Article

Pritzen and Stehli Burn Brightest on Searing Shiraz Stage 1 at FNB Wines2Whales

Sponsored by FNB

A windy and at times chaotic opening stage of the Shiraz race at FNB Wines2Whales saw the Honeycomb 226ers seize the initiative and establish a 126-second advantage on PYGA Euro Steel and Insect Science. Marc Pritzen and Felix Stehli combined fresh legs with course knowledge to attack at a key moment and leave the chasers disorganised. By the time cohesion was reestablished in the second group were fighting to limit their losses rather than battling for stage victory, yet that did not stop Michael Foster, Jaedon Terlouw, Wessel Botha, and Jan Withaar from seizing their opportunity to gain time on the Imbuko ChemChamp and Toyota Specialized teams.

Stage 1 of the Shiraz race at FNB Wines2Whales produced dramatic racing as Marc Pritzen and Felix Stehli seized the first Yellow CIOVITA jerseys on Friday, 7 November 2025. The Honeycomb 226ers team utilized their fresh legs, the windy conditions, and the knowledge they had gleaned from riding the Chardonnay event a week before to launch a stage-winning move in an unexpected location. The South African/Swiss combination was joined on the day’s podium by Michael Foster and Jaedon Terlouw, of PYGA Euro Steel, who had to fight back from 30 seconds behind the chase group to claim second. Wessel Botha and Jan Withaar, somewhat unexpectedly, rode their way into third on the day, after the trails determined that they deserve protected status within the Insect Science setup.

Despite a strong southeasterly wind, the temperatures were warm at Benguela Cove ahead of the Stage 1 start. The ferocity of the racing would later echo the heat, while the wind played a crucial role in determining how the race was won. It was not the singletracks or the Kat Pas climb from Bot Rivier to the Houw Hoek Hotel which set the teams apart, but rather an innocuous section of tar road between Gaf se Bos and the first water point, at Genevieve MCC. It was there, 23 kilometres into the 61-kilometre-long stage, that Honeycomb 266ers launched their attack.

“The start was chaotic,” Travis Stedman, who started alongside defending champion Matt Beers, described. The first 12 kilometres trended uphill and were straight into the teeth of a strong wind. This kept the group together and made positioning within the group vitally important.

“I didn’t know when the singletracks would start, so I got caught out in that first downhill trail,” Terlouw noted. “I must have gone in twentieth wheel, and there was no space to move up.” At the exit of the trail, Foster pushed on and only sat up looking for his PYGA Euro Steel teammate when the terrain opened as the teams raced across a freshly cut wheat field.

It was exiting this field and turning onto a tar road for a 1.5-kilometre blast, to cross the Botrivier, that Pritzen and Stehli seized the impetus. “It wasn’t planned,” Pritzen promised. “I think that was just roadie instincts. We knew with the wind being a cross-headwind turning to a tailwind as we turned that the opportunity would be there to split the field.”

While their rivals were using the tar to regroup and assess how they had come through the first section of trail, the Honeycomb 226ers attacked. With teams split and only Pritzen and Stehli ready for the acceleration, the gap grew rapidly in the first minute after the attack. By the time they reached Genevieve MCC, just moments later, the leaders held an 18-second advantage. They grew this gradually through the trails of the Wildekrans and Beaumont Wine Estates, but used the Kat Pas climb to power to what would prove to be an unassailable lead.

Behind Buff Megamo were leading the chase, until a minor mechanical cost Wout Alleman his momentum and left the Belgian champion and his teammate Hans Becking chasing from further back. With Tristan Nortje, Marco Joubert, Stedman, and Beers all feeling the aftereffects of gravel racing in the Karoo, the chase lost impetus. Botha and Withaar were happy to bide their time, letting the Imbuko ChemChamp team do the lion’s share of the pace-making.

When Foster and Terlouw caught the group contesting second, on the Kat Pas climb, they powered straight past. By the top of the pass, at the Houw Hoek Hotel, the Honeycomb 226ers led PYGA Euro Steel by 87 seconds, with Buff Megamo leading a four-team group fighting for third, another 35 seconds back.

Over the next 10 kilometres, Pritzen and Stehli added a further 20 seconds to their advantage over PYGA Euro Steel. Foster and Terlouw’s madcap chase was starting to draw on their energy levels, however. “When the others started to fade in the final 5 kilometres, I said to Jan [Withaar], ‘Now we have to go,’” Botha stated. The Insect Science team was able to close the 25-second gap to Foster and Terlouw, but the PYGA Euro Steel men still had enough firepower to sprint for second.

There was no stopping Stehli and Pritzen. Having briefly celebrated their victory, the first Yellow CIOVITA jersey wearers quickly shifted their attention to the task ahead. “You can know the trails like the back of your hand, if you don’t have the legs to be at the front, that won’t help you at all,” Pritzen philosophised. “I think the guys who have the legs will put themselves into the position to control or attack tomorrow. It doesn’t normally split up too much, but if it’s windy again tomorrow, the wind could play a big role again.”

The Stage 1 winners take a 2-minute and 6-second advantage over PYGA Euro Steel into Stage 2. Foster and Terlouw are a single second ahead of Botha and Withaar, with Buff Megamo a further 27 seconds back. Imbuko ChemChamp is 2:55 behind the day’s winners, though Nortje remains bullish about securing a podium place. Beers and Stedman, the pre-race favourites in many fans’ books, are 3:46 off the lead, in sixth.

The second stage of the Shiraz race at FNB Wines2Whales is ‘Play Day.’ Though there will be very little playing at the sharp end of the race. The 67-kilometre-long course includes 1 350 metres of climbing in a route packed with singletracks. The first trail comes 14 kilometres in, and the fight to enter Rhys’s Rollercoaster, the day’s Toyota Cruise segment, first will be intense. To share in the excitement of the racing, follow @wines_2_whales on Instagram or like the Wines2Whales Facebook page.

Pieter du Toit will be providing insights and updates from the trails of the Oak Valley and Paul Clüver Wine Estates. Watch the Instagram and Facebook stories to stay updated, and be sure to tune in to the Epic Series YouTube channel for daily highlights and news reports from the race. For more information, please visit www.epic-series.com/races/wines2whales.