{"id":5707,"date":"2026-07-31T10:32:52","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T08:32:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.runridedive.com\/?p=5707"},"modified":"2026-07-31T10:32:52","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T08:32:52","slug":"battle-in-the-bushveld-awaits-at-the-ford-trailseeker-series","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.runridedive.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/31\/battle-in-the-bushveld-awaits-at-the-ford-trailseeker-series\/","title":{"rendered":"Battle in the Bushveld Awaits at the Ford Trailseeker Series"},"content":{"rendered":"
Die Bosveld, located just 20 kilometres north of central Pretoria, hosts round five of the 2026 Ford Trailseeker Series on Saturday, 1 August. The final Highveld leg of the series and the penultimate round for this season sees a field stacked with contenders for the overall title and the general classification podium, as well as racers in the hunt for a standout victory in the marathon discipline before returning to cross-country racing. Contenders for top honours in the battle of the bushveld include series leaders, Sarah Mar\u00e9 and Marc Pritzen, and their nearest rivals Samantha Sanders, Jaedon Terlouw, Roxanne Kemp, and Jan Withaar.<\/div>\n
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Photo by Diwan Krige: Jaedon Terlouw (left) and Marc Pritzen (right) are separated by 20 points with two rounds of the series left to race.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/div>\n
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As was the case in Sondela, on the 27th\u00a0of June, the Die Bosveld course is flat and fast. The Marathon route includes just 636 meters of climbing in 66.6 kilometres. That equates to just 9.55 metres of climbing per kilometre, nearly 18 metres of climbing per kilometre less than the arduous Wellington route, which will bring the 2026 Ford Trailseeker Series to its conclusion in September. The course, though lacking in long climbs, is not devoid of features for the favourites to launch attacks from. The first 25 kilometres are punctuated by three short, sharp climbs, each gaining nearly 100 metres in elevation. The descents that follow those three climbs, as well as the Ford Wildtrak section, 45 kilometres into the race, will reward the most technically adept riders… if they can get ahead near the top of the ascents.<\/div>\n
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A tactical battle, where absolute power will have to be deployed with an astute appreciation for rivals\u2019 strengths, is expected. In 2026, Marc Pritzen has repeatedly shown that he is not just one of the best climbers in South African cycling; he is also one of the country\u2019s most intelligent racers. At the top of the log, with 122 points, the Honeycomb 226ers rider leads Jeadon Terlouw by 20 points. In three of the four races thus far, Pritzen has bested Terlouw, but on a similarly fast course last time out, Terlouw sprinted to victory.<\/div>\n
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A repeat of that result would see Pritzen\u2019s lead slashed to just 10 points, which would set up a thrilling finale. In Die Bosveld, Pritzen will want to avoid additional final-day stress by adding to this advantage over Terlouw with his second Ford Trailseeker Series victory of the season. Especially as Wellington is Terlouw\u2019s adopted home, and the base of his Toyota Specialized Imbuko team.<\/div>\n
Jan Withaar is third overall on the 2026 leaderboard, but at 50 points behind the leader, he will have to rely on misfortune to move to within striking distance of victory. Pritzen and potentially Terlouw would have to not score points on Saturday for Withaar to have the opportunity to race for the R100\u00a0000 grand prize in Wellington on the 12th\u00a0of September. Wessel Botha and Johan van Zyl could help Withaar reduce the points Pritzen and Terlouw score on Saturday by engineering a clean sweep of the podium places for the Insect Science squad. That would, however, require luck, teamwork, and superb form to execute.<\/div>\n
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Team tactics could also come into play for Terlouw, who has Ignatius du Preez alongside him, in Toyota Specialized Imbuko colours. Ford Prime Bunch also have strength in depth and will be looking to upset the five-star favourites with Philip Buys, Pieter du Toit, and Michael Foster. Buys was fifth in the Sondela sprint, and third in Van Gaalen, showing that he has built strong form over the winter months. While Du Toit is slowly regaining form after a lengthy illness-enforced lay-off.<\/div>\n
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It is Foster that Pritzen and Co will be wary of, though. The 2024 and 2025 South African cross-country champion has been racing the UCI MTB World Series since his last Ford Trailseeker Series outing in January. Foster brings formidable power and a race-winning sprint to the start line, making him a rider to distance well before any potential bunch finish.<\/div>\n
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Ernest Roets, Travis Rademan-Ludeke, and Unathi Nxumalo should be in contention for a top ten placing if they can hold off riders like Pieter Korkie, Damon Terblanche, and Presmore Musundi. Lumardt Pienaar, Luan Vermeulen, Respect Ramashia, Alexander de Jonge, William Majapholo, Lethabo Happy, Mahlatse Ubisi, Kabelo France, Thembani Ngobeni, Molokela Modiba, and Selaelo Hlako complete the stacked start list.<\/div>\n
