Category: recky
Snow was scarce this winter. Some did fall, but not enough. We only got a few days of good skiing in Poiana Brasov in March. That was it. Then, spring came, and with it the snow. Lots of it, but not the lasting kind... Before it melted all away, we got to enjoy a nice ski touring weekend in Cindrel, which is a massive situated above the winter resort of Paltinis, in Sibiu County. Many people say that ski touring is the winter equivalent of mountain biking - some believe…
This autumn, the weather we were expecting in October came in November. It’s been weeks now since it hasn’t rained in Brasov, the sky is almost always clear and we are enjoying mild temperatures, even early in the morning. Just the perfect excuse the give the bikes one more try, before the weather eventually turns sour and we start thinking about winter sports. We opted for a tour around Poiana Marului, a place we just recently visited, and another tour under the western wall of the Bucegi Mountains, around Poiana…
We’ve been planning to go on a ride around Poiana Marului for a long. We kept postponing it, on account of the weather, or the “competition” – from Brasov you can easily get to much more popular areas such as Postavaru, Piatra Craiului, Bucegi. The Persani Mountains (to which the hills of Poiana Marului belong to) are constantly left out because people find them less then glamorous, being too small and unimportant in their class. No imposing peaks, no rocky ridges; however, their mellow crests, easy slopes, and old beech…
Since 2005, Greece for me has been the definition of the summer holiday. Cristal clear waters, blue skies, pinewoods and oregano scents, small beaches hidden between walls of rock. But the best thing about Greece is how mountain and sea usually combine. And what’s better the laying on the beach or taking a swim after a few hours of mountain biking. And so, the bikes came with us each time we went to Thassos, Sithonia, Kythira and this year, Lefkada. Take a look for yourselves: I was born in Sibiu,…
During a weekend when everyone was focusing on the Sibiu marathon, I went mountain biking on the Simon hills, near Bran. My touring partners: Steve and Robbie - who, after fours years of living and cycling in Romania, decided to take things one step further in the difficulty department. So, from taking the cable car up the mountain in Sinaia, they were now dealing with the ups and downs of Poiana Gutanu, underneath the Bucegi Mountains, and the ridge situated on the south east of Simon. During our trip we…
Nice weather for biking around Piatra Craiului. Sunny enough, without it being too warm. In the shade it was a bit nippy though. I took the opportunity to test my new 5D mark II camera, which I’ve been coveting for a while, but could not afford. Some unfortunate incidents forced me to afford it and here are the results: As you might have already guessed, it’s hand held filming. There are no color corrections or uplifting music. Everything is how the camera captured it, with the original sound – including…
Who would have thought that in the middle of July we would get rained on six days out of six! We had one day of nice weather, and that was on a Saturday, when we had to take a break, because our group was from Israel. Other then that, we were under constant rain. During the first days some serious showers, followed by steady rain the following days. At least it was warm. The photos can be misleading, because they were taken solely on the first two days of our…
Of all the rides I’ve been on so far, this has by far one the most interesting climb sections. It is quite varied: you start in Sinaia with a few kilometers of asphalt to warm up, then you take the dirt road through the woods, follow the macadam in the alpine pasture, till you reach the end of the cable car at Babele (elevation 2206m). The ride has technical portions where you need to be able to control your bike, as well as flat areas where you can catch your…
The ride up to Crint, near Sibiu, is a classic, we’ve been doing it for four or five years now – ever since my parents bought a small patch of land in the area, and we slowly started making a summer holiday place out of it. So, whenever there’s a free weekend, we go to the village of Fantanele for some peace and quiet, to admire the beauty of the place and its manifold mountain biking options. From Fantanele you can reach Paltinis through Gura Raului on the now famous…
The slope descends rapidly among sharp stones and sand, while the road narrows into a trail that falls to the right. Ok then... which way do I go? High up on my bike, I try to evaluate the trajectory which is to keep me vertical, while the only thought running through my head is to let the front wheel run, unless I want to test the resistance of my helmet. Truth be told, I ride rather slowly (too slow, as some might say), and a fall would only damage my…
