The 2026 FNB Wines2Whales Shiraz race opened in classic summer conditions on Thursday evening, with dry trails, thick dust and fast racing combining to create a blistering start to the final event in the trilogy. Against the backdrop of Lourensford Wine Estate, Tristan Nortje and Jaedon Terlouw produced a dominant performance in the Elite Men’s Prologue to secure the first CIOVITA leader jerseys.
Nineteen Elite Men’s teams lined up to tackle the three-lap, 9-kilometre course, which featured 180 metres of climbing per lap and rewarded riders capable of maintaining speed on the long, exposed drags that characterised the route.
The opening kilometres saw a large group remain together before Philip Buys launched the first serious attack of the evening. His move briefly animated the front of the race, but it was soon neutralised as Nortje drove the pace on the defining climb of the course.
Nortje’s relentless tempo quickly began to thin out the field, stretching the group and creating separation between the race favourites and the rest of the contenders. Alongside teammate Terlouw, the pair looked increasingly comfortable as the laps ticked by.
Early on, Tayne Rudling and Unathi Nxumalo of Pump For Peace Absolute Motion appeared to be the strongest challengers to the race leaders. However, they were reeled in during the second lap by Inus du Preez and Lood Goosen of Toyota Imbuko Specialized 2, who steadily worked their way through the field.
Jan Withaar and Arno du Toit also spent time driving the pace of the chasing group, but despite their efforts, the leading duo proved impossible to catch. Nortje and Terlouw’s climbing speed on the long drag out of the valley became the defining factor of the race as they steadily extended their advantage.
The dry and dusty conditions added another layer of difficulty to the race. Reduced visibility and slippery surfaces caught out several riders throughout the evening, with crashes occurring across the field as competitors pushed the limits in pursuit of valuable early seconds. Among those to hit the deck was Withaar, who fell on the final lap but showed impressive resilience to recover and remain in contention.
At the finish line, it was Nortje and Terlouw who claimed victory in a time of 59 minutes and 59 seconds, laying down an early marker ahead of the three stages to come.
Toyota Imbuko Specialized 2’s du Preez and Goosen secured second place, while Withaar and du Toit rounded out the podium despite their late-race drama. Rudling and Nxumalo finished a strong fourth, with Dutch combination Hans Becking and Teus Ruijter of Buff KMC completing the top five.
While the Elite Men battled for the opening honours, more than 1 000 riders arrived at Lourensford for registration ahead of another sold-out Shiraz event.
The Shiraz celebrates men’s racing while also featuring the highly competitive Toyota Mixed and Exxaro jerseys. Within the amateur ranks, the Open category is once again expected to produce some of the fiercest racing of the weekend.
Attention now turns to Stage 1, where riders will journey from Lourensford Wine Estate to Oak Valley Estate via the historic Gantouw Pass. With fresh legs, high spirits and plenty of GEES, the final chapter of the 2026 FNB Wines2Whales trilogy is officially underway.
Elite Men: Prologue Leading Results
- Jaedon Terlouw / Tristan Nortje (Toyota Imbuko Specialized) – 00:59:59.8
- Inus du Preez / Lood Goosen (Toyota Imbuko Specialized 2) +00:00:46.5
- Jan Withaar / Arno du Toit (Insect Science Safari Essence) +00:01:02.6
VIEW ALL RESULTS: https://www.epic-series.com/races/wines2whales/results
Source: Epic Series Media
