It looked as though Johanna Schmidt had this sacked up. Not so fast…

After the last Top Banana Competition update, Yours Truly made the seemingly innocent comment of, “All Johanna has to do now is finish.” That damning, jinxing statement opened up the rain clouds Saturday at Peak2Peak and put Schmidt into serious difficulty. Her trusty Kona was rendered noodle-y after just a few miles of riding in the thick, soupy mud that ruined countless disc brakes and drivetrains this past weekend. She suffered a slew of tough crashes right out of the gate and dropped out, probably wisely, after the first lap.

While Johanna still has a sizable lead, it leaves the door open for the surging Sue Stephens. The Quiring/Einstein rivalry has really found some steam this fall, with Stephens taking on Schmidt at the Burg and Crybaby before squaring off again at P2P. It’s a showdown that got even more interesting when reigning road race State Champion Mackenzie Woodring joined the fray, defending her 2011 crown at Crystal and bringing up Amanda Ryan to give Einstein a trio of tough riders against Quiring’s Stephens/Vicary duo.

Woodring won again, and in style, taking the first win off Stephens in a Banana race this year. Stephens kept her podium form with a hard-fought second place with Vicary grinding through the mud for third. Hagerty’s only Elite entrant was Melissa Ryba, who rocked and rolled her way to an impressive fourth place on a course that suited her powerful style. She’s going to put down a great time at Iceman, and this showing at P2P is a great indicator of what she’s capable of against some of the best in the state. Here’s the haul from P2P:

Woodring has very quietly moved up the overall, while Amanda Ryan’s persistence will pay off. She’s finished every Banana race she’s entered, and it’s resulted in a very high placing. Stephens’ second place means she’s scored big at every race this fall, while Vicary’s penchant for being on or around the podium makes her an efficient points-getter while racing relatively few Banana events.

Here’s the new overall:

Johanna Schmidt at 144 points

Amanda Ryan at 105 points
Amy Stauffer at 77 points
Mackenzie Woodring at 75 points
Susan Vigland at 76 points
Lauri Brockmiller at 66 points
Sue Stephens at 59 points
Zoe Reeves at 42 points
Julie Whalen at 38 points
Erin Vicary at 35 points
Cady Chintis at 36 points
Kathy Everts at 35 points
Sarah Rice at 34 points
Janette Rho at 33 points
Elizabth So at 32 points
Bridgett Widrig at 32 points
Melissa Ryba at 31 points
Alicia Trevino at 31 points
Tiffany Bangma at 29 points
Kristen Rashberg at 28 points
Sarah Demerly at 27 points
Heather Spencer at 20 points
Kat Krikke at 19 points
Patricia Devost at 19 points
Samantha Brode at 19 points
Stephanie Swan at 17 points
Jane Van Hof at 16 points
Lisa Markley at 16 points
Amelia Moore at 16 points
Laura Webb at 16 points
Amanda Schaap at 15 points

Schmidt has it wrapped up, but the rest of the podium isn’t in the bag quite yet. The Iceman Cometh is just a few weeks away and will wrap up the Banana Competition for the year. It’s going to be a pretty darn good time.