Candice Lill claimed victory at the first round of the 2026 Ford Trailseeker Series after a stacked women’s elite field including top South African mountain bikers bolstered by international talent ensured fiercely competitive racing across the Banhoek Valley in the Western Cape on Saturday, 31 January, 2026.
Lill claimed the women’s crown after a puncture for Alessandra Keller put the Swiss champion out of contention for victory. Tyler Jacobs recovered from a crash to finish second, while Keller rode her way back into the podium places and finished third.
The elite women’s field raced relatively conservatively through the first 10 kilometres until the climbing began. Then Lill and Keller worked to split the field. Only Jacobs, Looser, and Hayley Preen could match the climbing speed of the women on the Thömas bikes.
Leading into Water Point 2, at the 26-kilometre mark, when the trails steepened even more, Lill’s pressure told, and the leading group splintered further.
“I could feel today that I’m in a really good place, and this is a great way to go into the season.”
2026 Ford Trailseeker Series Round 1 Champion, Candice Lill
“Unfortunately, Alessandra [Keller] had a puncture; it would have been really nice to race with her for longer. There were a couple of open sections of the route where we could have worked well together. But she put in a really strong ride and came in third.”
Keller’s puncture dropped her out of the top five on the trails, but the Cross-Country Short Course World Champion used the climbs in the final 15 kilometres to work her way back into third. The Thömus Maxon rider reeled in and passed both Preen and Looser on the trails but ran out of road to catch Jacobs.
“It was so much fun, the trails were awesome, and the competition was amazing, so it was a really good test,” Jacobs said after holding off the hard-charging Keller. “It’s always cool to have overseas riders here, at the start of the year, and to see how strong the South Africans are.”
After Keller punctured and Lill had attacked, Jacobs time trialled her way to the finish. The Liv Factory Racing star finished 3 minutes and 18 seconds behind Lill, and just 12 ahead of Keller.
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Looser was fourth, a further 2 minutes and 47 seconds down. Preen rounded out the top five places, ahead of Sara Cortinovis, Bianca Haw, Sarah Maré, Flora Duffy, and Frances Janse van Rensburg.
The Ford Trailseeker Series pauses now, until the autumn when the racing resumes in Gauteng. Round 2 is hosted by the Cradle Moon Lakeside Game Lodge on Saturday, 2 May, and will see the resumption of hostilities in the battle for the R100,000 series winner prizes.
Elite Women Ford Trailseeker Banhoek Round 1 Results in the Banhoek Valley on Saturday, 31 January, 2026
1. Candice Lill: Seattle Coffee Co e-Fort Sabi Sabi (2:49:46)
2. Tyler Jacobs: LIV Factory Racing (2:53:04 | +3:18)
3. Alessandra Keller: Thömus Maxon (2:53:16 | +3:30)
4. Vera Looser: Efficient Infiniti Insure (2:56:03 | +6:17)
5. Hayley Preen: ChemChamp Honeycomb (2:58:43 | +8:57)
6. Sara Cortinovis: UNNO Polimedical (3:01:00 | +11:14)
7. Bianca Haw: LEATT (3:02:13 | +12:27)
8. Sarah Maré: Efficient Infiniti Insure (3:05:30 | +15:44)
9. Flora Duffy: Specialized (3:06:11 | +16:25)
10. Frances Janse van Rensburg (3:08:17 | +18:31)
Main Photo Caption: Ford Trailseeker Banhoek Elite Women’s Podium (from left): Vera Looser, Tyler Jacobs, Round 1 champion Candice Lill, Alessandra Keller, and Hayley Preen in the Banhoek Valley on Saturday, 31 January, 2026. All Photos: Sam Clark
Photo 2 Caption: Trailseeker Banhoek Elite Women’s champion Candice Lill, celebrating her Round 1 victory ahead of Tyler Jacobs and Alessandra Keller.
Photo 3 Caption: Vera Looser (leading) said that the early kilometres were not too stressful, but that the race hotted up when the climbing began.
