Last week's move was not simply a brief bounce. For the first time in several weeks, every participant in Category 1 moved higher together. Bitcoin climbed back above $80,000, the altcoins accelerated, and two competitors crossed an important threshold: TAO virtually erased all its losses since the start of the year, while Nolus became the first Category 2 asset to move back into positive territory.
Akash, however, remains far ahead. Its gain was less spectacular this week, but its lead did not meaningfully shrink. With a return of almost 30% before staking and more than 40% when rewards are included, it remains the clear leader of the Crypto Race 2026.
At the opposite end of the standings, Lava fell again. While almost the entire field recovered, the token lost more than 30% in one week and sank below −90% since the start of the race.
Category 1: The Entire Field Moves Forward
| Rank | Asset | Without staking | With staking | Weekly change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Akash | +29.68% | +40.22% | +1.76% |
| 2 | TAO | +0.02% | +3.27% | +6.64% |
| 3 | Bitcoin | −10.05% | −9.44% | +5.17% |
| 4 | Ethereum | −16.40% | −14.59% | +4.34% |
| 5 | ATOM | −20.05% | −11.06% | +5.83% |
| 6 | Algorand | −23.18% | −20.06% | +4.49% |
| 7 | Osmosis | −30.92% | −28.52% | +9.64% |
| 8 | Avalanche | −40.78% | −38.64% | +10.45% |
Akash Remains in Control
Akash gained 1.76% over the week. It was not the strongest performance in the field, but it was enough to lift its return since the start of the race to +29.68%.
Its lead remains very comfortable. TAO, in second place, has only just returned to its starting level, while Bitcoin is still down 10.05%. Even after the broad rebound, no competitor is directly threatening Akash's first place.
This consistency may matter more than its weekly gain. For several months, Akash has resisted corrections better and retained more of each recovery. The question is no longer simply whether it can beat Bitcoin at the end of the year, but whether another asset can recover almost 30 percentage points against it in just over three months.
TAO Erases Its Losses
TAO crossed one of the symbolic milestones of this edition. After falling back to −6.20% last week, it gained 6.64% and finished this stage at +0.02%.
In other words, before yield, an initial $1,000 investment is once again worth almost exactly $1,000. That may sound modest, but no other Category 1 asset apart from Akash has managed to erase its losses completely.
TAO has therefore secured a much stronger second place. Bitcoin is also closing the gap, but remains ten points behind. The battle for first place has not been reopened, however: almost 30 points still separate TAO from Akash.
Bitcoin Recovers but Remains Below Its Starting Point
Bitcoin gained 5.17% between the two snapshots and climbed back to $81,139. Its return above $80,000 came after a turbulent week shaped by expectations surrounding US monetary policy and renewed regulatory uncertainty. A late-week rebound nevertheless allowed Bitcoin and crypto-related stocks to recover part of their earlier losses. (Reuters)
In our race, however, Bitcoin remains at −10.05%. It holds third place and remains the benchmark to beat, but its status as the natural favourite is being seriously challenged. Akash leads it by almost 40 points, while TAO has just moved back above its initial level.
ATOM Advances Without Reshaping the Standings
ATOM gained 5.83% over the week and reduced its loss since the start of the race to −20.05%. It remains fifth behind Ethereum, although the gap between the two assets narrowed slightly.
The rebound is welcome after last week's decline, but it is not yet enough to put ATOM back in contention for the podium. The token remains ten points behind Bitcoin and 20 points behind TAO.
The picture is less severe once rewards are included. ATOM's higher yield offsets a significant portion of its deficit and brings it much closer to Bitcoin in the staking-adjusted standings.
Avalanche and Osmosis Record the Strongest Rebounds
The bottom two assets in Category 1 delivered the week's best performances. Avalanche gained 10.45%, while Osmosis rose 9.64%.
These moves allowed them to recover 5.60 and 6.07 percentage points respectively from their returns since the start of the race. Their accumulated deficits remain considerable, however: Avalanche is still last at −40.78%, just behind Osmosis at −30.92%.
One good week is not enough to call this a reversal. It does show, however, that the rebound is no longer limited to Bitcoin, Akash or TAO. This time, even the most weakened assets joined the move.
