2020 has been a year that has challenged everyone, especially the events industry.

While many may see the FNB Wines2Whales as “just” a mountain bike event, the fact is that the event is much, much more. The FNB Wines2Whales has a rich history of supporting the communities through which the race passes; one such community is Botrivier.

Botrivier is a small town situated between Grabouw and Hermanus and within this small town is the Botrivier Crèche Initiative – home to six crèches that proudly offer a haven to the town’s youngest children. During the COVID-19 pandemic that has swept the globe, these six crèches have been closed, resulting in many children being confined to their homes and going hungry as the meals they receive at the crèches are, sometimes, the only meal that they get to enjoy during the day.

The FNB Wines2Whales team formulated a plan to assist these crèches with much-needed funds, and the FNB Wines2Whales Challenge was born.

On the weekend of 1 and 2 August, the FNB W2W community was called upon to get out on their bikes to pedal in the name of #GEES4GOOD and then donate R1 per kilometre that they rode. To facilitate a social element during the challenge, an official Zwift event was held and riders from across the world joined in the fun and donated the Rand value of the kilometres ridden.

Every person who donated R40 or more was entered into the draw to win an FNB Wines2Whales entry, and amazing prizes from our sponsors, Ciovita, Falke, Squirt Cycling Products, and Oakley. Sune Henning was randomly drawn from a list of over 260 donations as the winner of the FNB W2W entry and she was ecstatic to have won by donating to the FNB Wines2Whales Challenge.

In total, R38 000 was donated by riders during the weekend. Title sponsor, FNB, added a further R30 000 to the pot, and then a silent donor contributed an additional R10 000. The FNB Wines2Whales staff then rallied together and donated R22 000, taking the total to R100 000!

“The FNB Wines2Whales Challenge was an incredibly fun and humbling campaign to be a part of” exclaimed Michael Flinn, Managing Director of the FNB Wines2Whales. “To see passionate riders from across the world, and all walks of life, supporting this incredible initiative which is so close to our hearts is absolutely fantastic. The funds raised during the Challenge will go towards PPE kits to allow the crèches to reopen safely and will go a long way to helping the Kammaland crèche to replace their roof, which was blown off during a recent storm. On behalf of the educators, and the Botrivier community, I wish to thank our partners, FNB, and every single person who donated!”

“The moments of help demonstrated by the riders to make a positive impact to the Botrivier community are aligned to the core values that the FNB Wines2Whales event abides by. We are very appreciative to everyone who heeded the call and made an effort to assist the community, especially during this difficult time” said Nancy Lockett, FNB, Head of Marketing and Events.

We would like to extend our deepest thanks to every rider who took the time to be a part of the FNB Wines2Whales Challenge, the donations will make the lives of the children in Botrivier that much better and we are sure that they’ll be cheering you on when the next FNB Wines2Whales passes through the town.