{"id":70309,"date":"2024-11-01T19:22:56","date_gmt":"2024-11-01T17:22:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/?p=70309"},"modified":"2024-11-02T15:41:02","modified_gmt":"2024-11-02T13:41:02","slug":"lill-and-jacobs-scale-gantouw-to-seize-the-fnb-w2w-chardonnay-lead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/lill-and-jacobs-scale-gantouw-to-seize-the-fnb-w2w-chardonnay-lead\/","title":{"rendered":"Lill and Jacobs Scale Gantouw to Seize the FNB W2W Chardonnay Lead"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The opening day of the 2024 FNB Wines2Whales series got underway in perfect conditions on Friday, 1 November. SeattleCoffeeCo eFORT ALMAR\u2019s Candice Lill and Tyler Jacobs picked up where they left off in 2023 winning their fourth stage win in a row, though the most recent comes 12 months after the last. They were joined on the Stage 1 podium by the Efficient Infiniti and e-FORT 2 teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Riders in action during Stage 1 of the 2024 FNB Wines2Whlaes Chardonnay Race, from Lourensford to Oak Valley on Friday, 1 November. Photo by Max Sullivan \/ Wines2Whales.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Stage 1 of FNB Wines2Whales Chardonnay kicked off the celebration of mountain biking and gees for the next ten days in fine fashion. Candice Lill and Tyler Jacobs were the opening day\u2019s big winners as they started their title defence with a commanding stage victory. The SeattleCoffeeCo eFORT ALMAR team excelled on the new singletracks and scaled the Gantouw Pass at an impressive pace to seize the early initiative. Vera Looser and Sarah Hill were their nearest competitors, with Elrika Harmzen-Pretorius and Felicitas Geiger completing the first podium of the race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Riders in action during Stage 1 of the 2024 FNB Wines2Whlaes Chardonnay Race, from Lourensford to Oak Valley on Friday, 1 November. Photo by Max Sullivan \/ Wines2Whales.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The 66 kilometre stage, from Lourensford to Oak Valley, took in 1 350 meters of climbing and some of the best trails ever ridden in FNB W2W. \u201cThere\u2019s some great new singletracks in FNB Wines2Whales this year,\u201d Hill enthused. \u201cI loved being entertained by it all. I said to Vera [Looser] during the stage, they keep adding more, and more, incredible trails in Lourensford.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though the Lourensford trails were just the start for the 2024 teams. From the first farm they crossed into Vergelegen, skirting the nature reserve, through Idom Wines and to the foot of the Gantouw Pass portage. After running their bikes up the mountain, the singletracks recommenced with the A to Z and Willie\u2019s Trails, en route to the Elgin Grabouw Country Club. A final climb, to the Waterfall Trail, took the teams into Oak Valley and the downhill bound to the race village.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lill and Jacobs started like women on a mission and climbed into an early lead on the first 9 kilometre ascent to The Neck. \u201cI started a bit fast,\u201d Jacobs reflected. \u201cTomorrow, I\u2019ll definitely take it a bit easier.\u201d Though that fast start also kept the favourites out of trouble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Riders in action during Stage 1 of the 2024 FNB Wines2Whales Chardonnay Race; from Lourensford to Oak Valley on Friday, 1 November. Photo by Sam Clark \/ Wines2Whales.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Behind them the e-FORT team of Margot Moschetti and Costanza Fasolis were best able to follow, while Looser and Hill measured their efforts on the climb a bit more steadily. Having started slower Bianca Haw and Tiffany Keep had worked their way into touch with the Efficient Infiniti Racing team. As they were making contact Keep punctured.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCrossing a singletrack bridge, I hit a massive nail which went straight through my sidewall,\u201d Keep recounted. \u201cI had a bunch of big plugs and a put about 3 of them in and then about 4 or 5 small plugs around the big ones,\u201d Haw laughed. \u201cAmazingly it held, but we had lost so much time. We nursed it to the first water point where the neutral service technicians put a new tyre on Tiff [Keep\u2019s] rear wheel. They were pretty quick but it still took about 20 minutes and while we waited, we ate banana bread and chilled.\u201d \u201cThe rest of the stage was a mad case,\u201d Keep concluded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SeattleCoffeeCo eFORT ALMAR\u2019s progress through the course was serene. At the top of Gantouw Pass their lead was over 3 minutes, which Lill and Jacobs proceeded to double in the second half of the stage. Having moved into second on the trail, earlier in the route, the portage allowed Looser and Hill to gain more time on the e-FORT teams, as Harmzen-Pretorius and Geiger caught and then dropped Moschetti and Fasolis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Riders in action during Stage 1 of the 2024 FNB Wines2Whales Chardonnay Race; from Lourensford to Oak Valley on Friday, 1 November. Photo by Sam Clark \/ Wines2Whales.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The French Marathon Champion was feeling the effects of a long season and the portage was the point at which her day started to go backwards. Fortunately, she and her Italian teammate only lost a place, on the trails, to their stablemates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the finish line Lill and Jacobs had established a 6 minute and 58 second advantage over Looser and Hill. Harmzen-Pretorius and Geiger were third, at 15:52. Moschetti and Fasolis were 3 minutes and 26 seconds further adrift, with Fortress Real Estate Investments\u2019s Ila Stow and Katie Lennard rounding out the top 5. Keep and Haw\u2019s puncture ended up costing them 43 minutes on the day, but perhaps the fact that they lost out, to Janice Venter and Hayley Smith, in the sprint for eighth will sting more upon reflection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Saturday\u2019s Stage 2<\/a> is a day which should suit the punchy singletrack specialists. Worryingly for the rest of the women\u2019s field the 66 kilometre course, which starts and finishes at Oak Valley, will probably suit Lill and Jacobs best. The cross-country campaigners will love the trails, but so will Efficient Infiniti Racing, the e-FORT teams, Fortress Real Estate Investments and the Sanic2C combination. The lack of long climbs could also reduce the leaders\u2019 clear form advantage and level the playing field for Play Day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Riders in action during Stage 1 of the 2024 FNB Wines2Whales Chardonnay Race; from Lourensford to Oak Valley on Friday, 1 November. Photo by Sam Clark \/ Wines2Whales.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

To follow the action, as it unfolds, watch the race coverage on social media. Regular updates will be posted to the @wines_2_whales Instagram and Wines2Whales Facebook stories. Post-stage highlight videos will be uploaded to the Epic Series YouTube channel. For more information visit www.epic-series.com\/wines2whales or download the Epics Series mobile application.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n