Fly out to the Romanian backcountry and then cycle back. The journey will be hard but with the promise of pure adventure in the heart of the Carpathian Mountains. Our team, which challenged the sacred mountain in Romania, included professional biker Richard “Gaspi” Gasperotti, former motocross racer Cristian Dunca, and me, the chronicler of our adventure.
The take-off was sudden. After the first landing, we make our first descent on the new “Coffee Lady” trail from the peak above the chalet, then the pilot picks us up again, and we fly to our second destination of the day – the plateau from which our two-day expedition will begin. Then again, the helicopter fades into a dot in the sky.
Finally, we can breathe. A deep breath. No stress. Or is there? It’s good to keep a few things in mind: “Yes, Romanian mountains have bears, which might be curious about the food we’re carrying. No, there’s no cell service, so no online navigation in case we get lost or injured – or if we encounter a bear,” Cristian Dunca says. Like his father – and today’s pilot, Romeo Dunca – Cristian was also drawn to motorcycles. He raced enduro for years until a major crash shattered his ankle beyond repair, ending his career. His motocross days on the world cups and events like the Red Bull Romaniacs were over, and he swapped handlebars for those of an eMTB.
“Do I know what the trail will be like? No, I can’t say, I was here with my parents on foot when I was five,” laughs Cristian who invited us to Romania to conquer four peaks of the Godeanu Mountains on e-bikes, each towering over 2,000 meters. Nobody had done it before on bikes or e-bikes. “We’ll be the first!”
Alone in the mountains
That’s how it is: in the Romanian mountains, you’re alone and must rely solely on yourself. To save as much weight as possible, we coordinated so that we carried only one of each item: one set of tools, one pump, one first-aid kit, one gas stove, one knife, and so on. Each of us had our own inflatable mat, sleeping bag, food, and water. Apart from a single river in the valley, we’d be in the mountains with no way to replenish our water.
But it’s breathtaking here. I can’t recall the last time I saw anything so beautiful. Autumn has coloured the mountains with ochre browns from sun-dried grasses and deep reds from heathers and cranberries that have lost their chlorophyll. In the sharp autumn sunlight, the mountains look like they’re on fire.
The climbs and descents are so steep that without e-bikes, we’d be pushing up every hill. With the eMTBs, new bikepacking opportunities open up even in the hard-to-reach mountains. We have to be mindful of the battery, and unless absolutely necessary, avoid turbo mode, though the motors help us steadily ascend.
The narrow trails, full of loose rocks, demand balance to keep the rear wheel from slipping. The descents are technical and bumpy. We fall into a rhythm of rocky descents and pushes over boulders. We get lost in the fog and end up covering an extra ten kilometres. One kilometre here is nothing like a kilometre elsewhere. Fatigue sets in, and when we reach the saddle near the mythical Mount Gugu, we collapse with exhaustion, watching the setting sun cast a golden glow on its peak.
Mythical Gugu
Mount Gugu is shrouded in legends. Cristian tells us the ancient Dacians believed it was sacred. They thought the god Zamolxe once dwelled here and that King Decebal hid his treasure in the mountain. The mountain is known for strange occurrences – disappearing from view at certain times, and in the 1990s, tourists reported flashes of light, “ball lightning,” that seemed to lift the peak skyward. In August 1991, a Tarom IL-14 plane mysteriously disappeared here, leaving no trace on the flight records.
Gugu, featured by Jules Verne in his novel Castle in the Carpathians, is considered one of the planet’s key energy centres. We huddle out of the wind behind a low rock to sleep, taking turns keeping watch for bears. Millions of stars shine above, occasionally streaked by a falling one leaving a fiery trail.
The temperature nears freezing, and dew collects so thickly on our sleeping bags that it’s as if it rained. In the morning, we climb the mountain, share a coffee, and head down into the valley. The day will be long through the stunning, rugged landscape that reminds us of Patagonia. We’ll be pushing over boulders again, but we’re also in for one incredible, lengthy descent we agree was among the best rides of our lives. Worn out but happy, we finish our adventure at the Gura Apelor dam on the Râul Mare river. What did we gain from this journey, what did we take from the sacred mountain of the Dacians? I won’t say – maybe it would lose its magic. But I will say this: it was worth every moment.
Written by: Adam Marsal for www.welovecycling.com
