Tag: strunga
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,…
October is an ideal time for short rides. Yes, the times of week-long tours are gone, but blitzkrieg type of tours are there for the taking. Like the two days mountain bike tour we enjoyed with Robin, from Iceland. Piatra Craiului and Bucegi Mountains were still a little bit shell-shocked after a short but intensive snow session up on the high pastures, but on the lower slopes the trails were just brilliant. There are still a couple of weeks till we switch for the winter hours, so get your bike…
Most of the times mountain biking is a man's world. Any stats I stumble upon, be it magazine readers, equipment purchase, website's audience (yes, including this one), they all show that men are an overwhelming majority in anything related to mountain biking. It's true even with topics leg waxing, or what gloves colour would do justice to the newly bought lime-green frame-set (and also accommodate those awesome purple baggy pants). So, a seven persons group of mountain bikers from Germany counting no less than four women was something really out…
In a day and age where the electric mountain bikes are stealing the front pages, a six days trip around and up the Bucegi Mountains with Mark, Rob, Rod and Paul was as refreshing as a gulp of fresh water from a mountain spring. With just one guy below 60 to balance a little bit the average of the group, the four Brits proved time and again that age is just a number. Long climbs on dirt roads, like going from the old city of Brașov up to the local…
Bucegi Mountains are by far the most bikeable high altitude mountains in Romania. With a high plateau with altitudes around 2000 metres, with the highest point (Omu Peak, 2507 m) reachable by bike, with some cable car options, a high altitude asphalt road and a good variety of huts and hotels, the Bucegi Natural Park can easily accommodate cross country riders and enduro/freeride enthusiasts. The diversity of trails (up the high plateau, but also on the East or West foothills) offers enough options for a full week program (like the…
Our first Bucegi Circuit tour for the 2017 season had special guests from Israel. The four brave mountain bikers came to Romania for a nice biking holiday and ended up with much more than that: they've sampled what "mountain" stands for in "mountain-biking", they've improved their skills on bike both for the climbs and the descents, they enjoyed premium landscapes in the magnificent Romanian mountains, and they enjoyed some mouth watering home-made meals at selected accommodation places. After a warming-up day in Postăvaru Mountain, we circled, traversed, climbed and descended…
Our second instalment of Lithuanian mountain bikers came to visit Romania in September 2016, enjoying four days of summer-like weather and riding in the mountains near Brașov. The Postavaru Mountain, The Piatra Craiului National Park and The Bucegi Natural Park have a few common traits. They are close to Brasov, surrounding an area filled with magic and charm: The Bran Country. They all have a wide network of superb trails, from deep forest to high alpine pastures, ideal for first class single track mountain biking. But there is another thing, kind of obvious…
Our Transylvanian Alps program is always a challenging tour. We go up (a lot of up) and down (plenty of down) through five different mountains, at altitudes ranging from 700-800m to 2300m and higher, on technical, enduro-like trails, but also on smooth, flowy forest trails. Weather can also provide some challenges, throwing in the odd rain or icy-snow crust on the high trails. The Transylvanian Alps tour we organised in October 2016 for a Belgian gang started with a different challenge: trying to remember which one of the brave bikers…
My German language skills are quite limited, especially if the Austrian accent is also involved. However, sometimes translation is simply not needed. “Brutal” and “total” were the most used words by our four guests during our seven-day mountain biking tour across the Carpathians. Day one – warm up in Ciucaș Mountains [singlepic id=1468 w= h= float=none]Due to a very late (early?) flight, the first day was more of a warm-up mission. We started in Cheia and went on some nice trails around Cabana Muntele Roșu. We were lucky enough to…
Santa came early this year for mtbtours.ro. It was mid-October when we had the joy and the privilege to organize a tour for a select group of French bikers. A fair deal: I showed them the wonderful trails around Brașov, they showed me what one can do with a bike. All in all a cross-country, all-mountain and enduro experience in the very pleasant company of five joyful mountain bikers. I saw what Pierre Geo Plantet was able to do during some XC competition during the summer, when he finished second…
