De Villiers and Stenerhage Clean Sweep FNB W2W

Yolande de Villiers and Jennie Stenerhage of Team Isuzu 1 claimed their hat-trick stage win and overall event win in the women’s team category of the coveted title of 2013 FNB Wines2Whales Mountain Bike Race champions on Sunday, 10 November, 2013.

“It feels awesome winning all three stages of the FNB W2W MTB Race,” said a delighted de Villiers. The pair completed all three stages in a combined time of 10 hours, 32 minutes and 24 seconds.

“We felt no pressure with regard to racing today, but you never know what will happen to your bicycle on the day. It’s so nice to end the year on a high. It really is good for one’s self confidence”.

“Today was fantastic! They should make a compulsory stop for us to check out the view,” said de Villiers.

Ashleigh Moffatt and Candice Neethling of Team BMC Velolife came in second, while Hanlie Booyens and Sharon Laws of Team Food Lover’s Market 5 placed third.

Yolande Speedy and Paul Cordes of Team asg MTB Academy claimed their hat-trick stage victory and overall event victory in the mixed team category, completing their three stages in a combined time of 10 hours, 22 minutes and 23 seconds.

“We had a good day,” said Speedy. “Starting at the back of the group we had to work our way through the field. I preferred today’s route, the elevation and climbing. I was blown away by this event in 2012, when Hanlie Booyens and I won the women’s team category.

“As defending champions, we were given complementary entries into this year’s event. This is a fantastic initiative and we really appreciate it. I’ll definitely be back next year,” said Speedy.

Tandi Kitching and Niel Du Pisani of Team BroSis came in second, while Sunet Geldenhuys and Vaughn Roux of Team The Surgical Institute placed third.

The FNB W2W MTB Race started at Lourensford Wine Estate (Somerset West) on Friday, 8 November, and the mountain bike community was out in full force with 1300 riders toeing the line to partake in this much-anticipated mountain biking event.

Teams of two riders (male/female/mixed) had three days to cross through (and over) 13 wineries, 26 private farms, six mountains, historic roads and mountain passes, nature conservation areas (including the Kogelberg Biosphere), before finishing within sight of the famous whales of Hermanus!

The Official Food Supplier of the FNB W2W MTB events, Food Lover’s Market is known for placing great emphasis on value, quality and an exceptional retail experience. At the FNB W2W MTB events Food Lover’s Market met all the essential food requirements of the riders over the three day period both on route and in the race village.

“Our first sponsorship of the FNB Wines2Whales Mountain Bike Events has been extremely remarkable. This race is already a key event in the national sporting calendar and we believe that it will continue to grow in popularity to be one of the most anticipated mountain biking events globally,” said Stephan Claassen, FNB Provincial Head, Western Cape.

“In addition to the spirited performances shown by all the riders over the ten days, this year’s race wouldn’t have been complete without the unpredictable nature of the famous Western Cape weather which gave participants a feel of all seasons in just ten days.

“Congratulations to all the cyclists who took part in the race and we would like to extend a special compliment to all the winners who managed to beat the odds to claim top honours,” adds Claassen.

(With editing by gsport)