After three rounds of the 2026 Ford Trailseeker Series, Samantha Sanders and Marc Pritzen lead the race for the R100 000 grand prize. The Efficient Infiniti Insure team’s dominance at the top of the elite women’s leaderboard means that Sanders’ fiercest competition for the Sondela event, on Saturday, 27 June, and the overall series will likely come from her teammate, Sarah Maré. Pritzen faces stiff competition from Jaedon Terlouw in the general classification showdown as well as Philip Buys, Jan Withaar, and Wessel Botha in Limpopo this weekend.
The Sondela Marathon course presents a unique challenge in that it features no significant climbs. With just 588 meters of climbing over the 66.7-kilometre route, it will be fast, with team tactics perhaps playing a role. For a powerful all-rounder like Samantha Sanders, creating an early gap and forcing her rivals to cooperate or chase individually could be the key to success.
The Marathon course at the Sondela leg of the Ford Trailseeker Series features precious few meters of elevation gain.
Leading the standings with a victory and a second-place finish to her name, Sanders holds 70 points with three events to go. Sondela represents a superb opportunity for the 2025 South African Marathon Champion to draw clear of Maré, though the course for the fourth round will make doing so difficult. Maré, for her part, needs to better any result Sanders achieves to keep the battle alive.
The fight for victory at Sondela will not be limited to the Efficient Infiniti Insure riders, however. Frances Janse van Rensburg returns to the Ford Trailseeker Series after missing the Van Gaalen race at the start of June. The double South African Road Champion is a fierce competitor, and the flowing trails of the Nature Reserve will allow her to put her formidable power down and stick with the women who focus on mountain biking rather than split their time between road and off-road.
Sarah Maré, Samantha Sanders’ Efficient Infiniti Insure teammate, is poised to capitalise on any mistake the leader makes in the final three races of the 2026 series.
Tania Burgarin Ortiz, Sanchia Malan, and Roxanne Kemp will also recommence their battle. Malan and Kemp are separated by just 9 points in the overall standings. A top-five finish for Malan will move her into third on the leaderboard, ahead of the injured Vera Looser. While Kemp could close the gap on Malan and move to within striking distance of the general classification top three with a third-place finish. Burgarin Ortiz is further down the standings, but as she showed at Van Gaalen is tough to beat on the High Veld. Burgarin Ortiz and Kemp look particularly evenly matched, and both will be keen to get the better of the other this time around.
Kemp’s Safari Essence Titan Racing teammate, Danielle du Toit, is an exciting addition to the fray. Having placed third at the Cradle round of the Ford Trailseeker Series before taking a mid-season break from racing. Her form is an unknown quantity, but her class as a bike racer suggests that she will be in the hunt for a top-five finish.
The battle between Roxanne Kemp (leading), Sanchia Malan, and Tania Burgarin Ortiz is likely to be as fascinating and perhaps even more closely contested at Sondela. Photo by Arnon George van der Spuy.
Luzaan Durand leads the charge for the young guns and looks to be on the cusp of a top-five finish in the elite women’s competition. She will, however, have to see off Lianke Fourie, Megan Boschoff, Bianca Botha, and Caitlin Mee to do so. Keara Botha, Larissa Meintjes, and Ali Erskine round out the elite women’s Sondela start list.
In the elite men’s competition, Marc Pritzen holds a handy 27-point advantage over Ignatius du Preez. Du Preez is not slated to start on Saturday, meaning that Pritzen will likely go head-to-head with Jaedon Terlouw once more. In May and June, the pair have been closely matched at the Ford Trailseeker Series events in the Cradle and Van Gaalen. Yet the Sondela route is unlikely to allow for a two-way tussle for victory.
Marc Pritzen (leading) and Jaedon Terlouw lit up the Ford Trailseeker Series at the Cradle and Van Gaalen. A resumption of their hostilities brings real intrigue to the showdown in Sondela. Photo by Michael Nieuwoudt.
