 20 points
Patricia Devost at 19 points
Samantha Brode at 19 points
Stephanie Swan at 17 points
Lisa Markley at 16 points

Amelia Moore at 16 points
Laura Webb at 16 points
Christine Rosender at 15 points
Mackenzie Woodring at 15 points
Kim Chapman at 15 points
Rachel Decker at 15 points
Alicia Trevino at 15 points
Lauri Brockmiller at 14 points
Wendy Zamzow at 14 points
Ali Bridson at 14 points
Kristen Jukowski at 14 points
Zoe Reeves at 13 points
Chelsea Clark at 13 points
Sarah Demerly at 12 points
Julie Marceau at 12 points
Molly Wolf at 12 points
Marilyn Kamp at 12 points
Melissa Ryba at 11 points
Jill Meredith at 11 points
Bridget Donovan at 11
Kim Thomas at 10 points