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In the elite women\u2019s race, the Efficient Infiniti Insure showdown continues. Sarah Mar\u00e9, Samantha Sanders, and the injured Vera Looser hold the top three places on the leaderboard. While both Sanders and Looser have missed two events each, Mar\u00e9 has been ever-present and consistent. Having started with an eighth-place finish in the Banhoek, Mar\u00e9 improved to fourth in the Cradle during round two, before claiming second in Van Gaalen, and her maiden victory of the 2026 campaign in Sondela. Scoring points in every race thus far has helped Mar\u00e9 build a 36-point buffer over Sanders and puts her firmly in control of the Ford Trailseeker Series leaderboard.<\/div>\n
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Sanders is arguably the favourite for victory in Die Bosveld, but Mar\u00e9 is brimming with confidence and will be tough to beat. Frances Janse van Rensburg, Roxanne Kemp, and Lillian Baber will be looking to upset the intra-team tussle between the Efficient Infiniti Insure riders, and contest for what would be a first Ford Trailseeker Series victory. Both Kemp and Baber have finished third already this season, while Janse van Rensburg was second last time out, and are looking ahead rather than focusing on the rivals chasing them down.<\/div>\n
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In Die Bosveld, the pair most likely to challenge for a breakthrough podium finish are Rachel Seaman and Sanchia Malan. Larissa Meintjes and Keara Botha will also be challenging for a stellar result, and would be happy with a top five against this field. Tania Bugarin Ortiz and Rozaan Bekker are also riders to watch, bringing experience and racing nous to the elite women\u2019s line-up.<\/div>\n
The 1st\u00a0of August is predicted to present perfect bike racing weather. The morning should start crisp, but temperatures are expected to rise from 7 degrees Celsius at sunrise to 20 degrees at midday. A light breeze from the southeast is unlikely to affect the real-feel unduly, especially on a course which will demand power through the pedals all race.<\/div>\n
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To share in the action from Die Bosveld, mountain biking fans can\u00a0follow\u00a0@trailseekerseriesmtb<\/u><\/a>\u00a0on Instagram and the\u00a0Ford Trailseeker MTB Series<\/u><\/a>\u00a0Facebook page for\u00a0regular updates, from\u00a007:30 on the Saturday. Highlights from the race and the series can be viewed on the\u00a0Ford Trailseeker Series<\/u><\/a>\u00a0YouTube channel. For more information, visit\u00a0www.trailseeker.co.za<\/u><\/a>.<\/div>\n
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2026 Ford Trailseeker Series Leaderboard<\/b><\/div>\n
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Elite Men\u2019s Standing after Round #4 of 6:<\/i><\/div>\n
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  1. Marc Pritzen: Honeycomb 226ers (122 points)<\/li>\n
  2. Jaedon Terlouw: Toyota Specialized Imbuko (102 | -20 points)<\/li>\n
  3. Jan Withaar: Insect Science (72 | -50 points)<\/li>\n
  4. Ignatius du Preez: Toyota Specialized Imbuko (65 | -57 points)<\/li>\n
  5. Philip Buys: Ford Prime Bunch (52 | -70 points)<\/li>\n
  6. Wessel Botha: Insect Science (51 | – 71 points)<\/li>\n
  7. Travis Rademan-Ludeke: Project Dream SA (43 | -79 points)<\/li>\n
  8. Arno du Toit: Insect Science (41 | -81 points)<\/li>\n
  9. Matthew Beers: Toyota Specialized (40 | -80 points) *<\/li>\n
  10. \n
    Unathi Nxumalo: Pump for Peace (35 | -87 points)<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    Elite Women\u2019s Standing after Round #4 of 6:<\/i><\/div>\n
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    1. Sarah Mar\u00e9: Efficient Infiniti Insure (106 points)<\/li>\n
    2. Samantha Sanders: Efficient Infiniti Insure (70 | -36 points)<\/li>\n
    3. Vera Looser: Efficient Infiniti Insure (62 | -44 points) *<\/li>\n
    4. Frances Janse van Rensburg: Cycle Nation Enza Construction (61 | -45 points)<\/li>\n
    5. Roxanne Kemp: Safari Essence Titan Racing (61 | -45 points)<\/li>\n
    6. Sanchia Malan: Index Property Solutions (59 | -47 points)<\/li>\n
    7. Danielle du Toit: Safari Essence Titan Racing (57 | -49 points)<\/li>\n
    8. Tania Bugarin Ortiz: Tshenolo Pro Cycling (52 | -54 points)<\/li>\n
    9. Candice Lill: Seattle Coffee Co Sabi Sabi Symbtech Consulting (40 | -66 points) *<\/li>\n
    10. \n
      Lilian Baber: Summerplace (34 | -72 points)<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Die Bosveld, located just 20 kilometres north of central Pretoria, hosts round five of the 2026 Ford Trailseeker Series on Saturday, 1 August. The final Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5708,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5707","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cycling"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.runridedive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5707","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.runridedive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.runridedive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.runridedive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.runridedive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5707"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.runridedive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5707\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5709,"href":"https:\/\/www.runridedive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5707\/revisions\/5709"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.runridedive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5708"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.runridedive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5707"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.runridedive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5707"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.runridedive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5707"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}