Cycle the Transfagarasan Romania (of Top Gear fame) Saturday July 30th 2011

GearoidP

The Transfagarasan was made famous by the Top Gear documentary:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qd1DokzWa2A


A group of Romanian cyclists cycle the Transfagarasan every year, it looks like a lot of fun!
some images from 2010 event:
https://picasaweb.google.com/adrian.morecut/Cartisoara2010?authkey=Gv1sRgCOrjnuapof-jBw#

And here's a video of some guys who cycled it.... with a camcorder!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6bQG6HUFzw

Wikipedia link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transfagarasan



THE PLAN FOR JOINING THE 2011 TRANSFAGARASAN CYCLE
28th of July 2011 (Thursday): Fly from Dublin to Budapest (Hungary), get a train to the Romanian border.
29th of July 2011 (Friday): Cycle into Romania and get a train to the Transfagarasan starting point (Northern end)
30th of July 2011 (Saturday): Cycle the Transfagarasan
31st of July 2011 (Sunday): Cycle to Dracula's castle.
1st of August 2011 (Monday): Cycle & Train to Bucharest.
2nd of August 2011 (Tuesday): Fly home from Bucharest to Dublin.

More Details including maps here - everyone welcome to join!!
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/?o=RrzKj&page_id=184761&v=V

Mr. Grieves

This looks like great fun. I've no idea if I'd be able to do it, but I'm curious enough to want to know more:

What sort of distances are you looking at doing daily?

Would a road bike (as opposed to a touring bike) be suitable?

What sort of accomodation is there - is it all camping or is it possible to stay in hostels and the like and avoid having to carry huge amounts of gear on the bike?

I presume it'll be seriously hot there at that time of year, but that kinda adds to the appeal for me for some reason :cool:

GearoidP

Hi Mr Grieves,

What sort of distances are you looking at doing daily?
About 120 - 140km per day, averaging about 22km per hour.

Would a road bike (as opposed to a touring bike) be suitable?
Yes, I'll be going on my road bike. I travel light - this link of my bike & gear on a trip I did in 2008 will give you an insight into my "mentality":
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/?o=RrzKj&page_id=70621&v=Uo

What sort of accomodation is there - is it all camping or is it possible to stay in hostels and the like and avoid having to carry huge amounts of gear on the bike?
I love cycling in Eastern Europe in the summer: the roads are quiet and the hotels are cheap (generally abou 10 - 20 euros per night). After a day's cycling, I take my rehydration seriously (i.e. a few beers!) and need my creature comforts : a simple shower and bed, rather than camping.

I presume it'll be seriously hot there at that time of year, but that kinda adds to the appeal for me for some reason
Yes, but it's fairly hilly where we're planning to go in Romania. I like the bit of warmth myself also!

GearoidP

Hi Mr Grieves,

What sort of distances are you looking at doing daily?
About 120 - 140km per day, averaging about 22km per hour.

Would a road bike (as opposed to a touring bike) be suitable?
Yes, I'll be going on my road bike. I travel light - this link of my bike & gear on a trip I did in 2008 will give you an insight into my "mentality":
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/?o=RrzKj&page_id=70621&v=Uo

What sort of accomodation is there - is it all camping or is it possible to stay in hostels and the like and avoid having to carry huge amounts of gear on the bike?
I love cycling in Eastern Europe in the summer: the roads are quiet and the hotels are cheap (generally abou 10 - 20 euros per night). After a day's cycling, I take my rehydration seriously (i.e. a few beers!) and need my creature comforts : a simple shower and bed, rather than camping.

I presume it'll be seriously hot there at that time of year, but that kinda adds to the appeal for me for some reason
Yes, but it's fairly hilly where we're planning to go in Romania. I like the bit of warmth myself also!

GearoidP

To accommodate some people who couldn't make the original dates, we're now
flying Dublin -> Budapest on Thurdsay 14th of July,
flying back from Bucharest on Tuesday 19th of July.