Tag: single track
Bikers from all over the world come to ride our trails, and most are very much into mountain biking, bringing over their beloved equipment, and showing incredible technical and physical skills. Some are less into biking and more into spending memorable experiences together with old friends. The demands of the mountain biking we are offering in our tours might take them by surprise. But this never stood in the way of a proper jolly time. The intensity of the climbs and the technicity of descents are swiftly turned into challenges,…
We had a busy year in 2021 with Tom, biking on some jaw dropping Carpathian Peaks in the mountains surrounding Brasov city. For most of the 2022 Tom spent his biking days on easier cross-country rides on the flat lands, plus a good number of days abusing the cable cars while stacking bike-park runs under his belt in Sinaia, Azuga and Poiana Brașov. One of these days, while waiting for the uplift, he realized he missed a good pedaling day up in the mountains. So he gave me a call.…
Living and working abroad is something more and more usual for the EU citizens. When you can combine the advantages of a higher paycheck with smaller costs of living, and with a relatively high standard of living, then you can say you hit the jackpot. If you are into mountain biking, and more general into mountain sports, the city of Brașov, in central Romania, is one of these magical places. Jan works for a software company. His work routine requires regular visits to a local subcontractor. He is also a…
Helmut works for a car components manufacturer, and in his free time he collects, restores and then drives old cars. He came to Brasov for a short holiday, driving all the way from Germany to Romania. There is no better way to put it than saying he is a motorhead, eager to see what the electric revolution will bring to the table. But not with his mountain biking. Here he likes things done the old way, earning the thrills of the descents with the hard work of pedaling up. And…
It was scheduled to happen in June 2020, but a tiny virus had other plans for the entire planet Earth. More than one year later our Belgian guests finally arrived in Romania for the week-long Transylvanian Alps tour, adding the South East Carpathian Mountains to their impressive list of mountain biking destinations. The menu was, as always, complex: long and demanding climbs, push and carry-bike sessions, epic descents on "Bonanza trails". Zero bears encounters, but a few shepherd dogs (honestly a bigger threat for the unaccustomed traveller). Lots of loughs,…
One of the great things about mountain biking is that, with every new ride, you become a different mountain biker. With each new trail you've ridden, with each day spent on bike, you get better at it. You trust more your balance, you hone your skills a little bit more. You look at the same trail a little bit different. You see new lines, new options on sections of trails you thought were't holding no more secrets. Sometimes you do it on your own, sometimes you do it with your…
There is always a gamble when doing a long mtb tour in September. While your chances to get nice, dry, stable weather with mild temperatures in the mountains around Brasov are probably the highest along the whole year, there's always the issue of those few days when things turn wintery, just to announce the coming cold season. The first snow up to 2000 m plus usually comes in September, sometimes at the beginning of the month, sometimes later, towards October. It fades away in a matter of hours, or in…
Let's face it, "I am going to Romania for my mtb holidays" is the kind of statement that will raise an eyebrow or two among one's fellow work colleagues, friends or family. People come to our neck of the woods for anything but our notoriety. It's rather the other way around. Precisely because of its lack of appeal Romania gets to be chosen by people who want to stay away from the hordes of tourists that invade the Alps. Or by people searching the adventure of discovering "uncharted" territories. Or by…
"Well, I just doubled the number of sunny days for this summer", Martin said after the first day of glorious weather during our Transylvanian Alps Open tour, September 2017. And five similar days followed, with incredible blue sky, and some fluffy clouds for better contrast. As the other three Swedes in the group, when travelling abroad for the summer holidays Martin is looking for something generally warmer and sunnier than what's usually on the menu at home. Or at least less muddy as the trails Charles and Garry (another two…
This season we tested extensively the papanași* as a genuine Romanian sports nutrition supplement. They worked wonders before, during and after intense mountain biking riding :). (Hey, some may argue the papanași are a very good substitute for sports itself, but we definitely wouldn't go as far). And what better endurance test than the Transylvanian Alps tour? Intensive climbs, technical descents, single trails riding up and down from 800 to 2500 m altitudes, through forests, pastures, deep into the mountain gorges or on the mountain crests. Plenty of carbohydrates, sugars,…
