“A muddy walk in Romania’s Dream Camp”: Bicycle on Transilvanica

IIt was about seven minutes from my bike tour that the first signs of addiction became obvious. My ebike’s “Power Assist” button felt more like a morphine clicks as we climbed to the Bucovina Fogovina Hills in the north of Romania. Sergiu, the guide of my group, knew what I was doing. “Be honest with yourself; just use” turbo “if you have to do it!” Shouted. My thumb fired under the handlebars.

In previous adventures, I have resisted attendance, maintaining that the power of battery is the preservation of the insertions. Today, however, my pines are not so powerful, and in these dizzying hills, extra or extra -oomch was essential. But, as in all medicines, moderation is key. After all, I would not want to be without juice of the hills that are the wolves, the bears and the lynx.

Romania Cycle

I had invited me to participate in the tourist operator of the inaugural tour of the Ebike (and excursion) of the slow cyclist throughout a section of Romania through Transilvanica. It was called the “ Camino de l’Eastern ‘, the path joins the old trading and livestock trails, which headed southwest from Putna, near the Ukrainian border, to the village of Drobeta-Turnu Severin, at 870 miles (1,400 km) at a distance of Serbia.

Attraction of ecotourism equal to parts, art project and economic life, the transilvanica is a trail with a story. It was conceived by the environmentalist Alin Ușeriu and his brother Tiberiu (once imprisoned for armed robbery and now an ultrarunner of celebrities) who successfully sailed corruption, the interests of the Mafia and the natural obstacles of the Carpathian Range. It is both a triumph of resilience and route planning. For four and a half years, challenging the odds, they cut off a path by joining seven regions, driven by hundreds of volunteers. The result? A convincing invitation to get lost in Romania’s time travel field.

After being armed to attend a family wedding at home, I arrived for two days on the adventure. By chance, this meant that a huge storm was missing, which I had given to others in my group the good day before. I took with them, a little wind, but in a good mood, outside a 16th-century monastery in Vatra Moldoviței, about 20 kilometers south of Putna. It has one of the eight churches quoted by UNESCO in the region that are unique for its frescoes, which were designed, Sergiu told us, as “Bibles for illiterates.” They have been noticeably well preserved thanks to smart architecture and elegant paint. The Voroneț Blue, made with rare lapis lazuli, still appears.

Some parts of the trail are too steep and slippery for all, but the most advanced cyclists, so we addressed the morning section on foot. The rain had been reduced and the air was filled with wet conifers, exotic soil and wooden smoke. The views were already up to the slow cyclist’s brochure: the Swiss mountain meadows, the pine peaks and the fines that would not be out of place in a folk horror film by Robert Eggers.

The cow’s bells became clear, although I soon realized that they were not brought by the cows, but to the dogs of Bucovina shepherd who guarded the slide of wolves, bears and hikers passing. “Be -you are on the package or they will think that they have separated you,” said Sergiu. The beasts slowly approached lagoons, but Sergiu’s delight bag kept peace.

If you are hiking or cycling on these hills, Sergiu is a good man to have at the helm. In addition to being in the born mountain, he was chosen by Tșșuleasa Social – the NGO directed by the brothers Ușeriu – to map the Transilvanic route from the perspective of a cyclist. Dumed a route of 870 miles on two wheels. “If you do not know the path, you can die,” he warned. “Some ascents are almost vertical.” In fact, this is the debut route to the new slow cyclist’s expedition series: built for more adventurous cyclists, instead of the multitude of cycling.

That said, our noon stalls were simple beauty things: cold cuts, the most red of tomatoes and homemade cheeses. With a more more plum brandy on the table, I felt fortified for the afternoon trip. Support vehicles and a friendly team were in the bombs and keys Allen before putting our irons on the task.

“We are about to climb. Sergiu asked. As we burned the calories to a rudimentary ski resort with another almighty vision, we were grateful for the Nutty bars he had delivered. So much open space and not a soul in sight. I checked with my group and they had only met three hikers since the trip began.

The next morning began with a gentle fabric through gut -shaped pallow -shaped meadows. At that time, without warning, we fell into an ancient forest, the guy who feels like the scene of a brothers’ tale. “What do you live here?” I asked. “Bears, deer, even the lynx sometimes,” Sergiu said. “But you will be lucky to see them.”

The forest marked my first attempt to set up a single track. I hung again, on purpose, letting others climb, and then torn my tongue, tongue, heart hammer, chasing the blur of bicycles on the trees. No bears, unfortunately, but bright.

It was here that I noticed the 250kg slabs of anthracite, markers of different sculptors who place Sentry every kilometer of the path. Each is cut and marked with a daring orange (for transilvanica). “It is the longest art gallery in the world,” our second guide said. “The trail was built by volunteers: people who resigned from their free time for something greater than themselves, so I think that says a lot.”

One of the transilvanic track missions is to stop the flow of people leaving the field, giving them a reason to stay or even return. During lunch on my second day, with Iancu translating, I spoke to our host, who told me that the number of visitors he receives has increased six times since the path opened in 2022.

The lodgings of that night at the Moara Guesthouse, all the dreams and alpine, offered another Wink in Switzerland. At the dinner, I couldn’t resist a second aid from the Găluște broth: meat meat balls that floated in a soup full of soup. The main ones were chicken pepper and a large bake of oven mixed with non -pasteurized cheese from our hosts.

The last day, the afternoon was a slope of skiing and the different levels of fitness of the group became more evident. The thumbs passed the energy assistance button, but even Max Power was a challenge. At this point, I had found my passage and I loved the sweat session. Others were fighting, which made things start a little. I recommend checking, before reserving, if other people in the group are more or less at your level.

However, the slow cyclist team has achieved a beautiful balance between cardio and culture, offering a pink vision of the past and present of Romania, through a muddy immersion in its dream field. For three days, I had traveled through fairy tales and had eaten like a happy Saxon farmer. I have already committed to reassemble more on the path.

We crossed the final hill in a loose, pantida line and stopped while Sergiu befriended a farmer who followed the cows with a throat of milk. He offered us a sip. “Not for me, thank you,” I said. “But do you have a plum brandy?”

The slow cyclist offers a five nights Bucovina expedition since £ 1.750 per personbased on a group of 12, evening Airport transfers, a support vehicle and baggage transfers, Local English -speaking guides, Five Nights Accommodation, all meals and Activities and ebike and hull rental. There are regularly scheduled outings between June and Novemberand private group visits can be organized on request, Teslowcyclist.com