Stage 2 of the 2026 FNB Wines2Whales Shiraz delivered exactly what riders had hoped for: sunshine, world-class trails and fast, fiercely contested racing. Known as the event’s traditional “Play Day”, the 64-kilometre route around Oak Valley Estate and Paul Clüver featured 1 300 metres of climbing and some of the most iconic singletrack in South African mountain biking.
With more than 1 200 riders taking to the trails, the atmosphere was buzzing from the outset. While the route offered plenty of opportunities for fun, riders still had to earn every kilometre on a course packed with climbing and technical singletrack. The racing at the front was anything but relaxed as the elite teams fought for valuable seconds ahead of Sunday’s final stage.
Following their dominant performances in the Prologue and Stage 1, the two Toyota Imbuko Specialized teams once again took control of proceedings. Tristan Nortje and Jaedon Terlouw started the day in the CIOVITA leader jerseys, with teammates Ignatius du Preez and Lood Goosen sitting second overall as the Toyota Imbuko Specialized squad continued to dictate the pace at the front of the race.
From the gun, the Toyota Imbuko Specialized riders drove the pace, breaking clear on the climb towards Vissie’s Magic and immediately placing pressure on the chasing teams. Tiletoria Factory Racing’s Alec Coleske and Jean-Pierre du Plessis, together with Pump For Peace Absolute Motion’s Tayne Rudling and Unathi Nxumalo, attempted to stay in contact, but the relentless tempo of the leading quartet gradually created separation.
By Water Point 2, the race for third place had become equally significant. Hans Becking and Teus Ruijter of BUFF | KMC occupied third on the road but had already conceded over a minute and a half to the leaders. Tiletoria Factory Racing remained within striking distance, approximately 30 seconds behind the Dutch duo.
Misfortune struck Rudling and Nxumalo during the stage when a dropped water bottle proved costly. The delay saw the Pump For Peace Absolute Motion pairing surrender valuable time and eventually finish fifth on the day. Despite the setback, they retained forth place in the general classification.
At the front, the two Toyota Imbuko Specialized teams remained inseparable throughout the stage. Arriving together at Oak Valley Estate, the four riders crossed the finish line side by side after a day of complete control at the front of the race. With the CIOVITA leaders’ jerseys on the shoulders of Nortje and Terlouw, the stage victory was awarded to the race leaders as Toyota Imbuko Specialized capped off another commanding team performance.
The result sees Nortje and Terlouw strengthen their grip on the overall classification. Heading into the final stage, the Toyota Imbuko Specialized pairing hold a 46-second advantage over du Preez and Goosen, while Becking and Ruijter remain in third, more than five minutes off the overall lead.
The battle for the Exxaro Men’s jersey also remains far from settled. Jordaan Ziandro and Ethan Michaels of Faitree DP World Cannondale 1 successfully defended their lead and head into the final stage with a 1 minute and 20 second advantage over Selaelo Hlako and Siyabonga Ntsele of Exxaro Grootegeluk.
In the Open Men category, Safari Essence teammates Mark van Zyl and Johan van Zyl continued their impressive form and now lead Cameron Roach and Ross Crookes by more than 10 minutes.
The NTT DATA Masters category saw Gordon Gilbert and Erik Kleinhans take over the lead from Phillip Malan and Renay Groustra. Malan and Groustra now trail by just over five minutes, while John Gordon and Etian Louw occupy third place overall.
The GIC Grand Masters race remains finely balanced. German duo Christoph Listmann and Pascal Repp continue to lead, but Thorkild Nielsen and Gavin Viljoen remain within striking distance, approximately three and a half minutes behind with one stage remaining.
In the Toyota Mixed category, Margot Moschetti and Jeff Farez of e-FORT | MB RACE continued their consistent form to retain the green leader jerseys ahead of the final stage to Benguela Cove.
Following another memorable day on the trails, riders relaxed in the Devil’s Peak Chill Zone and reflected on a day packed with GEES. Attention now turns to the final stage of the 2026 FNB Wines2Whales Shiraz, where riders will depart Oak Valley Estate, descend the iconic Katpas Pass and traverse the Bot River Valley before finishing at Benguela Cove near Hermanus. With jerseys still on the line across several categories, the final chapter of the Shiraz race promises an exciting conclusion to the 2026 trilogy.
VIEW RESULTS: https://www.epic-series.com/races/wines2whales/results
Source: Epic Series Media
