Entry Info
ENTRY DETAILS
20 - 22 October 2023
The Chardonnay is the first of the three FNB Wines2Whales events and focuses on the women of mountain biking as the Pro racers and age group contenders are celebrated. Each year we see many of South Africa's, and often the world's, best female riders battle it out for the overall prize money and leader jerseys.
The Chardonnay event is also open to men's and mixed teams who are eager to experience the trails early on in the FNB W2W Switchback race period.
23 - 25 October 2023
With the reputation of being the most laid back and relaxed of the three events, The Pinotage sees the highest number of FNB Wines2Whales first-timers. The Pinotage also hosts the FNB Wines2Whales E-bike Race and Tour for riders who want to experience the FNB W2W with a little assistance.
Being a mid-week race, The Pinotage is perfect for international tourists and riders from different provinces as it offers the chance to participate in the event and plan an enjoyable weekend on either side.
27 -29 October 2023
The Shiraz takes place over the last weekend of the race and has the reputation of taking up the pace a notch or two.
While the Chardonnay celebrates the Women's racing category, the Shiraz celebrates Men's, Mixed and Exxaro teams racing categories in addition to honouring the determination of the rest of the field as they compete in their respective age categories.
RIDE ONLY
R12 975.00 Per team
Details
Includes lunch at the race village, breakfast and dinner excluded, team stays offsite and arranges own accommodation.
Included in cost:
- A 3-day stage mountain biking experience with fully stocked waterpoints on route
- Ciovita Rider Jersey
- W2W event gift
- W2W finisher medal
- Access to all race village services
- Lunch after each stage
2023 Entry Fees
Tier 1: R12 975 - Valid 14 February - 30 April
Tier 2: R13 485 - Valid 1 May - 31 August
Tier 3: R14 250 - Valid 1 September - 30 September
RIDE & MEALS ONLY
R15 525.00 Per Team
Details
Includes all meals at the race village, team stays offsite and arranges own accommodation.
Included in cost:
- A 3-day stage mountain biking experience with fully stocked waterpoints on route
- Ciovita Rider Jersey
- W2W event gift
- W2W finisher medal
- Access to all race village services
- 8 Meals over the course of the event
- Stage 1: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
- Stage 2: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
- Stage 3: Breakfast and Lunch
2023 Entry Fees
Tier 1: R15 252 - Valid 14 February - 30 April
Tier 2: R16 550 - Valid 1 May - 31 August
Tier 3: R17 400 - Valid 1 September - 30 September
STANDARD TENTS
R17 300.00 Per Team
Details
Each rider is allocated their own single tent in the race village --
Tented race village accommodation for Stages 1 and 2 only. Each rider is allocated their own single tent in the race village.
Included in cost:
- Single tent per rider (including mattress)
- A 3-day stage mountain biking experience with fully stocked waterpoints on route
- Ciovita Rider Jersey
- W2W event gift
- W2W finisher medal
- Access to all race village services
- 8 Meals over the course of the event
- Stage 1: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
- Stage 2: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
- Stage 3: Breakfast and Lunch
2023 Entry Fees
Tier 1: R17 300 - Valid 14 February - 30 April
Tier 2: R18 350 - Valid 1 May- 31 August
Tier 3: R19 200 - Valid 1 September - 30 September
DOUBLE LUXURY TENTS
R24 175.00 Per Team
Details
Larger, canvas luxury tent shared by the team of 2 riders --
Tented accommodation in the Luxury Tent Village for two evenings only (Stage 1 & 2) for the event. Larger, canvas luxury tent shared by the team of 2 riders.
Included in cost:
- Access to the Luxury Tented Village Accommodation Area (this is security and accreditation controlled).
- The tent is complete with interiors, carpeted flooring, beds & bedding
- Bedside table, lamp & bin
- Private Luxury Hot Showers
- Toilets exclusive to the Luxury Tent Village
- Camping cupboard
- Two camping chairs
- A 3-day stage mountain biking experience with fully stocked waterpoints on route
- Ciovita Rider Jersey
- W2W event gift
- W2W finisher medal
- Access to all race village services
- 8 Meals over the course of the event
- Stage 1: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
- Stage 2: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
- Stage 3: Breakfast and Lunch
Terms & Conditions:
- No supporter services allowed outside the official supporter area. Masseuses, Physios and Mechanics operating in areas such as the Luxury Tented Village, will be removed from the premises.
- No advertising and branding of any sort will be permitted within the Luxury Tented Village and no rider will be allowed to sell any parts or product during the event within this area.
- The organisers of the FNB Wines2Whales will not be responsible for, or liable for, any of the services or lack thereof provided by within the Luxury Tented Village
- The Luxury Tented Village Accommodation Area is a strictly no bicycle zone. All bicycles are to be stored at the Stor-Age bike park. The organisers of the FNB Wines2Whales, will not be responsible for, or liable for any damage to, theft of, loss of, or disappearance of bicycles taken in to or stored in the Luxury Tented Village.
2023 Entry Fees
Tier 1: R24 175 - Valid 14 February - 30 April
Tier 2: R25 450 - Valid 1 May - 31 August
Tier 3: R26 300 - Valid 1 September - 30 September
SINGLE LUXURY TENTS
R25 450.00 Per Team
Details
Each rider has their own individual, single canvas luxury tent
Tented accommodation in the Luxury Tent Village for two evenings only (Stage 1 & 2) for the event. This entry package is available to teams only i.e. both riders in the team will receive the Single Luxury Tent entry option. Each rider has their own individual, single canvas luxury tent.
