Conquer the Village is in the books, and the Top Banana Competition is hotting up for a tough five straight weeks of events.
The first leg opens up calmly with a C race. Conquer the Village was the best first-year event Yours Truly has ever attended. The course was essentially a mini-World Cup circuit, replete with a long, burning climb and pockets of tough technical sections dotted throughout. Even the start/finish loop was paved and fast, almost identical to Sunday’s Nove Mesto World Cup in Czech Republic.
Out of a small Women’s Pro field, Lauri Brockmiller is continuing to put in solid performances and CtV was the perfect prep for the harder, bigger battles to come. With two of the next three races decided by hilltop finishes at West Branch and Cherry-Roubaix, Brockmiller’s impressive climbing performance will be a strong indication of her form heading into June. She took the full five points, with Hagerty smartly putting Rachel Decker into the Pro race. Decker battled all day with Einstein Racing’s Chelsea Strate, who currently sits second place in the Top Banana standings after a stellar winter and spring. Decker took away one extra point, with Strate having to settle for third place and three points.
The next race is just a few days off at West Branch. The road race will be scored as an A race with 20 points, -1 to the top ten. It’s a big chance for Brockmiller to pull down big points with Chelsea Strate skipping in order to prepare for her road debut at the Cherry-Roubaix June 14.
Here are the current standings after Conquer the Village:
Lauri Brockmiller 45
Chelsea Strate 31
Melissa Ryba 22
Bridgit Widrig 19
Kati Krikke 16
Erin Disterheft 15
Mackenzie Woordring 15
Amanda Schaap 14
Kim Chapman 14
Samantha Brode 13
Janet Edwards 12
Wendy Zamzow 10
Stephanie Swan 10
Victoria Steen 9
Michael Mihelich 8
Elizabeth Hiser 8
Katie Mann 7
Molly Wolf 7
Jane Van Hof 7
Sarah Fredrickson 6
Janelle Cole 5
Melissa Colflesh 5
Kristen Arnold 5
Sarah Demerly 4
Mindy Fernando 4
Merry Van Der Lind 3
Gabriella Sterne 3
Maddi Miller 3
Rachel Decker 3
Alicia Trevino 2
Angie O’Brien 2
Kathy Roche-Wallace 2
Christina Peek 2
Joann Cranson 1
Gail Ranville 1
Elizabeth So 1
Michelle Ryan 1