Teodor Kabakchiev leads the 2026 Roof of Africa after a spectacular second day in the Maloti Mountains, but the fight for victory could hardly be tighter. Wade Young and Manuel Lettenbichler remain right behind the Bulgarian heading into Saturday’s decisive Final Ascent.
After roughly 110 kilometres of racing on the Big Loop, the top three were separated by only around one minute and 20 seconds on cumulative time. At the Roof, that is almost nothing.
Kabakchiev Wins the Big Loop
Kabakchiev completed Friday’s demanding stage in 5:48:58, taking the Day 2 victory by only 32 seconds over Wade Young. Lettenbichler finished third in 5:51:12, while Matthew Green stayed firmly in the fight with an impressive fourth place.
The leading four broke away early and spent much of the day battling through the mountains together. More than five hours later, Kabakchiev had managed to create only a tiny advantage.
Day 2 – Gold Class Top 10
- Teodor Kabakchiev – 5:48:58
- Wade Young – +0:32
- Manuel Lettenbichler – +2:14
- Matthew Green – +3:50
- Kyle Flanagan – +15:06
- Luke John Walker – +16:05
- Thomas Scales – +27:09
- Matt Stevens – +28:37
- Mitch Brightmore – +39:29
- Damon Garrell – +41:32
Three Riders, Almost Nothing Between Them
When Thursday’s Time Trial and Friday’s Big Loop were combined, Kabakchiev remained at the top with a cumulative time of 6:15:09. Wade Young sits only 42 seconds behind, while Lettenbichler is third at +1:20.
Matthew Green remains close enough to keep the leading trio under pressure, sitting fourth at +4:48. With one major day still to race, the overall victory remains completely open.
ROOF of AFRICA day2
Cumulative Standings After Day 2
- Teodor Kabakchiev – 6:15:09
- Wade Young – +0:42
- Manuel Lettenbichler – +1:20
- Matthew Green – +4:48
Mechanical Trouble Ends Moore’s Victory Fight
One of the biggest stories of the day was James Moore, who had won Thursday’s Time Trial and entered Day 2 as one of the leading contenders. A mechanical problem early in the stage cost the South African more than an hour and effectively ended his fight for the overall Roof victory.
Moore recovered and reached the finish, but the time loss dropped him to 11th in the cumulative classification. After such a strong opening day, it was a brutal reminder of how quickly the Roof can change.
Luke Walker Takes Junior Honours
Luke Walker produced an excellent ride to finish sixth overall on the day and take the Junior World Championship stage victory. Thomas Scales continued his strong season with seventh overall, while mechanical problems affected both Brightmore brothers.
That leaves Saturday particularly important for the Junior title battle. With the championship leaders losing time, the final stage could have major consequences beyond the Roof result itself.
Saturday Decides Everything
The Final Ascent consists of the same 38-kilometre loop ridden twice, with a service stop between laps. It also carries 20 championship points, the largest single allocation of the weekend.
The Roof of Africa winner will be decided by the lowest cumulative time across all three days. Kabakchiev leads, Young is 42 seconds away and Lettenbichler is barely more than a minute behind, so there is effectively no margin for error.
After more than six hours of accumulated racing, one mistake could still decide everything.