Included in cost:
- Single luxury tent per rider
- Access to the Luxury Tented Village Accommodation Area (this is security and accreditation controlled).
- The tent is complete with interiors, carpeted flooring, bed & bedding
- Bedside table, lamp & bin
- Private Luxury Hot Showers
- Toilets exclusive to the Luxury Tent Village
- Camping cupboard
- Camping chair
- A 3-day stage mountain biking experience with fully stocked waterpoints on route
- Ciovita Rider Jersey
- W2W event gift
- W2W finisher medal
- Access to all race village services
- 8 Meals over the course of the event
- Stage 1: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
- Stage 2: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
- Stage 3: Breakfast and Lunch
Terms & Conditions:
- No supporter services allowed outside the official supporter area. Masseuses, Physios and Mechanics operating in areas such as the Luxury Tented Village, will be removed from the premises.
- No advertising and branding of any sort will be permitted within the Luxury Tented Village and no rider will be allowed to sell any parts or product during the event within this area.
- The organisers of the FNB Wines2Whales will not be responsible for, or liable for, any of the services or lack thereof provided by within the Luxury Tented Village
- The Luxury Tented Village Accommodation Area is a strictly no bicycle zone. All bicycles are to be stored at the Stor-Age bike park. The organisers of the FNB Wines2Whales, will not be responsible for, or liable for any damage to, theft of, loss of, or disappearance of bicycles taken in to or stored in the Luxury Tented Village.
2023 Entry Fees
Tier 1: R25 450 - Valid 14 February - 30 April
Tier 2: R26 475 - Valid 1 May - 31 August
Tier 3: R27 300 - Valid 1 September - 30 September
What you get
- A unique and beautiful mountain biking experience
- A Ciovita Rider Jersey
- A W2W event gift
- 8 meals through the duration of the three days
- Wifi available in the race village
- Fully stocked waterpoints
Team Categories
Your team’s category is determined by the younger member of the team.
Age is calculated as per 31 December the year the race takes place.
Teams who wish to compete for prize money must register in the Racing category. These teams will no longer qualify for their age group leader jersey and age group ranking.
| CHARDONNAY | PINOTAGE | SHIRAZ |
|---|---|---|
| Racing (19+) - Women | E-Bike Open - Men, Women and Mixed | Racing (19+) - Men, Mixed and Exxaro Men & Women |
| Amateurs (19-39) - Women and Men | Amateurs (19-39) - Men and Women | Amateurs (19-39) - Men and Women |
| Masters (40-49) - Women and Men | Masters (40-49) - Men and Women | Masters (40-49) - Men and Women |
| Grand Masters (50-59) - Women and Men | Grand Masters (50-59) - Men and Women | Grand Masters (50-59) - Men and Women |
| Great Grand Masters (60+) - Women and Men | Great Grand Masters (60+) - Men and Women | Great Grand Masters (60+) - Men and Women |
| Mixed (19+) | Mixed (19+) | |
| E-Bike Tour |
Whale Category
This special category is reserved for those living on the larger side of life. Teams that consist of riders both over 90 kilograms can register as Whales and qualify for recognition that often comes in the form of bottles of wine from the award-winning farms along our route.
Seeding Info
Friday, 29 September 2023
Online Substitutions Closed
Wednesday, 4 October 2023
Provisional Seeding is published to the website
Monday, 9 October 2023
Seeding Queries are closed
Friday, 13 October 2023
Final 2023 FNB Wines2Whales seeding goes live on the website
Team seeding is allocated according to the rider with the lower seeding index.
Seeding Query Process
There will be a commissaire at registration day should you wish to query your seeding after the final seeding has been released.
Withdrawal & Cancellation Policy
Entry Cancellation
Should you wish to cancel your entry, please note the following and contact the Race Office at registration@wines2whales.com to have the cancellation processed.
- 75% of the entry fee is refundable if the cancellation is done before 30 July 2023.
- 50% of the entry fee is refundable if the cancellation is done in or before 31 August 2023.
- 0% of the entry fee is refundable if the cancellation is done in September and October 2023.
- If at a later stage your partner can no longer participate once substitutions have closed, you will be allowed to do a late substitution at Registration day.
- Entries are not transferable to the following year.
Optional Extra Cancellation
Should you wish to cancel any of your optional extras, a 15% admin/cancellation fee will apply. Please contact the Race Office at registration@wines2whales.com to have the cancellation processed.
Optional extras are not transferable to the following year.
Substitutions Policy
Entries can be transferred, sold or given to another person with prior permission from the event organisers.
Online substitutions close on 30 September 2023. Hereafter, late substitutions must be done at Registration day.
The following fees apply for substitutions:
- Before 30 September 2023: R600 per substitution
- Registration day: R750 per substitution
Please note:
- Riders who have entered and paid, but cannot participate in the FNB W2W Event, for whatever reason, must inform the Race Office.
- No rider is allowed to participate under the name of another participant. Such action will lead to immediate disqualification.
- Substituted team participants will receive the clothing size of the initial participant, unless this is changed before 15 May 2023.
Indemnity
All riders must accept an online liability disclaimer upon registering their team for an event. Failure to accept the liability disclaimer will result in the rider not being allowed to start the race.