Staking Improves the Results Without Overturning the Race
The staking-adjusted standings remain almost unchanged, but rewards are beginning to matter after 37 weeks. Akash extends its return to +40.22%, while TAO moves clearly into positive territory at +3.27%. ATOM benefits more than its direct competitors: its loss falls to −11.06%, compared with −20.05% without staking. Bitcoin remains third at −9.44%, but ATOM is now only 1.62 points behind it. In Category 2, rewards and node yield also reduce the losses recorded by BAND, FLUX and CTK without changing their order.
Category 2: Nolus Moves into Positive Territory
| Rank | Asset | Without yield | With yield | Weekly change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nolus | +3.49% | +6.48% | +11.46% |
| 2 | GNO | −12.82% | −9.66% | +1.62% |
| 3 | BAND | −42.83% | −34.10% | +13.24% |
| 4 | FLUX | −47.24% | −39.62% | +11.90% |
| 5 | CTK | −53.65% | −41.43% | +15.89% |
| 6 | Lava | −90.71% | −90.44% | −30.61% |
Nolus Confirms Its Lead
Last week, Nolus took first place in Category 2 without having returned to positive territory. This week, it cleared that final hurdle.
With a weekly gain of 11.46%, Nolus moved from −7.15% to +3.49% since the start of the race. It therefore becomes the first asset in this category to turn the initial $1,000 investment into an actual gain, even before rewards are included.
The contrast with July is striking. Nolus suffered a sharp decline at the time and appeared to have fallen out of contention. Its recovery shows how open the Category 2 standings remain when market capitalisations and liquidity are lower.
This first place also comes as the project seeks to bring its product to a new audience through its deployment on Solana. The Crypto Race cannot, of course, establish a direct connection between this product expansion and the token's price. It shows only that, for the first time this year, the market is valuing Nolus above its starting level.
BAND, FLUX and CTK Accelerate but Remain Far Behind
The recovery was even stronger in percentage terms for several of the chasing assets. CTK gained 15.89%, BAND 13.24%, and FLUX 11.90% over the week.
These increases were still not enough to erase their heavy accumulated losses. BAND remains at −42.83%, FLUX at −47.24%, and CTK at −53.65% before yield.
Their positions therefore remain unchanged, although the gaps have narrowed. It would still take several more weeks of gains on this scale for any of them to catch GNO, currently second at −12.82%.
Lava Falls Against the Market
Lava was the only participant to decline this week. Its price fell from $0.0196 to $0.0136, a drop of 30.61% between the two snapshots.
Its return since the start of the race has now fallen to −90.71%. An initial $1,000 investment is worth only around $93 before rewards.
This move extends pressure that was already visible before our latest snapshot. Available historical data show that Lava had already suffered a sharp decline around September 13. It would nevertheless be unwise to attribute the entire correction to a single cause: the token price, its liquidity, and the network's operational progress do not necessarily tell the same story.
This distinction matters to Snow-Fall, which follows Lava as decentralised RPC infrastructure and operates within its ecosystem. Network development can continue while the market punishes its token. In the Crypto Race, however, only the result of the initial investment counts, and that result is now unequivocal.
The Standings Are Finally Beginning to Separate
After several months in which almost every competitor traded below its starting level, the race is beginning to split into three distinct groups.
Akash stands alone at the front, with a lead that will be difficult to challenge. TAO and Nolus have moved back into positive territory and become the most credible challengers in their respective categories. Bitcoin, Ethereum, ATOM, Algorand and GNO form a second group that remains negative but could recover quickly if the rebound continues.
Behind them, Osmosis, Avalanche, BAND, FLUX and CTK remain in rebuilding mode. Lava, meanwhile, is now completely isolated in last place.
Just over three months remain before the finish line. The original question remains unchanged: which asset from the Snow-Fall ecosystem will manage to beat Bitcoin by December 31?
This week, the answer is no longer limited to Akash. TAO is back in the race, while Nolus has just proved that a substantial deficit can still be erased.
The Crypto Race 2026 is not over.
Data as of September 19, 2026. The Crypto Race is a comparative experiment based on an identical theoretical investment in each asset. It does not constitute financial advice.
