Matt Beers and Candice Lill emerged victorious at the opening round of the 2026 Ford Trailseeker Series in the Banhoek Valley on Saturday 31 January.
The event featured exceptionally strong elite fields, with South Africa’s top mountain bikers joined by international talent, ensuring fierce competition throughout the 63,5 km marathon distance.
Beers secured the men’s victory after an intense final 20 km, holding off Marc Pritzen and Luke Moir alongside Michael Foster for race supremacy. In the women’s contest Lill claimed the crown after a puncture for Swiss champion Alessandra Keller effectively ended her victory chances. Tyler Jacobs recovered from an early crash to finish second, while Keller demonstrated remarkable resilience, climbing back through the field to secure third place.
The 06:30 start ensured elite racers avoided the day’s heat, with the women’s podium decided before 09:30. However, recreational riders faced challenging conditions as the African sun intensified throughout the morning.
The women’s race began conservatively through the first 10 km until the climbing commenced. Lill and Keller then collaborated to split the field, with only Jacobs, Vera Looser and Hayley Preen matching their climbing pace. At the 26 km mark Lill’s relentless pressure further splintered the leading group.
“I could feel today that I’m in a really good place,” she reflected, “and this is a great way to go into the season. Unfortunately, Keller had a puncture; it would have been really nice to race with her for longer.”
Her mechanical dropped her outside the top five, but the cross-country short course world champion used the final 15 km climbs to surge back into contention, ultimately finishing just 12 seconds behind Jacobs.
In the men’s race Foster proved the early aggressor, splitting the field before the climbing began. Sandy corners and hidden rocks made positioning crucial through the treacherous opening 20 km. The race remained fluid until the final climb, where Beers executed a perfectly-timed attack.
“Going down the last singletrack, Marc was leading, and I was on his wheel,” Beers recalled.
“I had ridden the last kilometre and a half this morning, so I knew where to attack.”
Beers crossed the line victorious, with Pritzen second and Moir third, 25 seconds behind.
The series now pauses until autumn, with round two scheduled for Saturday 2 May at Cradle Moon Lakeside Game Lodge, where the battle for the R100 000 series prizes resumes.
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