Three Peaks in One Weekend
I did it! I survived the long weekend of cycling in Romania that we grandly called “Discover Romania By Cycling”! Silviu and his two college friends (Ionel and Nicolae) decided to cycle from Sibiu to the cabana (@Tau Bistra) over 3 peaks, the last of which was the one I had climbed just the weekend before. The south-westerly route stretched 109 km, with 60% of it on asphalt and the rest on gravel and mountain roads.
Cycling Snapshot: Sibiu to Cabana
- Location: Sibiu to Tău Bistra cabana, Șureanu Mountains, Transylvania, Romania
- Distance: 109 km (weekend total: 250 km, including the 93 km approach ride and the 51 km return)
- Elevation Gain: over 2,178 m (3 peaks)
- Duration: about 11 hours
- Terrain: 60% asphalt, 40% gravel/mountain roads
The Grand Route: Cycling in Romania
To up the ante on this cycling in Romania challenge, my crazy-half decided to cycle to Sibiu two days before the scheduled group ride. It would be a long scenic route of 93 km (versus 60 km by car on the highway). The south-easterly route is undulating, except for the 5.1 km continuous climb at the 31st km mark. It was a climb from Dobra village to Jina village.
When Silviu first mooted the bike trip, I wasn’t too keen on joining the boys. The estimated total elevation gain was 2,178 m. In contrast, the highest elevation gain I had ever done in a single ride was 994 m, and I had only completed that ride the week before. Furthermore, I was still running on the adrenaline rush of that achievement! However, due to FOMO “Fear of Missing Out,” I agreed to join them, on condition that I survived the ante Silviu had put up.
Sebes to Sibiu via Dobra and Jina
Cycling Snapshot: Sebes to Sibiu
- Location: Sebes to Sibiu, via Dobra and Jina (Transylvania, Romania)
- Distance: 93 km (versus 60 km by car via the highway)
- Elevation Gain: ~410 m (the 5.1 km Dobra–Jina climb, averaging 8%)
- Duration: 45′ 55″ for the Dobra–Jina climb alone
- Terrain: South-easterly route, mostly undulating road
Don't Give Up
Averaging an 8% gradient with an infinite number of serpentines, the Dobra-Jina climb took me 45′ 55″ to get to the top. For me, the climb was more of a mental challenge than a physical one. After a while, I pushed the fatigue of the quadriceps to the back of my mind, while the hypnotic silent chant of “just one more push on the right pedal, another push on the left, another one on the right…almost there” continued until I saw Silviu, waiting for me at the top. I felt super satisfied with myself for completing the ride, neither resting nor giving up.
More Training Needed
Despite my efforts, Strava only ranked me 11th out of 17 women who did the same climb. The fastest lady completed in 26′ 51″! As for the men, the fastest took 17′ 11″! Riders tackled this climb during stage one of the 2017 Sibiu Cycling Tour. Definitely more training needed. Instead of a comfortable one-hour car ride to Sibiu, we reached Sibiu after 5.5 hours under the hot sun.
Cycling in Romania: Sibiu to Cabana
Route Profile
Since I survived the first challenge, I could move on to the next leg of cycling in Romania: to tackle more than 2,000 m of D+ over 109 km in one single ride. The whole route traverses three main sections: (a) from Sibiu to the ski resort at Păltiniș in the Cindrel Mountains on DJ106A, a paved road (32 km); (b) from Păltiniș to an unknown village (another 42 km) on Transcindrel, a dirt road; and (c) the rest on Transalpina (DN76C), one of the highest roads of the Carpathian Mountains.
The Climbs
The hardest climb for that day was the first section of the first climb. It is not as steep as the one I did two days ago (8%) or the last peak that leads to the cabana (7%), but it is the longest, a 15.1 km continuous climb averaging 5%. After 1h 23′ 52″ of self-hypnotic chant, I finally got to the top. Per Strava, I ranked 18th out of 29 women, with the fastest lady finishing in 52′ 35″ during the 2017 King of the Mountain, a local race.
No Race, Just a Ride
With the boys along, the trip took a more leisurely pace than it would have with just Silviu and me. The trip took about 11 hours, with a couple of long breaks. But hey, the trip was not a race; we should enjoy life leisurely whenever possible, especially on such a pretty route! Including the 51 km ride back from the cabana to Sebes, I completed 250 km on two wheels over the weekend.
Rest of the Summer Holidays
This weekend of cycling in Romania — ever since getting back on the bike this summer — is coming to an end, as we have only two weeks left before we return to France. My nether regions desperately need a reprieve, as hours on the saddle have taken a toll they aren’t used to. Besides, we are going to spend two days hiking in the Retezat Mountains later this week, and start warming up for a 9 km running race in Sibiu that we have signed up for the following Friday.