In 2025, Johan de Villiers won from an eight-rider group, and Saturday is likely to see another sprint finish. If that is the case, Pritzen will fancy his road pedigree to aid his cause, though Terlouw outsprinted Ryan Gibbons to win Ride Joburg and will fancy himself, too. As will Philip Buys, the rider Jan Withaar was most concerned about in the run-in towards the Van Gaalen finish line.
Withaar and his Insect Science teammates, Wessel Botha and Keagan Bontekoning, might therefore have to shake up how the finale unfolds if the rise through the Ford Raptor Sprint, 4 kilometres from the finish, does not split the group. Travis Rademan-Ludeke, Halalisani Ndebele, Andre van Rooyen, and Damon Terblanche could benefit from the favourites marking each other’s moves in a chaotic finale.
Insect Science has the strength in depth, thanks to three riders on the elite men’s start list to use team tactics to determine how the race plays out. Photo by Arnon George van der Spuy.
Ford Prime Bunch’s Pieter du Toit returns to racing at Sondela. His many fans will be eager to see if he can return to top-ten form. Pieter Korkie, Tabiso Zindela, and Jean du Plessis are also chasing a similar result, though with the stacked line-up, achieving it will be tough. The trio will have to beat Mothekgi Makgatho, Stephan Aldum, Thembani Njobeni, and Mahlatse Ubisi to do so. As well as Diwan Prinsloo, Wium du Toit, Luan Vermeulen, Liam Hoffmann, Lumardt Pienaar, Lethabo Happy, Felix Rogotzki, Gerhard Bekker, and Kevin Scholtz.
Weather predictions for Saturday indicate a cold start, with the mercury only rising later in the afternoon. What winter sunshine lacks in intensity, the Ford Trailseeker Series racing will certainly bring, though. So mountain biking fans not making the trip to Sondela to ride themselves can follow the action, via regular updates, on Instagram, @trailseekerseriesmtb, or on the Ford Trailseeker MTB Series Facebook page from 07:30 on the 27th of June. 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.
Wildlife viewing from the bike is one of the riding highlights of cycling in Sondela Nature Reserve. Photo by Arnon George van der Spuy.
2026 Ford Trailseeker Series Leaderboard
Elite Men’s Standing after Round #3 of 6:
- Marc Pritzen: Honeycomb 226ers (92 points)
- Ignatius du Preez: Toyota Specialized Imbuko (65 | -27 points)
- Jaedon Terlouw: Toyota Specialized Imbuko (62 | -30 points)
- Jan Withaar: Insect Science (50 | -42 points)
- Arno du Toit: Insect Science (41 | -51 points)
- Matthew Beers: Toyota Specialized (40 | -50 points) *
- Philip Buys: Ford Prime Bunch (32 | -60 points)
- Travis Rademan-Ludeke: Project Dream SA (29 | -63 points)
- Wessel Botha: Insect Science (26 | – 66 points)
- Luke Moir: Mondraker Factory Racing (25 | -67 points) *
Along with the Marathon, the Sondela Round of the Ford Trailseeker Series also hosts a Half-Marathon, Half-Marathon Short, Fun Ride, and E-Bike Half Marathon. Photo by Ford South Africa.
Elite Women’s Standing after Round #3 of 6:
- Samantha Sanders: Efficient Infiniti Insure (70 points)
- Sarah Maré: Efficient Infiniti Insure (66 | -4 points)
- Vera Looser: Efficient Infiniti Insure (62 | -8 points) *
- Sanchia Malan: Index Property Solutions (45 | -25 points)
- Candice Lill: Seattle Coffee Co Sabi Sabi Symbtech Consulting (40 | -30 points) *
- Roxanne Kemp: Safari Essence Titan Racing (36 | -34 points)
- Lilian Baber: Summerplace (34 | -36 points)
- Luzaan Durand: (30 | -40 points)
- Tyler Jacobs: Liv Factory Racing (30 | -40 points) *
- Alessandra Keller: Thömus Maxon (25 | -45 points) *
* Unlikely to race again in the Ford Trailseeker Series this year.
In 2025, the Sondela round of the Ford Trailseeker Series saw a large group fight it out for much of the race before an eight-rider sprint determined the day’s victor. Photo by Arnon George van der Spuy.
