The Ford Trailseeker Mountain Bike Series, the world’s biggest single-day mountain bike series, has announced a thrilling incentive for 2025. With a focus on rewarding endurance, strategy, and dedication, the series offers an impressive R100 000 prize to the elite male and female winners of the series marathon distance, determined by their best four out of six event results.
To further inspire peak performance, a R1 million performance bonus will be awarded to any Elite rider who manages the incredible feat of winning all six marathon distance events in the series.
Race Director Fritz Pienaar shared his enthusiasm for this bold initiative: “While the global market has embraced new disciplines like gravel racing, we remain firmly committed to supporting mountain bike racing in South Africa. Marathon racing has been the backbone of our mountain biking community for decades, providing a platform for riders to test their endurance, build skills, and prepare for stage races. With our series, we aim to celebrate this heritage, reward the men and women at the top of their field, and inspire riders to push their limits through tactical and dedicated racing.”

Marco Joubert got his 2025 Ford Trailseeker campaign off to a winning start and heads up the race for the R100 000 series winner’s prize. Photo by Max Sullivan.
In addition to the series prize and performance bonus, the per-event prize money structure remains unchanged, with winners of each marathon distance event walking away with R12 500.
The Ford Trailseeker Mountain Bike Series continues its tradition of highlighting the best riders with the iconic series leader jerseys, sponsored by Anatomic. These jerseys will be awarded to the series points leaders across the 70km marathon, 40km half-marathon, and 20km fun ride categories, ensuring recognition across all key distances.

Sara Cortinovis, of Ghost Factory Racing, leads the elite women’s field through the trails of the Banhoek Valley. Photo by Max Sullivan.
The 2025 series began with its first event in Banhoek, Western Cape, on 25 January. As is usually the case for the event outside Stellenbosch in the early season it featured a stellar elite field. The South Africans dominated the elite men’s race nonetheless and Marco Joubert (Imbuko ChemChamp) rode away with the first title of the Ford Trailseeker campaign. His teammate Tristan Nortje was second, with Marc Pritzen rounding out the podium. In the elite women’s race Jolanda Neff got her time with Cannondale Factory Racing off to a winning start, holding off Sara Cortinovis and Ana Santos. The first South African woman home was Bianca Haw in fifth.
Renowned for its family-friendly atmosphere, value-for-money races, and exceptional organisation, the Ford Trailseeker Mountain Bike Series continues to elevate mountain biking in South Africa. For more information and to register, visit www.trailseeker.co.za.