There is meteoric rises and then there is Tyler Jacobs.

3 x National XCO Titles.
Junior African Continental XCO Champion.
3 x World XCO Championship selections.
2 x Wines2Whales General Classification victories.
Signed to a Factory Racing Team going into her 3rd year as a u/23.

This is a resume of a well seasoned professional and yet Tyler has achieved all this and more in just three years of racing mountain bikes. Arriving on the scene at her first SA XCO Cup in 2022 as a Junior, this unknown name blitzed the field to victory and just two weeks later was representing the Green and Gold at AFCON Championships. She would go on to repeat her previous performance to claim the title and so the dominance continued throughout her Junior year which included winning her first National XCO Title and 20th at her first UCI World XCO Championship in les Gets, France.

Through these performances it was no surprise that she attracted the attention of South African based UCI team Computer Mania, giving her the opportunity to experience World Cup racing during her first year as a u/23. Along the way collecting another National XCO Title and claiming second spot on the Continental rankings behind Candice Lill who would take her under her wing to introduce her to the realm of stage racing where they would win their first Wines2Whales together.

Although Tyler comes across as quiet and reserved, she grew up with two brothers and can handle herself with a witty sense of humour. Spending her early years in Kenya, Tyler spent hours chasing her brothers around courses they built in their garden, where she developed a fearless attitude that at times exceeded her ability, taking a few tumbles but popping straight back up and riding the obstacle again! She has since learnt to control her enthusiasm and found she is even faster when she stays on two wheels! Tyler has steadily worked on her skills and performance levels through the Ballito based DriveTrain Academy who have been producing top results among a number of their athletes.

Moving into her second year as a u/23, Tyler had incredible support from Almar Container Group, Trek Bicycles, Biogen, Garmin and CIOVITA along with OnTrack Cycles, 100% eyewear and Sigeyi which allowed her the opportunity to travel and compete at more events on the UCI World Cup World circuit - this time with Candice and Darren Lill as travel partners to show her the ropes. 2024 saw Tyler claiming yet another National XCO Title as well as another three stage victories from three with Candice to defend their Wines2Whales title and this time adding 16th overall on the u/23 UCI World XCO rankings.

Tyler is not going to get away with all praise - she has had her fair share of rookie moments too! Like forgetting to pack her brake rotors for World Champs or forgetting to pack her dropper post lever for Wines2Whales and we are sure other people can add to this list… haha.

A long 2025 season awaits with the additional World Cup races added to the schedule but an exciting opportunity to have full Factory Racing support with a team that looks to provide a positive environment for Tyler to grow further as a competitor and role model in the sport. We look forward to sharing all the news when the team officially makes the announcement early in the new year and to continue watching Tyler fly the South African flag on the world stage.