Stage 1 | FNB Wines2Whales Shiraz 

The opening stage of the final event of the 2023 FNB Wines2Whales Switchback lived up to the pre-race billing. Cannondale Factory Racing and Imbuko Giant took it to the line with Alan Hatherly and Simon Andreassen edging out Marco Joubert and Wessel Botha. Behind them Felix Stehli endured a mechanical and a crash to come home third, alongside defending champion Konny Looser. Friday, 27 October, was just an appetiser though for what is to come in the Shiraz race.
Soft drizzle fell on Lourensford Wine Estate as the teams prepared to take on the Shiraz course. The stage would be 56 kilometres long with 1 300 metres of climbing. Longer steadier climbs made up the opening kilometres, with punchier efforts required in the second half of the day’s route. These short, sharp, climbs provided the launching pad for Hatherly and Andreassen.