Lill and Jacobs Headline a Classy Chardonnay Field at FNB W2W

“Over and above it being one of the premier events in South Africa, FNB Wines2Whales is the only one to shine an exclusive spotlight on the women’s racing, with our own event and coverage,” the experienced racer praised. “This is a unique opportunity to emphasise the level of professionalism and how exciting women’s racing has become in SA. Hopefully, this will attract more sponsors to invest in women’s racing. Both Efficient Insure and Infiniti Insurance are fully invested in a women’s only MTB team, and doing well at FNB W2W is an ideal platform to illustrate the potential for growth in the sport at a high level.” 

Sanders’ teammate, Looser, knows that while their racing results are important to showcase their sponsors, their best chance of beating the favourites will come from teamwork and having fun while racing fast. “I’m super excited for my last race this year,” Looser noted. “The route is fun to race, with stages which are not too long, lots of great trails, and the best vibe. Beating Candice [Lill] and Tyler [Jacobs] will always be a difficult task. They are both world-class mountain bikers. We will see what is possible with a fresh mindset and a good team around us…” 

Looser and Sanders will have Sarah Hill and Robyn de Groot as a second string in the Efficient Infiniti Insure bow. The former raced to second alongside the African Marathon Champion in 2024, and the latter is a four-time FNB Wines2Whales winner. The women’s mega team will also be represented by Steph Wohlters during the Chardonnay event, though she races alongside Ila Stow for Fortress Real Estate Investments / Infini. 

2024 podium finisher, Margot Moschetti, returns to South Africa to better her third-place finish last year, alongside a new partner in Claudia Peretti. The e-Fort / MB-Race combination brings international experience to the trails of the Overberg, as do MTB Ladies by R-SUSPENSION. Germans Veronika Weiss and Daniela Höfler are untested in African conditions. Claudia Krenn, meanwhile, knows exactly what to expect and will be guiding fellow Austrian Malena Seer through the FNB Wines2Whales experience. 

These international teams will have to best tough competition should they want to stand on the final general classification podium, however. Along with the favourites and the Efficient Infiniti Insure teams, Safari Essence Titan Racing are a combination to watch very closely. Bianca Haw and Danielle du Toit have each produced moments of brilliance in the last two years, and look to be finding form as a team towards the end of their first-year racing together. 

“I’m really looking forward to FNB Wines2Whales and I’m confident that the work I’ve put in leading up to it will help Bianca [Haw] and me have a good race during the Chardonnay,” du Toit stated. “It’s more than just the racing, though, I’m looking forward to the gees in the race village too. It’s a great way to end the year, and FNB W2W is more like an MTB party than just another stage race. We’ll be taking the racing super seriously, of course, but also enjoying the good vibes!” 

While anything other than a podium finish will feel like a disappointment for Du Toit and Haw, the Summer Sky Racing and Absolute Motion squads will be happy with a top-five placing. Karlise Scheepers and Lilian Baber are finding their way in stage racing, but the shorter routes of FNB Wines2Whales should suit their cross-country prowess. Frances Janse van Rensburg is no stranger to stage racing, though, having taken away from competitive cycling to have her first child, the Absolute Motion rider is still regaining her racing form. In Riley Smith, Janse van Rensburg has a teammate with the singletrack skills and explosivity to thrive on the trails from the whales of Walker Bay to the wines of Lourensford. 

Ahead of a group of teams likely to be contesting for the final spots in the top ten after three days of racing are the GMG pairing of Andrea Schöfmann and Chloe Bishop. Schöfmann is a Stellenbosch resident who has raced at an elite level in the cross-country discipline, but has turned her attention to XTERRA off-road triathlons in 2025. Bishop is relatively new to mountain biking, but has been able to progress rapidly thanks to her experience as one of South Africa’s most promising trail runners before an injury put pay to her running aspirations. The pair are arguably a class above would-be rivals for a top ten and could even upset some of the more favoured teams.