Events

Muddy day out on route at Stage Two of FNB W2W MTB Ride

· By Press Office · 0 comments

The second stage of the FNB Wines2Whales (W2W) Mountain Bike (MTB) Ride kicked off at the picturesque Oak Valley Wine Estate (Elgin-Grabouw) on Tuesday, 04 November 2014.

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Riders in action during Stage Two of the FNB Wines2Whales MTB Ride on Tuesday, 04 November 2014. // Photo Credit: Cherie Vale / Newsport Media.

Riders had a lot to be thankful for with the rain ceasing minutes before the first batch of riders lined up in the start chutes.

Fondly referred to as the ‘Play Day’, Stage Two saw riders experiencing the best bridges and structures built for the sport of mountain biking including the madly creative Peri-Kromco Play Park.

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Frikkie Hartog of Team Knersus in action on the infamous Pofadder section of the Stage Two route of the FNB Wines2Whales MTB Ride on Tuesday, 04 November 2014. // Photo: Jetline Action Photo.

Frikkie Hartog and Gerard Dirks of Team Knersus secured their second stage victory, completing the 67km route in a lightning fast time of 03 hours 22 minutes 39 seconds. According to Hartog, stage two was great. “We started in the front. With the route being fairly flat in the beginning, we all stuck together with us pulling away at water point two. The Paul Cluver Amphi Bike Park was enjoyable, while the Peri-Kromco Play Park was interesting and great fun. We’ll definitely like to go for our hat-trick win tomorrow, but will have to see what happens”. Fanie Steenkamp and Pierre Andre Knoetze of Team Xtreme Riders came in second, while Harry Orr and Ehlers Smit of Team The Fast Traks finished third.

Tamaryn Kietzmann and Nicholas Porteous of Team Specialized Duo were the mixed team to beat on the day crossing the finish line first in an impressive time of 03 hours 51 minutes 14 seconds. “Nick had to help me a lot today,” laughed Kietzmann. “I learnt a lot about mountain biking. I was a little nervous going into the Paul Cluver Amphi Bike Park, but ended up really enjoying it and definitely want to come back to do it again. Our goal for tomorrow is just to make it to the finish. Hopefully we’ll be first”. Yzette and Petrus Oelofse of Team Boys and Bikes came in second, while Colette Willemse and Edrich Fivaz of Team Vision Trust finished third.

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Lucas De Kock of Team Slowpokes in action at the Peri-Kromco Play Park during Stage Two of the FNB Wines2Whales MTB Ride on Tuesday, 04 November 2014. // Photo: Cherie Vale / Newsport Media.

German competitors Susanne Rathgeb and Nicole Kuttruff of Team Craft Rocky Mountain Girls had a great day out on route. Crossing the finish line in 04 hours 18 minutes 49 seconds they claimed the top spot on the podium in the women’s category. “We experienced technical problems early in the stage thanks to the mud,” said Rathgeb. “The support at water point one was excellent and we were able to sort out our bikes and carry on. The first two stages have been great and very professionally organized. Compared to events in Germany, this is a real mountain biking experience”. Caroline Schuerman and Janet Keet of Team Masikhule came in second, while Nienke Van Schaik and Kasha Dickie of Team Extreme Lights finished third.

Stage Three: Wednesday, 04 November 2014

Start: Oak Valley Wine Estate (Elgin-Grabouw)

Finish: Onrus Caravan Park (just outside Hermanus)

Start Time: 07:00

Distance: 73km

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