Szelicse (Salicea) Ride in the afternoon

We planned a ride for the afternoon, it was cloudy with a chance of rain but we still wanted to get out of the city and ride a bit. We headed for the forest starting from the end of the tram line into the Bükk (Faget) forest. This is the usual path that the bike marathon takes every year, it's a long climb but it is almost entirely in the forest. The trees are beautiful in the springtime there are fresh green leaves. Soon we ended the first stint in the forest and came across a small road intersecting it. It's sad that the city is pushing out in this direction and there is no protection for this forest that has unique plant and animal species. After crossing the clearing with a rusted road sign, we were in for even more climbing.

In the second stint there are downhills and it gets flatter so we could increase speed. Before exiting the forest the bike path has a big dip that is fun to cross. Once we were on the pavement again we headed left and than at the fork, took a right turn. The road was recently rebuilt and it has a long section of a dedicated bike lane which we appreciated. It would be even better if they did not suddenly stop at some point but it's better than most bike paths I've come across in the city. After this, we started climbing there is quite a climb once we leave the houses behind. The turn into the forest is magical, but there is no bike path and the drivers don't care much for bikers here - quite a few of them don't leave space or slow down. Perhaps signs to share the road would help.

At the end of the climb we were rewarded with a nice view of Szelicse and the surrounding hills, and it was all downhill riding from there. It is a nice spot and there are more options to return to the city, it's possible to go right and get into the forest and out into green pastures again. We chose the shortest path which was to trace our steps back the same way. It was a 1.5 hour ride, 20 km and about 400m ascent it's a good warm up ride or afternoon relaxation.

This is the map of the ride on BikeRoll if you'd like to try it:

Căpușu Mic (Kiskapus)

I start this blog to present my bike rides (mostly) in Transylvania. If you are looking for high-end performance cycling or word record achievements, you should be looking somewhere else. This blog is about my weekend fun with my bicycle and friend. Most probably, the rides will not be super long with incredible elevation or hard-core downhills. The goal is to get on the bike and spend some good time with friends.

 I live in Cluj Napoca, in the heart of Transylvania and the surrounding hills and mountains provide a perfect place to explore the remote and desolate roads and villages of the area. If you are looking for less visited roads where you will meet rather local people than other tourists (especially on bikes), you should definitely give it a try.

 The year opening bike ride took place in the area of Căpușu Mic with three friends: András, Levente, and Zsolt. A ~45km track with almost 1000m elevation:

Bike ride

We arrived to Căpușu Mic around 10AM, and the morning was more than chilly. Although, we had complete sunshine, the temperature was well below 10°C. After a few kilometers we could even see the top of the Vlădeasa mountain (1836m) still engulfed in snow. Not a usual bike trip sight but hey, it is April :)

For the first track of the year, we wanted something easier, that is why we have chosen a track that goes on asphalt and avoids the forest (especially because the day before heavy rain made the ground very muddy). The first part of the route contained the most climbs (and the most steep once as well) but the surrounding forest and the sunshine made us forget about the cold and the difficulty of the climb.

Then, after 30 kilometers, things got interesting. To follow the planned trail, we had to take smaller and smaller roads (thanks to Zsolt's super useful tracking watch; without that we could not find the route for sure) and the asphalt was getting narrower and narrower. And suddenly it was totally gone and we ended up in front of a brook.

Having no other choice, we had to cross it (actually two times) and we started to feel that the continuation of the road will not be exactly mudless. That is precisely what happened. The last 15 kilometers took us on a forest road with some puddles so deep that we were afraid of crossing it (after we already crossed the brook).

But having mud even on our sunglasses did not remain unrewarded. The last segment of forest road had some very nice down-hills where we felt the benefit of the mountain bike and the gloves. And not just that but a beautiful view also made us forget how dirty we were.

During the last few kilometers we were pretty tired, since we ate only some chocolate. It was very nice to arrive back to the cars and go home to take some rest and a shower of course. We actually decided that the bikes also deserve some washing so we dropped by a car washer and made them clean.

This is the story of the first ride of 2017, more will come soon. Thanks András for the images :)