Cradle of Humankind hosts thrilling Trailseeker showdowns
Round 2 of the Ford Trailseeker Series delivered high-intensity racing in the Cradle of Humankind, where Marc Pritzen and Vera Looser emerged victorious in the elite mountain bike marathon events.
A classic highveld winter’s day started cool, then warmed throughout the morning, providing perfect riding conditions for 2 000 avid mountain bikers who took on round two of the Ford Trailseeker Series in the Cradle of Humankind on May 2.
South African marathon champion, Marc Pritzen, dominated the trails of the Cradle Moon Lakeside Game Lodge, winning the elite men’s race over Jaedon Terlouw and Ignatius du Preez. In the elite women’s race, African marathon champion Vera Looser emerged from a race-long battle with her Efficient Infiniti Insure teammate, Samantha Sanders, to win by just 36 seconds.
Pritzen was able to establish an early lead, within the first 15km of the 62km course, escaping off the front of a strong men’s field with Terlouw and Arno du Toit.
“I haven’t ridden a single track since March,” the race winner laughed.
“I had to get out in front and set my own pace, rather than stay in the group where the yo-yo effect would have taken its toll.
“I managed my first proper training ride just recently, after travelling back from California and the Lifetime Grand Prix. This whole week, my legs had been nowhere, so I didn’t know how I’d feel this morning,” Pritzen confessed.
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Despite this uncertainty, once it was clear that he was on a good day, Pritzen put the hammer down.
With short and sharp climbs coming back to back, the Honeycomb 226ers rider accelerated away from his breakaway companions, Terlouw and Du Toit, with 37km remaining.
“I pushed to get away early, and I’m happy to have been able to take the victory here,” Pritzen said.
Behind Pritzen, Terlouw kept pushing to remain ahead of the chasers and finished three minutes down. Du Preez rode his way into podium contention in the back half of the course. Having reeled in Insect Science’s Du Toit, Du Preez showed his formidable finishing kick to out-sprint the rider who had held third for much of the day.
Du Toit had to be content with fourth. His Insect Science teammate, Jan Withaar, completed in the top five. Travis Rademan-Ludeke was sixth, ahead of Wessel Botha, Tayne Rudling, Jordan Boshoff and Keagan Bontekoning.
In the women’s race, Looser and Sanders were a cut above their competition. Sarah Maré aided her Efficient Infiniti Insure teammates in the first 10km, setting the early tempo, but when the climbing began in earnest, Looser and Sanders ascended into an unassailable lead.
After racing together for 25km, Sanders established what could have been a vital advantage near the end of the Ford Raptor Rampage segment, with 27km remaining. Yet Looser dug deep to close the gap and keep the battle alive. At the top of the final climb, 3km from the finish, Looser made the race-winning move.
“I managed to get into the last singletrack, at the summit of the last climb, ahead of Sam [Sanders],” Looser explained.
She added, “In the mud, you really had to focus on riding clean, so being in front was a big advantage. I tried to put pressure on her on the descent towards the finish, and I’m happy to take the win. But I’m also really happy to see Sam so strong, as we’ll be teaming up next week and Dani [Danielle du Toit] coming back to form.”
Sanders crossed the line 36 seconds behind Looser. A resurgent Du Toit finished third on the day, seeing off Maré and Frances Jansen van Rensburg. Luzaan Durand, Tania Bester, Roxanne Kemp, Caitlin Mee and Karlise Scheepers completed the top ten places in the elite women’s competition.
Ford Trailseeker Series Round 2 results:
Elite men’s marathon:
1. Marc Pritzen: Honeycomb 226ers (2 hours, 31 minutes and 24 seconds)
2. Jaedon Terlouw: Toyota Specialized Imbuko (2:34:24 | +3:00)
3. Ignatius du Preez: Toyota Specialized Imbuko (2:34:59 | +3:35)
4. Arno du Toit: Insect Science (2:35:03 | +3:39)
5. Jan Withaar: Insect Science (2:36:21 | +4:57)
Elite women’s marathon:
1. Vera Looser: Efficient Infiniti Insure (3:04:34)
2. Samantha Sanders: Efficient Infiniti Insure (3:05:10 | +36)
3. Danielle du Toit: Safari Essence (3:15:09 | +10:35)
4. Sarah Maré: Efficient Infiniti Insure (3:18:47 | +14:13)
5. Frances Jansen van Rensburg (3:23:40 | +19:06)
For the full results from the Cradle round of the Ford Trailseeker Series, click here https://trailseeker.co.za/results-2-cradle-trailseeker-series-2026/
