Samantha Sanders and Alexis Skarda (Efficient Infiniti Scott Shimano) won the Elite Women’s race at the 2026 FNB Wines2Whales Chardonnay, overturning an early advantage held by Katazina Sosna-Pinelė and Giorgia Marchet (Torpado Kenda FSA) to secure the overall title after three stages of racing.

The opening 61km stage from Lourensford Wine Estate to Oak Valley Estate saw Torpado Kenda FSA claim their second victory in as many days, having also won the Prologue. The decisive move came on the historic Gantouw Pass, where Sosna-Pinelė and Marchet made better progress up the rocky wagon trail to open a gap of almost a minute over Sanders and Skarda.

However, Efficient Infiniti Scott Shimano made up the time on the technical descents and flowing singletrack, bringing the leading teams back together with around 20km remaining. The stage eventually came down to a sprint, with Sosna-Pinelė and Marchet edging out Sanders and Skarda for the win. Sarah Mare and Lilian Baber (Efficient Infiniti Insure) finished third.

Stage 2, a 64km loop through Oak Valley’s trail network, brought a change at the top of the general classification. Skarda set the pace before Vissie’s Magic, with Sanders bridging across after her teammate’s attack had split the leading group. The pair gradually extended their advantage over Torpado Kenda FSA to two minutes by the time they reached the new PC Play Park, 46km into the stage.

With just eight kilometres to go, racing at full speed on a descent, Sanders and Skarda overshot a turn and were forced to climb back up to the route as the chasing teams rapidly closed the gap, but the pair managed to hold on to win by 29 seconds. The result was enough to move them into the overall lead, with Torpado Kenda FSA second. Mare and Baber finished third again, moving into third on general classification ahead of e-Fort’s Margot Moschetti and Costanza Fasolis.

With just 29.6 seconds separating the top two teams, the 63km final stage from Oak Valley to Benguela Cove was set up for a close contest. Sanders and Skarda attacked early, but their rivals stayed in touch as the route climbed towards Houw Hoek.

The race took another turn at the foot of the Katpas descent when Marchet was forced to stop after a stick became lodged in her derailleur. Torpado Kenda FSA lost time, but a second navigation error by Sanders and Skarda near Beaumont Wines allowed them to regain contact. The leading pairs were together again by the second water point at Genevieve MCC.

The decisive move came on the climb alongside Karwyderskraal Road, around 46km into the stage. Sanders and Skarda finally managed to break clear and extended their advantage over the remaining kilometres to Benguela Cove, taking the stage win by more than a minute and securing the overall Elite Women’s title.

Sosna-Pinelė and Marchet finished second overall, while Mare and Baber completed the podium in third, rounding off three consistent days of racing with another third-place stage finish.

Click here for the full results.

Next in the Wines2Whales trilogy is the Pinotage, which takes places from 9 – 11 November, where E-Bikes take centre stage.

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