Lettenbichler on Roof of Africa winner Kabakchiev: “He’ll want more”

Whilst he usually strings one victory after another, the exceptional hard enduro rider Manuel Lettenbichler is still missing a win at the ‘Roof of Africa’ in Lesotho, also known as the ‘Mother of Hard Enduro’. In 2026, for once, it was not a South African, as in the previous year – James Moore or nine-time winner Wade Young – but rather the Bulgarian Teo Kabakchiev from the Sherco works team, who finished top of the overall standings at the end of the three days of racing thanks to an outstanding performance. SPEEDWEEK.com spoke exclusively to Manuel Lettenbichler about the Roof and Kabakchiev.

Manuel, the Roof doesn’t really seem to be your cup of tea. What was missing? I gave it my all and am actually very happy with my performance. In the first round I rode on my own a lot, so I had my work cut out with the navigation. It wasn’t really technically challenging, but it was very tiring.

How did the first two days go for you? In the two prologue races, I unfortunately made a mistake on a climb in the second one. As the World Championship leader, I had to start and, in my opinion, did a good job of opening the race. The second race was a bit easier because by then you knew where to go and how to ride. But that’s when I made the mistake and lost nearly a minute. On the second day, I also made a small mistake at the start and we rode in the group for a while. Ashton and I were then riding quite fast and managed to close the gap on the leaders.

Lettenbichler am zweiten Tag bei der Roof of Africa

Foto: Justin Reinecke

How would you rate Teo’s performance here? It’s brilliant for Teo; I’m really pleased for him. He drove really well. Teo was truly in a class of his own this week; he navigated very well and drove cleanly. This victory here at the Roof will certainly see him head to Turkey for the Sea to Sky with great ambition. I think that race suits him too. He’ll be hungry for more, because when you win such a big race as the Roof, you want to carry on straight away. It’ll be exciting in Turkey.

How did it come about that you, as a team, ended up competing in the Roof after all? The team decided to compete in the whole series this year. That’s why you saw me here in Lesotho, and we’ll be competing in the last two races as well.

What differences do you see between the Roof of Africa and the Sea to Sky? They’re both rocky, and they’re both hill climbs. But the Sea to Sky is even more technical and demanding, and has a completely different vibe – beach, coast and mountains. So yes, there’s definitely a big difference between the two races. I’m looking forward to it. And also to the season finally coming to an end soon.

Es waren steinige Auffahrten bei der Roof of Africa

Foto: Tyrone Bradley