Ford TrailseekFord Trailseeker Brings Red Hot Racing to the Wildlife-Filled Cradle this Winterer Brings Red Hot Racing to the Wildlife-Filled Cradle this Winter
As the cold of winter starts to bite, the Ford Trailseeker returns, bringing red-hot mountain bike racing to Gauteng’s outdoor playground, the Cradle of Humankind. On Saturday, the 2nd of May, Cradle Moon Lakeside Game Lodge will host round two of the series, and along with 2 000 avid amateur mountain bikers, a selection of Southern Africa’s top talent will take to the start line. Along with the promise of wildlife sighting from the bike, entrants can take to the trails with Marc Pritzen, Wessel Botha, Philip Buys, Vera Looser, Hayley Preen, and Samantha Sanders.
Cradle Moon, famed for its singletrack, is just half an hour west of the city. Great riding is just part of the attraction; giraffe, wildebeest, zebra, blesbok, and rhino roam the reserve. The marathon distance course, for round two of the Ford Trailseeker Series, takes in a 62.2-kilometre-long route, with 1 321 metres of accumulated ascent. The climbing comes in a series of short, sharp tests, aside from the Raptor Rampage segment, to the highest point of the day at 1 524 metres above sea level. The event also boasts a 36-kilometre Half Marathon, a 19-kilometre Half Marathon Short route, and a 9.5-kilometre Fun Ride, ensuring that the Cradle will be a hive of family-friendly mountain biking all morning.
The elite men’s contenders for victory and podium places on Saturday include Pritzen, Buys, and Botha. With Felix Stehli, Arno du Toit, Jan Withaar, Jaedon Terlouw, and Keagan Bontekoning also highly fancied to produce a top result. Of the six, Pritzen’s recent form has been the most impressive. The Honeycomb 226ers rider has recently returned from his first race in the Lifetime Grand Prix series, in the United States of America, where he finished 13th. He is also the highest-ranked starter on the Ford Trailseeker Series standings, having placed second to Matt Beers in the opening round of the 2026 series in January.
Other men to watch include Ford Prime Bunch’s Pieter du Toit and Pump for Peace’s Unathi Nxumalo. Up-and-coming talents, Tayne Rudling, Ernest Roets, Jordan Boshoff, Jean Du Plessis, Travis Rademan-Ludeke, Raymond Wagener, Jayden Naude, Wesley Boshoff, Luan Vermeulen, and Adriaan Myburgh will be looking to upset some of the more fancied names on the start list with a top ten finish.
Heading into the second round of the Ford Trailseeker Series, Pritzen has 30 points. Terlouw is on 12, Botha on 10, and Buys is a further 3 back on 7. With 40 points on the line for victory and in the absence of the international stars who used the Banhoek round to kick off their 2026 seasons, Saturday could prove vital in the battle for the overall crown. The series instituted a simplified elite points scoring system for 2026, with every race boasting prize money as well as points towards a R100 000 reward for excellence across the year.
In addition to the grand prize, there is R30 000 for second place and R15 000 for third place on the line too, as well as R15 000, R10 000, and R5 000 for first, second, and third in each event. This prize purse has kept Looser in South Africa, brought Preen back from the United States, and inspired Sanders to race a warm-up event in the Cradle in April. Namibia’s Efficient Infiniti Insure star is soon set to depart for a European marathon racing campaign, but with a 2-point lead on Preen, could add to her Ford Trailseeker Series advantage before doing so by winning on Saturday.
Doing so will be a challenge, however, as the ChemChamp Honeycomb rider returns from Sea Otter in California, high on confidence following a stellar sixth-place finish. Sanders will also be tough to beat, as the defending Ford Trailseeker Cradle champion, having raced on some of the same trails just two weeks before.
Sarah Maré, Tania Bugarin Ortiz, Danielle du Toit, Roxanne Kemp, Karlise Scheepers, and Sancia Malan are contenders for a podium place, if all goes well, and a top-five position should the day not play out in their favour. Megan Boshoff and Luzaan Durand complete the elite women’s line-up, and, like the young men in the elite men’s race, will be eager to cause an upset.
Beyond the racing warming weather conditions should ensure a fun morning out for all. After light rain earlier in the week, the prediction is positive for race day. A morning low of 11 rises to 21 by midday, showcasing why winter on the highveld is the perfect time for bike races. To watch the elite action heat up as the mercury rises, follow @trailseekerseriesmtb on Instagram and like the Ford Trailseeker MTB Series Facebook page. Highlights from the race and the series can be viewed on the Ford Trailseeker Series YouTube channel. For more information, visit www.trailseeker.co.za.
