Candice Lill and Tyler Jacobs Complete a Chardonnay Hat-Trick at FNB Wines2Whales
South Africa’s top-performing women’s mountain bikers on the global stage, Candice Lill and Tyler Jacobs, wrapped up their third consecutive title at the FNB Wines2Whales MTB stage race with a perfect clean sweep of stage victories at the Lourensford Wine Estate in the Western Cape on Sunday, 2 November 2025.
Having won Stage 1, after taking a wrong turn and losing the lead on the trails, Lill and Jacobs powered through the trails of the Oak Valley and Paul Clüver Wine Estates on Stage 2, taking their advantage from 53 seconds to 6 minutes and 18 seconds.
“It’s very special to take the victory at FNB Wines2Whales.”
FNB Wines2Whales 2025 Champion, Tyler Jacobs
In 2023, the KwaZulu Natal native became the youngest winner, at only 19 years old. In 2025, she became the fastest to three titles and is tied in third on the all-time winners’ list alongside Jennie Stenerhag. Only Robyn de Groot and her teammate, Candice Lill, have won more FNB Wines2Whales crowns than Tyler Jacobs.
“To win is always special… to win a race like this, and finish off a season in style is extra special,”
FNB Wines2Whales 2025 Champion, Candice Lill
“It’s always great to be here at FNB Wines2Whales and to race with Tyler,” continued Lill. “I had a lot of fun and I learnt from her too, especially following her in the single-tracks.”
“FNB Wines2Whales is a very special race. End of the year… back home, surrounded by the South African mountain biking community… It’s really special,” said Lill. “It’s not the same racing overseas; everything is very serious. Nobody loves mountain biking like South Africans, and to celebrate that love of the sport at a race like this is amazing.”
On Stage 3, Jacobs’s love for the Gantouw Pass portage ensured that she was eagerly anticipating a fast run from the Elgin plateau to the Helderberg basin below, where Idiom Wines, Vergelegen, and finally Lourensford awaited after 63 scintillating kilometres.
It was not all downhill to Somerset West and the final finish line. There were 1,250 metres of climbing to conquer too, which helped the women in the Orange CIOVITA jerseys distance their rivals while climbing the A to Z trails from the Eikenhof Dam to the summit of the Gantouw Pass.
Lill and Jacobs used their single-track speed to create separation between themselves and their nearest rivals, Margot Moschetti and Claudia Peretti. Sarah Hill and Robyn de Groot had been distanced around the 15-kilometre mark already and were focusing on conserving their podium position.
“We needed to take it a bit easy today,” Hill punned. “Robyn [de Groot] bashed her knee yesterday, and it was a bit swollen this morning, so she couldn’t push as hard as she had on the previous days. Fortunately, we had a good buffer to Danielle [du Toit] and Bianca [Haw] so we could ride conservatively today.”
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While Efficient Infiniti Insure defended their position, the leaders attacked. Lill and Jacobs were on the charge. Jacobs led her mentor and teammate down the Gantouw Pass portage with mountain goat fineness, then remounted and powered through Idiom Wine Estate with a 3-minute advantage over the chasers.
The Liv Sabi-Sabi Seattle Coffee e-Fort team did not slow to take in the wildlife in the Vergelegen Game Reserve, or to marvel at the show being presented in the Cowboy Town film set on Lourensford. They only had eyes for the finish line and the conclusion of their 2025 seasons.
Moschetti and Peretti wrapped up their runner-up spot on the general classification standings with a third-place finish in the race. The French and Italian combination enjoyed their time on the South African trails too, with Peretti having gushed about the quality of the riding in Elgin in particular.
Behind the e-Fort MB Race team, Safari Essence Titan Racing completed the stage podium. Bianca Haw and Danielle du Toit had to be content with fourth overall, however, as Hill and De Groot had done enough on the first two days to secure the final general classification podium place.
Stage 3 saw a third new team take fifth in the stage results. Veronika Weiss and Daniela Höfler, of the MTB Ladies by R-Suspension team, had their strongest day of the event, holding off Ila Stow and Steph Wohlters. Yet, the Fortress Real Estate Investments Efficient Infiniti team remained fifth on the final time sheets.
Final Leading Elite Women’s General Classification (after Stage 3)
Liv Sabi-Sabi Seattle Coffee e-Fort: Candice Lill & Tyler Jacobs (8:33:34)
e-Fort MB Race: Margot Moschetti & Claudia Peretti (8:45:44 | +12:10)
Efficient Infiniti Insure: Sarah Hill & Robyn de Groot (9:03:53 | +30:19)
Safari Essence Titan Racing: Bianca Haw & Danielle du Toit (9:15:00 | +41:26)
Fortress Real Estate Efficient Infiniti: Ila Stow & Steph Wohlters (9:27:27 | +53:53)
Stage 1 Results
Liv-Sabi Sabi Seattle Coffee e-Fort: Candice Lill & Tyler Jacobs (2:43:16)
e-Fort MB-Race: Margot Moschetti & Claudia Peretti (2:44:09 | +53)
Efficient Infiniti Insure: Sarah Hill & Robyn de Groot (2:49:30 | +6:14)
Safari Essence Titan Racing: Bianca Haw & Danielle du Toit (2:54:57 | +11:41)
Velo Kartell – 1 OF 1: Claudia Krenn & Malena Seer (2:56:51 | +13:35)
Stage 2 Results
Liv Sabi-Sabi Seattle Coffee e-Fort: Candice Lill & Tyler Jacobs (2:55:14)
e-Fort MB Race: Margot Moschetti & Claudia Peretti (3:00:40 | +5:26)
Efficient Infiniti Insure: Sarah Hill & Robyn de Groot (3:07:11 | +11:57)
Safari Essence Titan Racing: Bianca Haw & Danielle du Toit (3:13:40 | +18:26)
Fortress Real Estate Efficient Infiniti: Ila Stow & Steph Wohlters (3:16:24 | +21:10)
Stage 3 Results
Liv Sabi-Sabi Seattle Coffee e-Fort: Candice Lill & Tyler Jacobs (2:55:03)
e-Fort MB Race: Margot Moschetti & Claudia Peretti (3:00:54 | +5:51)
Safari Essence Titan Racing: Bianca Haw & Danielle du Toit (3:06:23 | +11:19)
Efficient Infiniti Insure: Sarah Hill & Robyn de Groot (3:07:10 | +12:07)
MTB Ladies by R-Suspension: Veronika Weiss & Daniela Höfler (3:07:15 | +12:12)
Original Copy: The IronMan Group, with editing by gsport
Main Photo Caption: South Africa’s top-performing women’s mountain bikers on the global stage, Candice Lill and Tyler Jacobs, wrapped up their third consecutive title at the FNB Wines2Whales MTB stage race with a perfect clean sweep of stage victories at the Lourensford Wine Estate in the Western Cape on Sunday, 2 November 2025. Photo: Dom Barnard
Photo 2 Caption: The Liv Sabi-Sabi Seattle Coffee e-Fort race leaders did not slow to take in the scenery, they only had eyes for the finish line and the conclusion of their 2025 seasons. Photo: Sam Clark
Photo 3 Caption: The French and Italian combination of Margot Moschetti and Claudia Peretti wrapped up their runner-up spot on the GC standings with a third third-place finish on Sunday. Photo: Sam Clark
Crédito: Link de origem