Photo Epic: 2026 Commencal/SRAM Western Cape & SA Cup DH – Rd 1, Zevenwacht

29 january 2026, cape town; SOUTH AFRICA | race report from the sram western cape downhill mountain bike race as published on bike network by myles kelsey

All Gas, No Brakes: Zevenwacht Fires Up the 2026 WC DH Series

| This event and race report is supported by Cape Cycle Systems, distributors of SRAM and RockShox in South Africa. |

The highly anticipated Commencal/SRAM 2026 Western Cape Downhill Series kicked off with a weekend of racing at the fast and fun Zevenwacht Downhill. Doubling up as a National race, the event drew a dozen or so out-of-towners to the Cape, pushing rider numbers to record highs for recent years. In the week leading up to the race, the track was closed for maintenance, with work including reshaped jumps, trimmed vegetation and a general clean-up. The result is a downhill line that, in my opinion, is an absolute blast to ride.

While Zevenwacht may lack elevation compared to other tracks in the series, it more than makes up for it with relentless flow, from top to bottom. If you’re looking for a venue to shuttle laps or dial in skills drills, Zevenwacht is hard to beat – just be sure to grab a day permit before heading up. For the full results, click here but not before you take in the full vibe of our photo epic captured by Chris Taylor.

29 january 2026, cape town; SOUTH AFRICA | race report from the sram western cape downhill mountain bike race as published on bike network by myles kelsey
Star of the show? – well, if there has to be just one let’s go with seven-year-old, Taya Weissenberg. She’s not tall, those wheels are not big, there’s no rear suspension and she rides the same track as everyone else, loving every minute of it. Congrats on your first race little Taya! See you at the next one.
29 january 2026, cape town; SOUTH AFRICA | race report from the sram western cape downhill mountain bike race as published on bike network by myles kelsey
This guy is not too bad either. Jake Van Schoor is a relative newbie to downhill but has been winning from day one. A young remarkable talent with loads of potential who took the win in Youth Men and placed 6th in the overall.
29 january 2026, cape town; SOUTH AFRICA | race report from the sram western cape downhill mountain bike race as published on bike network by myles kelsey
Jordan de Goede of Hellsend Bike Shop looked fast all weekend and proved us right by finishing 15th overall.
29 january 2026, cape town; SOUTH AFRICA | race report from the sram western cape downhill mountain bike race as published on bike network by myles kelsey
Finley Neil sends the Tin Mine on his way to first place in the Nipper Boys class.
29 january 2026, cape town; SOUTH AFRICA | race report from the sram western cape downhill mountain bike race as published on bike network by myles kelsey
Xanthe Gray, another young one taking part in her first race and loving every minute of it.
29 january 2026, cape town; SOUTH AFRICA | race report from the sram western cape downhill mountain bike race as published on bike network by myles kelsey
Joshua Ord scrubs into third place in the highly competitive Junior Men category.
29 january 2026, cape town; SOUTH AFRICA | race report from the sram western cape downhill mountain bike race as published on bike network by myles kelsey
Race boss Chris Nixon was in fine form, taking the win in the Masters Men category.
29 january 2026, cape town; SOUTH AFRICA | race report from the sram western cape downhill mountain bike race as published on bike network by myles kelsey
Ben Nash, making shapes and taking the win in the Sprog Boys category.
29 january 2026, cape town; SOUTH AFRICA | race report from the sram western cape downhill mountain bike race as published on bike network by myles kelsey
After many months of mobile home living in Europe and riding all-the-bike-parks with son Daniel, Craig Stone was flying on the Zevenwacht track! P1 in the Vets Class.
29 january 2026, cape town; SOUTH AFRICA | race report from the sram western cape downhill mountain bike race as published on bike network by myles kelsey
James Coetzer took the win in the eBike race.
29 january 2026, cape town; SOUTH AFRICA | race report from the sram western cape downhill mountain bike race as published on bike network by myles kelsey
Back from a long list of injuries, Dani Botha picked up a solid fourth place in Elite Women.
29 january 2026, cape town; SOUTH AFRICA | race report from the sram western cape downhill mountain bike race as published on bike network by myles kelsey
First race on a full downhill bike for William Nelson yet he looked very comfortable and settled into the big travel. P3 in Youth Men.
29 january 2026, cape town; SOUTH AFRICA | race report from the sram western cape downhill mountain bike race as published on bike network by myles kelsey
Talking of comfortable, Julian Oosthuizen is now also on a downhill bike for the first time and there’s a notable increase in speed and aggression.
