Three podium places rounded off a successful weekend for the endurance mountain-biking team of Fairtree DP World Cannondale in the 2025 FNB Wines2Whales event.
Eight two-rider teams – seven men’s and one women’s – tackled the gruelling 191 km race from Benguela Cove in Hermanus to Lourensford in Somerset West. The Shiraz stage race was held from Friday 7 to Sunday 9 November.
The Stellenbosch-based MTB team claimed first and second place in the men’s Exarro category, with Ziandro Jordaan and Kwazi Mbhamali crossing the line in 8:22:36 to win the category and Lihle Ngidi and Ethan Michaels (8:31:53) taking second place in the hotly contested race.
In the women’s Exarro race, Yomelela Mfazwe and Winile Majavu pedaled their way to second place with a time of 13:13:38.
Furthermore, Jordaan and Mbhamali also finished in fifth place in the amateur men’s category and placed 22nd overall, amazing feats for the talented local riders. Ngidi and Michaels placed 23rd overall, while Luyanda Tobigunya and Jan Montshia (8:31:53) placed ninth in the men’s amateur category and 26th overall.
“We went in the with the goal of winning the Exarro category and ended up on the podium in both the men’s and ladies’ race,” said team manager Chris Norton. “These teams will compete in the Cape Epic 2026 and we are extremely excited about their prospects of winning the Exarro category again. Our ladies’ team managed a credible second in the Exarro category and made an hour improvement on last year’s time.”
Norton pointed out that 2025 was the MTB team’s best year in terms of participation, with eight teams entering and successfully crossing the line in Somerset West. “A huge thanks to Wines2Whales for supporting the team with these entries and the incredible effort that went into organising a great event,” he said.
“The results of this team keep getting better and better, and we are really excited to see them perform in the Cape Epic and other upcoming races. Kwazi and Ziandro formed a formidable new partnership and it will be exciting to watch them develop as a team.”
Norton attributed the team’s success to the growth in rider numbers, appointment of a full-time coach and continuous support of loyal sponsors, DP World, Fairtree Capital, Cannondale and Biogen.
“The team has grown dramatically over a year due to this support and shows no signs of slowing down,” the proud manager said. “We are extremely excited by the progress made by many of the riders and look forward to some great results in 2026.
“The appointment of CP van Wyk as a full-time coach has definitely made a significant impact on the results and the plan is to now focus on individual MTB skills (single-track and technical prowess) and greater team cohesion and strategy, in stage events.”
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