The First Tankwa 3 Day Trek

Team Wilde participated in the very first Tankwa three-day international mountain bike stage race from 15 - 17 February '13.  The stages were set in the scenic Witzenberg Valley, Ceres Valley and Kouebokkeveld and totaled an impressive 253km.  Our very own Kabous Marra (MD of Wilde - Left) and his son in law, Jacques Groenewald (Right) successfully finished the 3 day race with a total time of 16:47:11 in the Overall Teams category.

Waylon Woolcock and Lourens Luus of Team RE:CM produced a perfectly balanced display of racing to win the Tankwa Trek that ended on Sunday in the Ceres region of South Africa’s Western Cape province.

It was a hard-fought win for the pair as they had to battle against some of the country’s strongest two-man teams and challenging terrain in what turned into an ideal build-up race for next month’s ABSA Cape Epic, the world’s most prestigious mountain bike stage in the same region.

Luus (21) and Woolcock (30) gained the overall lead late on Saturday’s Stage 2, which they then successfully defended on Sunday’s final stage. Second overall was the Cannondale Blend Properties pair of Darren Lill and Charles Keey with Oliver Munnik and Timo Cooper (GT Bridge Momsen) rounding out the podium places.

“We were half a minute off Lill and Keey after Stage 1 and on Stage 2 we knew they’d be giving it everything on the big climb that the race organisers dubbed the Merino Monster. We were right and we managed to stay with them to the summit. They’re strong climbers so it was pretty tough,” recalled Woolcock.

The Merino Monster incorporates 25km of ascent, but not all constant. The toughest part is an eight-kilometre section with a 12% gradient, which is where the race split properly, effectively turning it a two-team contest.

On the rough nine-kilometre descent that followed, Woolcock and Luus took some risks to open up a lead, which turned out to be the race-deciding move.

“Lill pretty much stayed with us, but Keey wasn’t as confident on the descent. At the bottom, with about 15km to the finish on district gravel roads, Lourens and I turned ourselves inside out and managed to win the stage and take the overall lead, which we then defended with some cautious riding today,” said Woolcock.

Hanlie Booyens and Ischen Stopforth, both experienced stage racers, teamed up to win the Women’s title, while Billy Stelling and his British teammate, Jane Neussli (BMC/Market on the Wharf) claimed the Mixed title. In the Solo division, Nico Pfitzenmaier (Bridge Momsen) secured the men’s crown, while Yolande de Villiers (Toyota Supercycling) claimed the women’s title.

“What an amazing event!” said Woolcock. “Besides spectacular race routes, the accommodation and catering were superb. Actually, that’s the best catering I’ve experienced at any bicycle race. I think this is going to become a really sought after race.”

"The Tankwa Trek is a fantastic event. I loved the singletrack on Stage 3 especially. It's a very good preparation race for the Cape Epic from a conditions perspective and the timing is spot-on," said Nussli, who will tackle the 2013 edition of the Cape Epic with Esther Suss to challenge for the women's category title.

“With just under 100 riders, we had a relatively small field, but that suited us for the first event,” said Carel Herholdt of Dryland Events, the organisers.“It was still a high quality field that experienced a new, challenging, late-summer stage race through amazing scenery, just over two hours drive from Cape Town.”

View spectacular stage 1, 2 and 3 video footage produced by BigShot Media by clicking on the stages below:

Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3 - Coming soon

Tankwa Trek 2013Final General Classification after Stage 3

Men Teams: 

1 Lourens Luus/Waylon Woolcock (RE:CM) 10:05:05
2 Charles Keey/Darren Lill (Cannondale Blend) 10:06:28
3 Oliver Munnik/Timo Cooper (GT Bridge Momsen) 10:22:45
4 Hannes Hanekom/SakkieHanekom (Welgemeen Boerdery) 10:49:16
5 Jandri Ferreira/Bennie Pretorius (Cornerstone Cycles) 11:51:06

Women Teams: 

1 Ischen Stopforth/Hanlie Booyens (Hanlie & Ischen) 12:25:08
2 Eulogy Du Plessis/Maritza Terblanche (Cycle Lab Tours) 15:52:00
3 Kathy Crabbe/Wendy Potgieter (Abbvie Girls) 16:06:45

Mixed Teams: 

1 Jane Nuessli/Billy Stelling (BMC Market on the Wharf) 11:22:30
2 Craig Gerber/Jennie Stenerhag (Newline Focus) 11:55:47
3 Katerina Slegrova/James Chevallier (Cycle Training Ladies) 13:23:24

Solo Male: 

1 Nico Pfitzenmaier 10:25:22
2 Abraao Azevedo 10:25:25
3 Robert Sim 10:57:01

Solo Female: 

1 Yolande De Villiers 12:01:14
2 Ann Harrison 12:41:02
3 Amanda Brooks 13:36:11

For full General Classification and daily stage results, visit www.tankwatrek.co.za 

For spectacular footage of the event, visit www.bigshotmedia.co.za

Compliments to www.oakpics.com for their great pictures.

