Official Statement: 2023 FNB Wines2Whales Stage 1 Route Change

[News bot]

Since the devastating floods in the Western Cape, the event organisers and local authorities have been working closely to ensure the event can go ahead safely and be filled with #SeriousGees as always. The recent reopening of the Hemel en Aarde as well as Karwyderskraal roads has meant a dramatic increase in vehicle traffic on these roads, which presents a safety risk to our riders on the originally planned Stage 1 of the 2023 FNB Wines2Whales Switchback. The race will now proceed with Stage 1 both starting and finishing at Lourensford Wine Estate. Teams will then be shuttled to Oak […]

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[Fauret]

I bet this could have been communicated a week ago already...

[APJ88]

Stage one just got a whole lot tougher now.

[Jbr]

I should have waited 24h more to book my car transfers

[babse]

35 minutes ago, Jbr said:

I should have waited 24h more to book my car transfers

Book with who? They must reimburse...

[Jbr]

2 minutes ago, babse said:

Book with who? They must reimburse...

it's a charity thing, Rotary, they made it clear there was no refund. I'm not sure what they do but hope it's used well

Edited October 19, 2023 by Jbr

[Pieterlab1]

Can't wait!

I just want to ride!

And then drink beer with my friends!

[PhilipV]

Still three lekker days of riding.

[El Duderino]

Are they going to change the name to Wine to Wine. 

Still excited, despite the name/route change. Will be breaking my W2W virginity. Doing the Shiraz. 

 

 

[splat]

4 hours ago, El Duderino said:

Are they going to change the name to Wine to Wine. 

 

 

 

Love2whine

[DieselnDust]

6 hours ago, splat said:

Love2whine

i thought wines2whines was good but ^^ takes the win

[Rapunzel]

Question to those who finished today and stayed in the tents: how did you fit all your goodies in the bag? The bag is without a doubt the nicest bag out of all I've had but I can only just squeeze my sleeping bag and pillow into it. Can we use one of the old bags?

[V18]

Same. Tiiiiinnnyyyy bag. 

[Rapunzel]

So I got creative and got my goodies in but ended up driving to Oak Valley and using the Rotary service to take my car back to the finish (had booked before the route change and seeing proceeds are very well used, didn't want a refund). 

Some feedback after the Pinotage (on an analogue bike):

Lourensford stage 1: really lekker route with solid climbs (particularly 1st 20km) and a variety of singletrack, some flow trail and some tight and more technical. Showers were available at the finish and buses taking people to Oak Valley were leaving at regular intervals.

Oak Valley stage 2: we had overnight rain and lots of mud so it wasn't too much of a play day. It's a real pity as it was clear JK and his teams had put in many hours to repair damage from the first event. 

Oak valley to Lourensford stage 3: climb from WP 1 to Gantouw is gorgeous and enjoy the views before the portage because your eyes are glued to where you're going to put your foot down so you don't slip or twist an ankle. The 2nd half has some fast rolling dirt and singletrack and was good fun.

Routes were excellently marked, fun and the amount of work invested in them is huge. 

Water points were extremely well stocked by Food Lovers and USN and had tech zones. Gees was a little quiet - maybe just because it was the mid week event which is more laid back and missed Shaun Peters familiar voice en route.

Race village is amazing with permanent shower set ups which are spacious with cooking hot water. Lots of undercover areas and the FNB chill zone has heaters, poofs  charging stations, hot drinks and tv's. Food and drink available for sale and food supplied by Food Lovers for participants was plentiful. Thanks Cadbury for the ice creams for dessert. Squirt will wash your bike for you (you may not do it yourself) and the bike park is secure. Thanks FNB for the little goody bags in our tents with a headlamp - indispensible when in the blue tents. 

To those riding next weekend, good luck and don't forget to take in your beautiful surroundings, enjoy the hand built trails and acknowledge the many volunteers and sponsors who make this event possible.

Install the app - you need it for comms and seeding info

There's no reception at Oak Valley but there is free wifi (ask for details at race office)

Pack ear plugs if staying in tents unless you enjoy the chorus of snores and farts. 

If you're going big to celebrate (or commiserate) Saturday's rugby, pack your Essentiale 

 

[lukelockie]

Don't forget about the Giant Happy Hour from 5-6PM each day (FREE beer) and the Liv Nail bar for the ladies after Stage 2! (Shameless punt to get some friendly faces across to the Giant and Liv tents  )

[V18]

My first W2W done and dusted (very dusted). Ended up being quite the workout. But nothing too serious. (My prep was daily commute and weekend 2hr-ish rides.)

One thing I'll bring along next time, a proper air mattress. The one provided (blue tent option) was soft, thin and dirty with a plastic bag around it. (don't take the bag off, 2 wolf spiders came out of mine.)

The fnb recharge zone was amazing. Far enough from the loud music/commentary. Good wifi. Just too few poefsakke to accommodate us all. 

Food was ok. Breakfast was the best.