Ilie Gabuja

Rider Summary

Passionate road racer with one year of experience, specializing in sprints and long endurance rides. My love for cycling began when I started commuting to school by bike every day. Before discovering cycling, I played table tennis in my youth, but it never truly excited me the way cycling does.

2024 Racing Key Results

Racing Journey:

Lessons Learned and Experiences Gained

Summerhill GP: My first-ever bike race gave me an unexpected surprise—my heart rate at the start line was higher than during the actual race! I wasn’t well-organized beforehand, which led to me getting dropped after the first lap. My positioning wasn’t ideal, and my sole focus was on winning rather than racing smart. Still, it was a valuable learning experience.

Seamus Kennedy: In my second race, things were going well until disaster struck—my right shoe sole ripped off! Once again, I got dropped. However, I learned a key lesson from my first race: breakaways tend to happen on the hills. This understanding would prove useful in future races.

Rás Mhaigh Eo: My first-ever stage race was a huge step up, as I found myself competing with A1 riders despite having only two races under my belt. It was a tough challenge, but a great learning opportunity. The first stage featured a hilly time trial, where I realized how crucial it was to conserve energy before reaching the climbs.

Lucan GP: With experience from my previous races, I felt much stronger and more comfortable on the bike. I focused on conserving energy, eating, and drinking whenever possible. This was my best race so far, as it suited my strengths as a sprinter. However, I misjudged my sprint, launching too early into a headwind. I got caught with 200 meters to go, and my positioning within the peloton made it difficult to break free. Another lesson learned.

Gorey 3-Day:My second stage race went better than the first, but I struggled to keep up with the peloton due to a lack of proper recovery in the lead-up. The time trial was another chance to refine my pacing strategy, and I worked on improving my launch start. After this race, I knew I needed to focus on hill sprints and prioritizing recovery.

Conor Coombes: A fast, flat circuit similar to Lucan GP—exactly the type of race I enjoy. I made it into the top 10 breakaway and was feeling great. Unfortunately, I crashed on the last lap. I got up immediately and tried to chase back, but I couldn’t rejoin the peloton. My first-ever race crash.

Waller Cup: Another fast circuit, and I was very active toward the end. However, my sprint timing wasn’t perfect, and I misjudged the final turn 300 meters from the finish. I realized I needed to improve my cornering skills.

Sean Lynch Memorial: Finally, my first notable result—I was the 1st Junior! It ended in a bunch sprint, but I didn’t position myself well and finished just outside the top

Brian O'Loughlin: Building on my momentum from Sean Lynch, I secured another 1st Junior award. My sprint timing was still not quite right, but I was consistently improving.

Sean Nolan: The race started with a crash in the neutralized section, and I was caught in the middle of it. I went down hard, with blood covering my leg. Despite the pain, I refused to quit. I dropped from the peloton but found a group of riders to finish with. I never wanted a “DNF” next to my name, so I pushed through. After this took a break to recover—just in time for my Leaving Cert.

Junior Tour of Ireland: This was my biggest goal of the season, as it’s the best opportunity to get noticed by top teams. I came into the race feeling great after a 10-day bike tour across Spain. Unfortunately, I got caught behind a crash on Stage 1 and had to burn a lot of energy trying to chase back. The following stages were tough, as fatigue set in and I struggled to recover properly. It wasn’t the performance I had hoped for, but it was a massive learning experience.

Collins Christle: My first-ever top 10 finish! I placed 4th in the bunch sprint, which felt incredible. It was a risky move—I had to fight my way from the back of the peloton in the final kilometre on a narrow, gravel-covered road. I learned that sometimes, calculated risks are necessary for success.

Charleville 2-Day: My last race of the season. I trained hard for it, focusing on interval sessions like 40/20s at FTP, gradually increasing power while ensuring proper recovery. I felt strong at the start, but I made the mistake of being too aggressive, constantly trying to get into breakaways. As a result, I burned too much energy and suffered a cramp in my right leg with 10 km to go. A tough way to end the season, but another lesson in energy management.

Ultra Endurance Training

Apart from my racing journey I was in love with long endurance rides. I found out that I become stronger on the bike if I just go for hours in my zone 2 rather than doing too many interval sessions weekly.

My Bike tours include:

• Width of Spain: Freedom Tour

• Gibraltar: Hola y Adios

• Galway: it isn’t a place it’s a way of life

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“Width of Spain: Freedom Tour” : First ever solo bike tour. A 10 day bike tour covering the whole width of Spain the day after I finished my last Leaving cert exam. It was epic and what I mean by that is that I truly felt free and I enjoyed cycling and I became stronger at the same time. I was doing a lot of km and I drank and eat a lot.

“Gibraltar: Hola y Adios” : This was my longest ride I covered in a day in 16 hours. I covered 400 km, cycling from Vinuela to Gibraltar and back. I started my journey at 4 am and I was back at 1 am the next day. This ride mastered my mental health and physical health was no problem as it was fuelled by a lot of sugary water, baguettes, Haribo’s and of course Ginger! !

“Galway: it isn’t a place it’s a way of life”: The main challenge was to cycle Dublin to Galway and back in 3 days. This was a funding cycling challenge, that I did for the purpose of gathering funds for Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Ireland a crucial and transformative day service that my brother, Anatolie, attends. Since joining earlier this year, Anatolie has truly thrived, forming new friendships and setting personal goals that foster his growth, development, and lifelong inclusion in his community. This service is paving positive pathways for his future, helping him reach his full potential.

Training Milestones

Total Distance Covered: 14,217.6 km

Total Elevation Gain: 97,850 m

Hours Spent on the Bike: 501h 45m

Skill Development: Improved cornering, Sprint timing, Energy conservation, Recovery, Mental Health

Goals for 2025

• Compete in the Ras

• Improve my FTP, sprint power and endurance

• Race an ultra-endurance race in Europe such as transcontinental race or the Badlands.

• Achieve C1 category

  
  
  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

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