Hello Anton! Can you introduce yourself: who you are, where do you come from, …

A.H.: My name is Anton Hrabovskyi, I’m 27 years old and I’m from Ukraine. Since the war started, 3 years ago, I have been living in Türkiye, but also a bit in Gerona, Spain. I work as a freelance programmer in game development, which is very convenient for my training. Indeed, I’m more flexible, I can work from home – in Türkiye or Spain during summer – and find some time for my cycling trainings.

What’s your sport background? And when did you start cycling?

A.H.: I started cycling late, a bit less than 4 years ago. Before that, I used to be a track and field athlete on middle range distances, especially on 1500m. I was part of Ukraine national team in U20 and U23 categories, and I attended several international race meetings like the World Youth Championship or the European Championship. Unfortunately, I had some big injuries that required two major surgeries, which forced me to stop my athletics career. So, I decided to start cycling to maintain physical activity, at first. But then, I started to enjoy it, especially after my first cycling camp in Türkiye during the month of October 2021. I really loved the mountains, the landscapes, and I also realized that I can be very competitive.

I think that my running background helps me a lot to build good endurance and aerobic basis. I’m also pretty light, which is clearly helpful when you have to climb!

I was part of Ukraine national team in U20 and U23 categories, and I attended several international race meetings like the World Youth Championship or the European Championship

You are talking about mountains, climbs, … would you consider yourself more as a climber?

A.H.: Yeah, I would say that I’m mostly a climber. But, on many races you need a bit more than just good climbing skills. Sometimes you also need strength and power to maintain a high speed on rolling climbs, with like 4-5% average elevation. That’s the type of profile where I can struggle, and where I also need to improve.

And what is the hardest climb you ever done?

A.H.: There is a climb in Türkiye, located in the region where I actually started cycling, that is called “Mount Babadağ” (Editor’s note: also mentioned by Şeniz PAMUK in the Championship Stories #1). This is an absolute brutal mountain (18,4km @10,3%). It was part of the Tour of Türkiye in 2024, and one of the stages finished at the top of Babadağ. Even for the professionals, it was so difficult. I remember seeing most of the riders struggling!

You are on Strava – how do you use the app? Is this just a way to share your trainings? Or do you take it more as competitive challenges between cyclists, through the segments for example?

A.H.: Strava it’s definitely a very nice app, and of course I like KOM challenges. It’s really nice to see your progress over the years on some specific segments. It’s also a way to challenge and improve yourself over the year. For example, if someone take your crown on a segment, you’ll train to take it back, and then it became beneficial for everyone. But I try not to be obsessed with it.
It also really depends on where you are cycling. For example, in Spain, the level is so high that it’s just impossible to get any KOM. I mean, it’s where all the World Tour teams are training! In Türkiye, it’s a bit different.

Who are your favorite riders among the Tour de France peloton?

A.H.: There are few ones, for sure! First, I would say Tadej Pogačar, of course. He’s certainly the best rider at the moment, but he remains very humble. I love his capacity to ride both Grand Tours and classic races; it’s a pure pleasure to watch! I also like other riders like Primož Roglič or Geraint Thomas, who are now the old generation from the peloton but still very competitive. On the female side, Demi Vollering is the one that I like the most. But there are too many riders and I can't list them all!

You discovered cycling just four years ago, so you know how it is to start this sport. What would be the main advice(s) that you would give to someone who’s just starting?

A.H.: To start earlier (laugh)! No, I’m kidding. Of course, it helps to start cycling when you’re young, but you can become very competitive even if you start late.
Maybe the best advice I can give to a beginner is not to be too excited or impatient. Sometimes, they want to push at 200% every day and expect to have 200% of the results. But it doesn’t work like this. If you want some positive results, to improve yourself, you need to be patient and to prepare with long term objectives.

If you want some positive results, to improve yourself, you need to be patient and to prepare with long term objectives

Let’s talk about training: what bike do you ride?

A.H.: My bike is a Specialized S-WORKS Tarmac SL6, a pretty old one actually. I got it a year ago. The frame’s price is ok, and then I can add the group set that I want in order to make it the more adapted to what I need. I chose it because it’s a good, but still pretty affordable bike. Sometimes during races, it happens that I crash and my bike can get really damaged. So, it’s better for me if my bike isn’t too expensive, so that I don’t have to worry too much about it.

And on average, how many kilometers do your ride per year?

A.H.: The last two years, I rode around 30.000 kilometers per year. But it’s not a data that I care too much about. I know that some riders just want to do more and more volume, but for me it’s not always the key. I prefer to focus on the quality to improve my performances.

We know that nutrition is key for the professional cyclists, but since few years now it started to be also very important for amateurs. What do you think about it? Do you follow a specific diet?

A.H.: No, I don’t have a specific diet. But of course, I try to understand how it works with carbs, calories and things like that. I sometimes check my weight and weight my food to monitor my nutrient intakes, but not every day! On overall, I try to eat healthy and avoid any junk food

Last year, you rode successfully L’Étape Turkiye with a stunning win in Istanbul. Was it you first L’Étape Series event? And when did you hear about it for the first time?

A.H.: Actually, it wasn’t my first L’Étape Series event. Indeed, I had a professional trip to Prague in 2022, and I worked there for a month. It was during June, so I had the opportunity to attend L’Étape Czech Republic by Tour de France. Actually, the event was amazing but I didn’t have the best race because I wasn’t enough prepared. I didn’t manage to catch the first group, and I spent a lot of energy trying to do so. In addition, my nutrition wasn’t good enough neither! I struggled, I had cramps, … it was very hard, and definitely not my best race!

Last year, my teammates told me that the series is coming to Istanbul and that it’s going to be the biggest cycling event in Türkiye. So, I definitely wanted to be part of it! I would like to attend it once again next year, but I didn’t plan anything for that period of the year so far. For now, I’m 100% focus on L’Étape du Tour in July!

It will be super hard but I’m not afraid of it, because my sensations are good for a long time and I’m confident of my strengths

That’s a perfect transition to talk about L’Étape du Tour! What do you expect from the race? What are your expectations? And do you have a specific training program?

A.H.: I’m really excited about the race! It will be super hard but I’m not afraid of it, because my sensations are good for a long time and I’m confident of my strengths. Of course, I still need to be careful with nutrition, hydration and also try not to start too fast to keep energy for the whole day. But it will be very interesting to see how the race will be going on, how the riders will ride, what will be their level, etc. I’ll certainly go to France in June to train and check the route to be fully prepared for D-day! I also need to do some specific trainings. I had few races in Spain during the month of May, and now I should start some more specific trainings for few weeks.