Sarah Maré Wins at Sondela to Seize Ford Trailseeker Series Lead

Sarah Maré’s Ford Trailseeker Series consistency paid off in the Sondela Nature Reserve on Saturday, 27 June, as she seized race victory and the overall general classification lead. The fast course might not have played to the Efficient Infiniti Insure rider’s strengths, but she had produced a classy ride nonetheless in cold conditions. In the elite men’s race, a fierce four-way fight, that swelled to five in the closing kilometres, looked set to produce a reduced bunch sprint. Jaedon Terlouw showed his Ride Joburg winning sprint, kicked early, and wheelied across the line in first to gain points on the series leader, Marc Pritzen.

The fourth round of the 2026 Ford Trailseeker Series had the five-star favourites nervous on the start line. “Sondela is a race anyone can win,” Marc Pritzen predicted before lining up. “It’s a tricky one for me [due to the limited metres of elevation gain], but I’m always going to give it a shot.” With just 588 metres of climbing over the 66.7-kilometre Marathon course, there were no significant climbs for Pritzen, Jaedon Terlouw, or Sarah Maré to use to whittle down the group. Thus, they had to be creative and keep the pressure on their rivals throughout.

Maré had started the week as the second string to Efficient Infiniti Insure’s bow. She has, however, built formidable resilience over her decade of elite racing in South Africa. Seldom suffering from illness or injury allows Maré to race throughout the season, and this, as much as the form she has shown in recent months put her in a position to capitalize on her teammates’ absence.

“Sam [Samantha Sanders] phoned me yesterday to tell me she was sick and wouldn’t be racing,” Maré recounted. “The amazing thing about our Efficient Infiniti Insure team is how we support each other throughout the year, in racing and training, but when we race head-to-head, we go all-out to win, fairly. Sam told me I have two jobs for today: To win the race and to take the overall series lead. I’ve never targeted the leader’s jersey in the Ford Trailseeker Series before, so chasing it today is a big extra motivation for me!”

That motivation did not prevent Maré from racing intelligently. She allowed the early kilometres to pass at a steady pace before upping the tempo, alongside Danielle du Toit, on the first long drag of the day. The steady gradient and the pair’s climbing speed shed riders from the group until they went clear. Behind Frances Janse van Rensburg, still racing under her maiden name rather than Swanepoel, and Roxanne Kemp formed a chase group but never saw the front of the race again.

In the singletrack that followed, Dut Toit punctured, which cost her two places on the trails and the opportunity to fight Maré for victory. With 35 kilometres to race, Maré was leading solo and did not look back, taking the victory by 64 seconds. “I had one job today, and that was to see if I could take the win. I knew doing so would bring with it the overall lead of the Ford Trailseeker Series. And I’m so happy to say that I’ve done it,” an elated Maré grinned.

“I was so disappointed for Danielle [du Toit] when she punctured,” Maré added. “I was really looking forward to racing her. Then in the second half of the race, I knew France [Janse van Rensburg] was chasing me. She’s a phenomenal time trialist, and I could feel her coming. I’m so glad I could hang on to take the win. It feels really good!”

Janse van Rensburg was second. “I’m super happy with my day,” she smiled. “I lost Danielle [du Toit] and Sarah [Maré] on the first climb, when I got caught up in some sand. When I looked up, they were gone, and from then on it was time trialling all the way. I caught up with Roxy [Roxanne Kemp], and we passed Danielle in the forest when she had her mechanical. And towards the end, I could see Sarah, but I took a little wrong turn and couldn’t catch her.”

Kemp completed the top three, just 4 seconds ahead of her Safari Essence Titan Racing teammate Du Toit. Rachel Seaman completed a good day for the Cycle Nation Enza Construction team, adding a fifth-place finish to the second Janse van Rensburg achieved. Tania Bugarin Ortiz was sixth on the day, with Mari Rabie seventh, Sanchia Malan eighth, Bianca Nel ninth, and Lianke Fourie rounded out the elite women’s top ten at Sondela.

The elite men’s race also saw a large group covering the opening kilometres together. As in the women’s race, the first climb and the singletrack descent that followed proved key. “Going up the fence climb Wessel [Botha] made a bit of a mistake and we came to a complete stop,” race winner Jaedon Terlouw explained. “Unfortunately, I was stuck behind Wessel, and Marc [Pritzen] attacked there and was solo for about 5 kilometres.”

“I had to chase hard and pulled a small group back to Marc. Wessel missed that initial split, but then somehow he managed to make it back with about 10 kilometres to go. I’m not sure how he did! When I saw him catching us, I told the group we needed to work, and we did, but he still caught us,” Terlouw explained.

That group had consisted of Terlouw, Pritzen, Jan Withaar, and Ford Prime Bunch’s Philip Buys. The addition of a second Insect Science rider in the finale could have complicated matters for Terlouw, but he had learnt from his 2025 mistake. “I said this morning that I felt you needed to lead into the final corner, so that was my goal for the finish,” Terlouw stated.

Having taken a flyer, with 500 meters to go, on the long drag towards the ninety-degree right-hander, Terlouw led into the corner by two bike lengths. This allowed him to pick the fastest line and power out of the corner before Pritzen, Botha, Withaar, and Buys could get back on the pedals. Crossing the line, Terlouw had the time to pop onto his back wheel for an iconic celebration.

Pritzen was second, Botha was third despite his 37-kilometre solo chase, Withaar finished fourth, and Buys had to settle for fifth. Unathi Nxumalo was sixth on the day, holding off Pieter du Toit in a sprint. Travis Rademan-Ludeke added 14 points to his overall total with an eighth-place finish, while Jean du Plessis and Stephan Aldum rounded out the top ten.

The Ford Trailseeker Series reconvenes in Die Bosveld, just north of Pretoria, on Saturday, 1 August, for the fifth round of the 2026 campaign. Like the Sondela leg, Die Bosveld features a fast and largely flat route, which negates the advantage of the stronger climbers and could lead to an open, unpredictable race. To share in the excitement from the course, by entering the penultimate race of the series, visit www.trailseeker.co.za.

To recap on all the action from the Sondela round of the Ford Trailseeker Series, mountain biking fans can follow @trailseekerseriesmtb on Instagram or like the Ford Trailseeker MTB Series Facebook page. Highlights from Sondela and every race of the series can be viewed on the Ford Trailseeker Series YouTube channel.