A big win for Wakeley puts him into the Top Banana lead, but only just.
Mud, Sweat and Beers was a big opportunity for the mountain bikers, and for those who don’t race on the road, it was extra important to take as many points as possible ahead of the slew of road races coming up in June.
Full points and an all-star cast made the men’s race a bit of a spectacular. It brings in a solid field, one of the closest to Peak2Peak and Iceman levels on the calendar, and is a big one for local teams as they try to keep sponsors happy heading into summer.
Wakeley’s win moved him way up the standings and into the lead. Last registering points at Barry-Roubaix, he’s also got a few from St. Fatty’s Day as well, proving once again that race everything pays off. Alex Vanias was the other big mover, jumping up into second place after great showings throughout the spring and with a seventh place Saturday. If he’s still in the hunt come November, and there’s every reason to think he will be, the missed turn that cost him second place is going to be a lingering ghost.
Matt Acker is also a rider that’s scored points all over, including some valuable ones at Queen’s Day last weekend. His rocket to third place means he has a great chance to stay in the top ten by the end of the year, as he is expected to start in the road races and a number of mountain bike races as well. John Cowan, moves up to seventh place while former series leader, Mike Anderson, is fourth ahead of teammate Derek Graham and Matt Light.
The next Top Banana Competition stop is Conquer the Village on May 25. The first edition of the race joins the Competition as a C race, with 5 points -1 to the top five. With nine riders all within ten points, a handful here or there could make the difference by the end of the season.
Here’s the full standings after Mud, Sweat and Beers:
Jorden Wakeley 27
Alex Vanias 26
Matt Acker 25
Mike Anderson 24
Derek Graham 21
Matt Light 19
John Cowan 19
Scott Quiring 19
Jordan Diekema 17
Ryan Kennedy 16
Nathan Williams 16
Justin Lindine 15
Ron Sanborn 13
Chris Kushman 12
Robert Foshag 12
Chad Wells 11
Steve Broglio 10
Ron Catlin 10
Mitchell DeYoung 9
Hogan Sills 9
Brent Krmotich 8
Dustin Morici 7
Dan Korienek 6
Tom Linck 5
Matt Silvia 5
Mike Simonson 3
Craig Gietzen 5
Derek Graham 4
Ryan Cross 3
Shawn Davison 3
Nate Versluis 3
Jason Lowetz 3
Adam York 2
Mickey Humpula 2
Dan Lam 2
Thomas Beebe 2
Ryan Kennedy 2
Cory Stange 1
Mike Jones 1
Greg Kuhn 1
Andy Holly 1
Cody Sovis 1