The Contego Wines2Whales MTB Race powered by
Maserati celebrates its fourth anniversary in 2012. Teams of two riders
will cover 70 to 80km a day while crossing through (and over) 13 wineries, 26
private farms, six mountains, many historic roads and mountain passes, and nature
conservation areas (including the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve), before
finishing within sight of the famous whales of Hermanus.
In 2011, Dominic
Calitz and Matthys
Beukes rode off with the title of men’s champions. For Dominic, who
will team up with Craig Boyes at the 2012 Contego W2W Race, the most
enjoyable part of the Race was the single-track. “Stage one and two had the
best single track that I’ve ever experienced. I still hear riders talking about
the great trails. Also, the vibe in the race village was in true
mountain biking spirit!”
The women’s race was won by Ischen Stopforth and Catherine Williamson. According
to Ischen, “The single track was really good, ride-able but still
technical enough to make it fun and challenging. The scenery was beautiful and
there was quite a bit of tough climbing to do. The vibe at the race village finish
was also really great. My advice to newcomers would be to ride within yourself,
enjoy the area we are riding in as well as the single track. Have fun and don’t
be overly competitive if you’re not racing for the podium.”
Yolande De Villiers and Johan Labuschagne will be aiming for their third
consecutive mixed team title in 2012. “With all its flowing single track, the
route is a winner,” says Yolande. “Wines2Whales is usually our last race of the
season, so we enjoy every second of it and do try to take it easy. The
atmosphere at the race village is relaxed and the organisers clearly go to
great lengths to ensure a race that is as enjoyable as possible for all riders.
It truly is a wonderful privilege to be able to mountain bike in such
magnificent areas.”
The slightly
more relaxed Contego Wines2Whales MTB
Adventure powered by Maserati celebrates its second anniversary this year,
and Amoryn Saayman and Adele Ambrose were the first
women’s champions. Amoryn says the event
was the best back-to-back mountain biking that they’ve ever done. “It reminded
us why we started mountain biking. The route meandered through some of the most
rugged and scenic regions of the Western Cape. It was like a playground out
there with lots of fast and flowing single track, nice open Jeep track and some
lung busting climbs… all very rewarding.”
Ronel van Wyk
and Ben Cronje took gold in the mixed team category in 2011, with Ronel a late
replacement for Ben’s partner, who had to withdraw due to work commitments. “I
was very lucky to be asked by Oom Ben to take his partner’s place – I have
always wanted to race Wines2Whales. That is why my fianc? and I have decided to
take part in the Race this year. We are really looking forward to it,” says
Ronel.
In the men’s
category, Eben Espach and Bruce Poole were the victors. “We were fit and wanted
to be competitive,” says Eben. “The route was great. The best way to cope with
a three-day mountain bike race is to do the kilometres beforehand and make sure
that your bike is mechanically sound. To ensure that you get the most out of
the three days remember to relax and enjoy the scenery.”
EVENT INFO
Friday 2 – Sunday 4
November: Contego Wines2whales MTB Adventure
Friday 9 – Sunday 11
November: Contego Wines2whales MTB Race
STAGE ONE: Start @ Lourensford Wine Estate, Somerset West, Finish @ Oak Valley
Sport Field, Elgin
STAGE TWO: Start & Finish @ Oak Valley Sport Field
STAGE THREE: Start @ Oak Valley Sport Field, Finish @ Onrus Caravan Park, just
outside Hermanus
More info: 076 118 0874 / entries@wines2whales.co.za / www.wines2whales.co.za
Follow us: Facebook: Contego Wines2Whales or Twitter: @w2wmtb
WIN
Fruit
& Veg City, in association with Contego Wines2Whales, is giving 10 lucky Modern Athlete readers a Food Lover’s
Market voucher worth R150 each.
As
SA’s leading fresh produce retailer, with around
120 Fruit and Veg City and Food Lover’s Market stores nationally, Fruit
& Veg City is a proud sponsor of the Contego Wines2Whales MTB Adventure and
Race powered by Maserati. Food Lover’s Market will be the official food
supplier for the hungry Wines2Whales participants. Food
Lover’s Market places great emphasis on value, quality and an exceptional
retail experience.
To enter, simply SMS
your name followed by the name Fruit & Veg City to 33110.
Each SMS is charged at R1.50.
Competition open from 27 September to 30 October 2012. The Publisher’s decision
is final and no correspondence will be entered into.