Mile High in Romania

The chamois is a kind of antelope with a touch of mountain goat.  They have the long legs, doe-eyes, and antlers that one would expect to see on such an animal.  The things can grip like new Pirelli’s and hold like Gorilla Glue.  The largest concentration of the species is in the Carpathian Mountains in Romania.  It is from this animal that we get chamois leather, although the chamois we see in stores throughout the world is actually more likely to be deer, goat or sheep.  There is little chance that your authentic chamois is from an authentic chamois.    

The Carpathian Mountains provide a perfect home for the chamois and other creatures that have hoofs, antlers and padded feet like bears, lynxes, and wolves.  The mountain range is nearly 1,000 miles long and stretches through six countries with Romania home to over half of the Carpathian peaks.  The peaks are at their highest in Romania with some towering over 8,000 feet.  Parts of the Carpathian range in Romania are home to some of the most pristine forests in the world with trees untouched for centuries.  

The tall Carpathians have roads and highways that are some of the highest in the world.  The "Transfagarasan" is one such road.  Automobile fanatics love to drive the highway and many claim it to be the best highway on the globe for driving enthusiasts. (Other car freaks will argue in support of Stelvio Pass in Italy as their favorite).  Anyway, construction of the highway began in 1970 so Romania could move military and defense vehicles to their borders quickly.  They had seen the quick thrust the Soviets made into Czechoslovakia in 1968.  Romania wanted to be prepared.  The work was done by the military at a breakneck pace with over 40 personnel losing their lives in the four years it took to complete the 60 mile project.  The highway, with the official designation of National Road 7C, opened in 1974.   For about half the year, sections, if not all of the road, are closed due to heavy snowfall. 

The highway is a favorite because of its steep climbs, fun twists and turns, and views from the top of the world.  One section passes near the village of Arefu, the home of Vlad the Impaler, the legendary warrior who Hollywood rebranded as Count Dracula.

Since the highway opened it has been a part of the Tour of Romania which itself began in 1934.  The lung-burning climbs and death defying descents are the stuff of legend.  Some of the climbs are what the French refer to as Hors Catagorie (“beyond classification”).  The Tour has been part of the UCI schedule since 2008.  The race is not on the World Tour so many of the names from the race are people you may not recognize.  Most of the event’s past winners are native Romanians.  For everyday people who like to go for a bike ride this might not be a challenge you should accept but if you do be prepared for über-steep grades and give yourself about five hours to complete the 60 mile journey.  Romania has some bike tour companies that can take you through the Carpathians safely, just fly into Bucharest.  They will then take you on a six day adventure with your cycling taking place at well over one mile in altitude.  

We have a short video of the Carpathians on our website, www.stickybottleteam.net.

This maze was built for swift movement of men and material?  It makes the double helix look like simple geometry.