Teo Kabakchiev | Training Smarter, Racing Harder | Season 3 with Sherco | S2E7

The start of the 2026 championship is a week away and we had the opportunity to chat with Sherco rider, Teodor Kabakchiev. The last time he was on the podcast was just before the Roof of Africa 2024 and honestly, a lot has happened since then.

We dive into a variety of topics start with what training looks like for Teo in preparation for the new season. He shares how he is an all round rider and enjoys a variety of disciplines but is very structured with his training. It was particularly interesting discussing how he has incorporated trials into his program and how even a pro rider like Teo finds it challenging compared to a traditional off-road bike.

This will be Teo's third year with Sherco factory racing. Following his team mate Mario Roman leaving to go independent, we of course had the question on our minds... who will be joining him in the hard enduro championship. We briefly touch on who this is, and why he seems to be a good fit for the team.   

Teo shared some great stories on this episode, with one in particular standing out. He shares his thoughts about Romaniacs and how after a grueling 6 hour day in the saddle, he felt more exhausted compared to his competitors. This lead him on a journey to really take his technical training more seriously and it's clear that has paid off.

Suspension is a hot topic in hard enduro and can be very challenging to get right. The communication between the rider and technician needs to be spot on in order for the settings to really hit the mark. This year Teo is once again working with a specialist who understands what he likes and has the mindset of, if something works, why change it?

Lastly, Teo shares his suggestions for young riders looking to make a career in dirt bikes.

We hope you enjoy this episode!

Chapters:
00:00 Intro
02:05 Roof Of Africa
03:14 off-season training
04:55 Bike setup
06:51 Suspension 
08:17 Riding with family 
10:21 Considerations for making hard enduro a career 
11:35 Recovering from Injury
14:43 2026 season
16:34 Alestrem 
20:19 New Sherco team mate 
22:20 Riding a variety of disciplines
23:49 Trials bike riding
29:41 Advice for juniors

Teo dropped some real gems in this one... from trials training to suspension setups to advice for the next generation. What was your biggest takeaway? Drop it in the comments ↓↓↓