29 january 2026, cape town; SOUTH AFRICA | race report from the sram western cape downhill mountain bike race as published on bike network by myles kelsey
Robbie Powell, a legend of South African mountain biking takes a break from servicing and tuning suspension (he’s the guy behind Robbie’s Bicycle Concepts – look it up) to enjoy some hot laps and racing this weekend.
29 january 2026, cape town; SOUTH AFRICA | race report from the sram western cape downhill mountain bike race as published on bike network by myles kelsey
Tricia Rossouw threads the needle on her way to a win in the Junior Women class.
29 january 2026, cape town; SOUTH AFRICA | race report from the sram western cape downhill mountain bike race as published on bike network by myles kelsey
Always styling and always in contention, Sven Etsebeth was 13th overall and 2nd in Youth Men, but has his eyes on the top step of the podium.
29 january 2026, cape town; SOUTH AFRICA | race report from the sram western cape downhill mountain bike race as published on bike network by myles kelsey
Thomas Rood dusted off the downhill rig and had a blast all weekend. See you at the next one Tommo!
29 january 2026, cape town; SOUTH AFRICA | race report from the sram western cape downhill mountain bike race as published on bike network by myles kelsey
Jenna Byrnes, full commitment on her way to third in Elite Women.
29 january 2026, cape town; SOUTH AFRICA | race report from the sram western cape downhill mountain bike race as published on bike network by myles kelsey
Anne Cramer, sending it off the wooden rocket on her way to the win in Youth Women.
29 january 2026, cape town; SOUTH AFRICA | race report from the sram western cape downhill mountain bike race as published on bike network by myles kelsey
Zak Jones is another shape maker that has plenty of speed too – enough speed to take the win in Junior Men this weekend. Nice one bru!
29 january 2026, cape town; SOUTH AFRICA | race report from the sram western cape downhill mountain bike race as published on bike network by myles kelsey
Fourth in Elite Men isn’t a surprising result for the charger, Ethan Hunter. This guy has mad pace.
29 january 2026, cape town; SOUTH AFRICA | race report from the sram western cape downhill mountain bike race as published on bike network by myles kelsey
It was good to see the wild Saffa from the Enduro World Series, Luca Zietsman lineup for some downhill racing. This guy can race just about any discipline, on just about any bike – what a talent!
29 january 2026, cape town; SOUTH AFRICA | race report from the sram western cape downhill mountain bike race as published on bike network by myles kelsey
Pieter Venter finished 8th in his first race in the Elite Men category but was easily top three when it comes to style.
29 january 2026, cape town; SOUTH AFRICA | race report from the sram western cape downhill mountain bike race as published on bike network by myles kelsey
Matt Lombardi in full flight is always a sight. P5 this weekend and just 2.6 seconds off the win.
29 january 2026, cape town; SOUTH AFRICA | race report from the sram western cape downhill mountain bike race as published on bike network by myles kelsey
Now racing in the Elite Women category, Arielle Behr has also relocated to the mountain bike mecca known as Stellenbosch. Watch out Frankie!
29 january 2026, cape town; SOUTH AFRICA | race report from the sram western cape downhill mountain bike race as published on bike network by myles kelsey
Talking of talent, young Daniel Stone was first in line when they were handing it out. Remember this name. He’s fast, fearless and already an incredible jumper. Once the horsepower arrives, I expect him to be challenging for wins. P2 in Sprog Boys this weekend.
29 january 2026, cape town; SOUTH AFRICA | race report from the sram western cape downhill mountain bike race as published on bike network by myles kelsey
Defending champion Rory Kirk came into the weekend looking for a win and was clearly disappointed with second place, 0.670 seconds back. Next time Rory!
29 january 2026, cape town; SOUTH AFRICA | race report from the sram western cape downhill mountain bike race as published on bike network by myles kelsey
Steezy squash by the reigning champ, Frankie du Toit who opens the season with a win. If you watched her interview on the WC Downhill Instagram page, you’ll see Frankie is happy with her win, but more happy the competition in the Elite Women Category is getting fierce. What a champ!
29 january 2026, cape town; SOUTH AFRICA | race report from the sram western cape downhill mountain bike race as published on bike network by myles kelsey
After a busy week of coaching, Johann Potgieter rallied to another win in the Elite Men category. By his own account he said things got a little wild, but he was really stoked with the lap and result.

See you all at the next round in Jonkershoek, Stellenbosch at the end of February. Enter here: wpdownhill.co.za Looking for racing images? Purchase yours from the official photographer Chris Taylor on info@christaylorphotography.co.za //

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