Ballito’s Tyler Jacobs and Candice Lill win third straight Wines2Whales title
After becoming the youngest winner in 2023, Jacobs is now the fastest to three titles.
Ballito’s Tyler Jacobs and teammate Candice Lill claimed their third straight win at the prestigious FNB Wines2Whales Chardonnay Race last weekend.
Since its launch in 2009, the race has become one of SA’s premier mountain bike stage events. The three-day, 191km race began on Friday, October 31, at Benguela Cove, and concluded on Sunday, November 2, at Lourensford Wine Estate in Somerset West.
Tyler (21) and Candice (33), who grew up on the KZN South Coast but now lives in Noordhoek, completed a clean sweep of all three stages for the third year in a row. The pair won with a time of 8:33:34, finishing 12 minutes and 10 seconds ahead of Margot Moschetti and Claudia Peretti of e-Fort MB Race.
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Racing for the Liv Sabi-Sabi Seattle Coffee e-Fort team, the win was a fitting end to the 2025 season for the pair. Candice is a member of the Elite Women’s South African Mountain Bike Team and a 2020 Tokyo Olympian.
“It’s a great feeling and very special to take the victory at FNB Wines2Whales,” said Tyler, who recently won bronze at the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Switzerland.
Stage 1 saw the duo recover from a wrong turn to secure the win. They extended their slim 53-second lead after Stage 2 to more than six minutes on the final day, cruising to another dominant title.
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“It’s always great to be here and to race with Tyler. I had a lot of fun and learned from her too. To win a race like this and end the season in style is extra special,” said Candice.
The North Coast rider made history in 2023 as the youngest W2W winner at just 19 years old. With last weekend’s win, she became the fastest to reach three titles, joining Jennie Stenerhag in third place on the all-time W2W winners’ list – behind only Robyn de Groot and Candice herself.
“I am happy with my performance and result. I have been fortunate to learn from Candice, but I am looking forward to going home for a break and a reset,” said Tyler.
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