Have a Wilde day!

T-Shirts for Hasieland Play School

Wilde 100% Fruit Juice sponsored the cute children of Hasieland Play School in Durbanville with purple T-shirts.  This will help them stand out in a crowd while on school outings, so they can't hop away un-noticed.

Hasieland Play School gave us this sweet reply:

We wish all the children and staff of Hasieland Speelskool a Wilde year ahead.

If you're looking for a great play school for your child in the Durbanville area, please call Mathilda on 021 976 0733 for details.

Have a Wilde Valentine's Day

It's that time of the year where we all show how much we love our special someone.  We all show them in our own, sometimes unique, way.  There was once a man who showed his endearing love for his wife by arranging with a florist that a bouquet of flowers be delivered to her every Valentine's Day after his death, with a note reading "My love for you is eternal" *sniff sniff*.

But let's face it, Valentine's Day often comes down to a fancy dinner and a romantic movie where the gentlemen have to grin and bare it.  So here is a top 5 list of our favourite Valentine's Day movies you can snuggle up with your loved one on the couch and enjoy:

5. When Harry Met Sally (1989):

A great story where an unlikely chemistry develops over the course of a decade between a fun-loving Harry (Billy Crystal) and Type-A Sally (Meg Ryan).

4. Crazy Stupid Love (2011):

This star studded, witty movie is a reminder that love is still a journey and not a destination.  It shows that even the highest betrayal is still trumped by an enduring love.

3. Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)

Based on a best selling book by the same name, you will be in stitches from laughing with this outstanding performance by Renée Zellweger. She plays the role of an awkward singleton who keeps a diary and narrates her inner most thoughts from it.  To her surprise, she finds herself in an awkward love triangle with an apparently smug lawyer (Colin Firth) and her rather dashing boss (Hugh Grant).

2. Titanic (1997):

Being the favourite of many and scoring billions at the box office, Titanic remains one of the highest grossing films to date. This heart breaking love story transcends circumstance and class and shows that even extreme opposites do attract and that even a brief moment of love can live a lifetime in ones memories.

1. Ghost (1990):

When Sam (Patrick Swayze) is suddenly taken away from his wife, Molly Jensen (Demi Moore), in a botched mugging, he returns as a Ghost to right a few wrongs with the help of a skittish medium Oda Mae Brown (Whoopi Goldberg). This ageless masterpiece begs the question - Who says love can't last forever?

We wish you a very romantic evening with your loved one.

 - Team Wilde

99er Cycle Tour 2013

Wilde 100% Fruit Juice is one of the proud product sponsors of the 99er Cycle Tour which is taking place at the Durbanville Race Course tomorrow, 9 February. The 99er Cycle Race started in 1999, hence the name, and was planned to host a 99km race but has since grown to cater for a broader group of cyclists.  It is the third largest cycling event in the Western Cape and is an official Premier Seeding event for the 2014 Cape Argus Pick 'n Pay Cycle Tour.

The 99er Cycle Race sports four routes, namely a 108 km and 64 km road route and a 24km and 12km MTB route.  The main road event (108km) starts at 06h00 and the main MTB event (24km) starts at 07h50.  The fundraising part of this lekker event has been taken to a new level this year with GivenGain giving participants, as well as their friends and family, the opportunity to join their fundraising initiatives to help raise funds for the many charities around the world.

For more information about the 99er Cycle Tour, please click here.  For more information on how to joing GivenGain, please click here.  Come on down to support the riders and to share the day with some lekker people. We hope to see you there!

Touchies, Kenton Style

The 2012 GameOn Kenton Touchies Tournament was a great success where several teams battled it out in superb weather for top honours.  The event is great for friends and family wanting to spend a day at the beach with good company and a great activity, touchies! 

The cup winners were  team Jolly Dolphin's and the runners up were team Tom & Jerries.  The plate winners were team Pam Golding Dragons and the runners up were team Sunshine Coast Spar.  Congratulations to you all!  

Wilde was more than happy to provide Wilde 100% Fruit Juice to keep the players well hydrated for the duration of the tournament.  Missed out on the action?  Visit the GameOn touchies Facebook fan page for more information by clicking here.

Dieter at D'Aria

Dieter Voigt continues to warm our hearts by taking his spare time and own financial resources to brighten up the lives of children in the lead up to Christmas.  Dieter and Lifestyle Boot Camp enjoyed a day filled with sporting activities with the farm children of D'Aria who all received Christmas goodie bags containing various nutritious items including Wilde 100% Fruit Juice.

We would like to thank Dieter for choosing Wilde, his continued support for our brand and helping those in need.  A little generosity goes a long way!

To view Dieter's Facebook Fan page or website, please click here or here.