Team Investec-Songo:<\/strong> It\u2019s been three years since Christoph Sauser and Konny Looser claimed gold at the FNB W2W MTB Race (2014). Undoubtedly both riders will be hoping for a repeat performance in 2017.<\/p>\n\u201cThe characteristic route, racing action, vibe and of course raising funds for songo.info are what attract me to W2W,\u201d says Sauser. \u201cI enjoy all three stages because they are very different from each other. That\u2019s why I love the entire route package. Konny and I make a well balanced team and we both like to win.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to Looser, W2W is his favourite SA event. \u201cIt has a nice format and super nice routes. I enjoy the second stage. It\u2019s fast and features a lot of single track. Our team strategy will be less thinking and more dirt. I\u2019d really like to win my third W2W Race. \u201d<\/p>\n
Team NAD Pro MTB:<\/strong> \u201cW2W is a great race with awesome trails,\u201d says Combrinck. \u201cI enjoy the third stage the most. I\u2019ve always had a good race on the last day. Our goal is to win.\u201d<\/p>\nNico Bell echoes his team mates sentiments, \u201cI enjoy Stage Three the most. We\u2019re going to the sea. Our team strategy will be to hang tight, wait for opportunities and then go flat out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Team PYGA Euro Steel 1:<\/strong> \u201cW2W is a nice event to end the season off with,\u201d says Beukes. \u201cThe trails are good and the vibe is chilled. I must admit, the good prize purse is also a draw card.\u201d<\/p>\n\u201cMy favorite trails are featured during Stage Two,\u201d says Buys. \u201cOur team strength is our technical abilities and mental strength. We\u2019ll ride offensively, while keeping it smooth and fast. We\u2019d love to end off the season with a final victory.\u201d<\/p>\n
Team BCX:<\/strong> \u201cI enjoy the awesome trails and great event hospitality,\u201d says Woolcock. \u201cStage Two is my favorite stage because it has the most single track. Our team strength will be consistency, while keeping it positive will be our strategy.\u201d<\/p>\n\u201cI enjoy Stage One the most,\u201d says Kruger. \u201cThis stage is unpredictable and the portage gives it a very different dynamic. I am looking forward to mingling with mates after a tough day in the saddle. Our goal is to finish on the top step of the podium after three days of racing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Team Spur\/RED-E:<\/strong> \u201cI\u2019ve heard that W2W has incredible single track and awesome racing,\u201d says Hatherly. \u201cI had serious FOMO last year following the race on Twitter. Looking at the route profiles, I think that Stage One would probably be the most fun. Our goal is to be on the overall GC podium.\u201d<\/p>\n\u201cW2W was the first big stage race that I did when I first started mountain biking,\u201d says Beers. \u201cStage Two is awesome. It\u2019s really technical and fast. It should suit us nicely. There\u2019s going to be quite a few strong teams this year. I suspect our toughest competition will come from Team PYGA Euro Steel 1 and Team Investec-Songo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Team PYGA Euro Steel 2:<\/strong> \u201cJullien and I would like to finish in the top field,\u201d says Sebona. \u201cMost of the top names will be on the start line. Our strategy will be to work together. Racing won\u2019t be easy, but we are looking forward to it.\u201d<\/p>\nTeam Ascendis Health:<\/strong> \u201cSabine and I make a great team,\u201d says de Groot. \u201cWe race well together. As professional athletes we will obviously focus on stage wins, with the overall victory a major objective. I am really looking forward to sharing this awesome race with Sabine who will be racing it for the first time.\u201d<\/p>\n\u201cI\u2019ve heard a lot of good things about W2W,\u201d says Spitz. \u201cI\u2019ve been told that there is a lot of cool single track and that the routes are really scenic. I\u2019ve also heard about suspension bridges. I\u2019m looking forward to being showered with champagne and swimming with the whales.\u201d<\/p>\n
Team Spur:<\/strong> According to L\u00fcthi, W2W is one of SA\u2019s greatest stage races. \u201cThe route and the organisation of the event are absolutely top class. Of course the Spur burger that’s waiting for us at the end of each stage is a huge drawcard. Stage Two is a lot of fun. The hills and overall stage are just short enough to keep the suffer level at bay so that one can truly enjoy all the fantastic single tracks which Oak Valley is known for.\u201d<\/p>\n\u201cStage One is my favorite stage because it starts with a climb,\u201d says Moolman Pasio. \u201cClimbing is definitely my biggest strength on the mountain bike. It also helps if I can get a head start into the single track. Being a roadie I’m not particularly fast in the single track. This will be the first time that I race in the Elite Women\u2019s Category at W2W. I\u2019m looking forward to the challenge and know that I will be in good hands with Ariane as my partner and Team Spur as my support crew.\u201d<\/p>\n
Team Dormakaba:<\/strong> \u201cIt\u2019s the wine and great time had with friends that attract me to W2W,\u201d says Adrian. \u201cAll three stages are equally great. You get to enjoy the trails without traffic and indulge in yummy Food Lovers Market treats at the water points. Our goal will be to have the best last race together no matter the outcome.\u201d<\/p>\nTeam Squirt:<\/strong> Cherise Willeit has completed four W2W\u2019s events. \u201cThe scenery is definitely a big highlight,\u201d says Willeit. \u201cI love the atmosphere of W2W and how it brings all types of cyclists together. It’s an event where you get to mingle with everyone. The food has always been absolutely superb. Vicky and I will ride to have fun and make memories. My advice to MTB newcomers is to take it easy. It’s important to pace correctly and to leave something in the tank for the last stage.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Excitement builds as an elite field of mountain bikers (local and from abroad) prepare to take on the 9th annual FNB Wines2Whales (W2W) Mountain Bike (MTB) Race that will start at Lourensford Wine Estate (Somerset West) on Friday, 03 November 2017. Top teams to look for will include: Swiss contenders Christoph Sauser with Konny Looser […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":33350,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[404,15],"featured_location":[],"class_list":["post-16326","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events","tag-w2w","tag-wines2whales"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16326","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16326"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16326\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33350"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16326"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16326"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16326"},{"taxonomy":"featured_location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/featured_location?post=16326"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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