It was all smiles on Saturday, 28 October 2017 as riders toed the line at Oak Valley Wine Estate (Elgin-Grabouw) to take on Stage Two aka \u201cPlay Day\u201d of the FNB Wines2Whales (W2W) Mountain Bike (MTB) Adventure.<\/p>\n
The only stage to start and finish at the same venue, Stage Two pitted ridders against a fun 71km route that featured a 1350m ascent.\u00a0 Iconic sections on route included:\u00a0 single tracks and bridges with names such as Waterfall, Vissie\u2019s Magic, JK\u2019s Edge, Sounds of Silence, Rietvlei, Witklippies 1 & 2, Raka, Swing, Ark, Cobra, Mamba, Boomslang, Pofadder, Jakkels, River Run and the much loved PERI-KROMCO Playpark to mention just a few.<\/p>\n
Waldo Zevenster and Carl Toua of Team Dream Real Digital claimed their first stage victory in a time of 03 hours 16 minutes 01 second.\u00a0 \u201cToday\u2019s stage suited us, except for the single tracks.\u00a0 Fritz Pienaar and Francois Theron (Team Sukkel Sukkel) are just too fast on the single track,\u201d says Zevenster.\u00a0 \u201cWe pushed on the climbs though.\u00a0 The route was fun and the single track was nice to ride.\u00a0 Carl\u2019s a champion.\u00a0 He carved the lines and I just followed.\u00a0 We\u2019re here to have a jol, but it\u2019s always fun to race.\u00a0 We\u2019ll try to make up time on Stage Three.\u201d\u00a0 Fritz Pienaar and Francois Theron of Team Sukkel Sukkel came in second, while Vernon Visser and Tim Ellerbeck of Team Stoney\u2019s finished third.<\/p>\n
Team Rotsvas\u2019 Anton and Adrienne Moolman claimed their second stage victory for the weekend crossing the finish line in 03 hours 29 minutes 50 seconds.\u00a0 \u201cThere was no wind today.\u00a0 The trails were smooth and flowing.\u00a0 It was a fun day,\u201d says Adrienne.\u00a0 \u201cWell done to the route builders.\u00a0 You can see that a lot of effort has gone into these routes.\u00a0 The word \u201cexhilarating\u201d sums this stage up best.\u201d\u00a0 Theresa Ralph and Hamish Knowles of Team Galileo Risk came in second, while Jane Seggie and David Stonestreet of Team Rule No 5 B finished third.<\/p>\n
Janine Muller and Mari du Toit of Team Oakley Group Girls beat mother and daughter duo Lolita Van Aardt and Simone Rhoda Van Aardt to the finish line in 03 hours 55 minutes 24 seconds.\u00a0 \u201cThere was a nice tussle between us and the second team,\u201d says Muller.\u00a0 \u201cWe gave our all and had a great day out.\u00a0 W2W was our first stage race about four years ago.\u00a0 It\u2019s nice to be back to experience these trails.\u201d\u00a0 Lolita Van Aardt and Simone Rhoda Van Aardt of Team Like Mother Like Daughter came in second, while Erica Green and Reinette Geldenhuis of Team Wines2Whales finished third.<\/p>\n
EVENT INFORMATION<\/u><\/strong>:\u00a0 <\/strong>FNB Wines2Whales MTB Adventure<\/strong><\/p>\n Stage Three<\/u><\/strong>:\u00a0 <\/strong>Sunday, 29 October 2017<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Start Venue:\u00a0 <\/strong>Oak Valley Wine Estate (Elgin-Grabouw)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n Finish Venue:\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong>Onrus Caravan Park<\/p>\n Distance:<\/strong> 71km<\/p>\n Ascent:<\/strong> 1200m<\/p>\n Start Time:<\/strong>\u00a0 07:00<\/p>\n EXCITING PRIZE<\/u>:\u00a0<\/strong> This year one lucky rider (per event) will take home a magnificent 2018 Specialized Epic Comp Carbon mountain bike to the value of R59\u00a0000.<\/p>\n Facebook:\u00a0<\/strong> Wines2Whales<\/a><\/p>\n Twitter:\u00a0<\/strong> @w2wmtb<\/p>\n For more information on the FNB Wines2Whales MTB events contact Chris on 083 760 3158, e-mail race@wines2whales.co.za<\/a>, adventure@wines2whales.co.za<\/a> or ride@wines2whales.co.za<\/a> or visit www.wines2whales.co.za<\/a>\u00a0 ABOUT FNB WINES2WHALES Recently acquired by Cape Epic (PTY) Ltd, FNB Wines2Whales is a three-day mountain bike stage race held in the Western Cape, South Africa. Founded in 2009, the annual event hosts four thousand riders competing in two-person teams over 70-80km per day. The race format consists of three consecutive, separate, but identical events over ten days (named \u2018Adventure\u2019, \u2018Ride\u2019 and \u2018Race\u2019) \u2013 allowing riders to choose the appropriate option that suits their level of competitiveness. With entries selling out each year, FNB Wines2Whales is regarded as South Africa\u2019s premier three-day mountain bike stage race. ABOUT CAPE EPIC (PTY) Ltd and ABSA CAPE EPIC<\/strong><\/p>\n The\u00a0Absa Cape Epic\u00ae<\/sup>\u00a0is the world\u2019s premier mountain bike stage race. The route changes every year, leading aspiring amateur and professional mountain bikers from around the world through roughly 650km of unspoilt scenery and 15,000m of accumulated climbing, over some of the most magnificent mountain passes in Western Cape in South Africa. \u00a0The Absa Cape Epic is the most televised mountain bike stage race in the world and the only eight-day mountain bike stage race classed as hors cat\u00e9gorie by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). This official UCI status makes it a highlight on the professional racer’s calendar. The Absa Cape Epic also attracts aspiring amateur riders wanting to test themselves against the best. It is a full-service race, meaning that everything is taken care of from the start – all riders need to think about is riding.<\/p>\n In 2017, Cape Epic was acquired by the IRONMAN group, part of Wanda Sports, to anchor a global portfolio of off-road events and\u00a0to spearhead the development and expansion of a worldwide series of premium mountain-bike races.<\/p>\n For more information on the FNB Wines2Whales\u00ae<\/sup>, visit www.wines2whales.co.za<\/a><\/p>\n For more information on the Absa Cape Epic\u00ae<\/sup>, visit www.cape-epic.com<\/a><\/p>\n For more information on the IRONMAN brand and global event series, visit www.ironman.com<\/a><\/p>\n ISSUED BY:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Newsport Media<\/a><\/p>\n
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