Dave Ford
Registered user
This is worth watching. Admittedly it's from evo, the car magazine, but don't let that put you off...
Transfagarașan and Transalpina
- Thread starter Dave Ford
- Start date
Sooty09
Registered user
Sorry but I have to disagree about both these roads.
I planned my tour and may main objectives were to ride these two roads, especially after Top gear voted the Transflag the best road in the world. We first rode the Trans Alpina highway North to South, after our previous day of unexpected off road riding through the mountains we were a bit worried about the road, we should not have been. A few bad bits of rough road round the reservoirs and a very short off road section after miles of new smooth tarmac. Many miles were being made into very good roads to get coaches to the new ski resorts. Nice views in places but many better in other parts of Romania. There were very few sigh posts to show the route and a few places you could go wrong, Garmin sat nav was way off, the road I was on did not officially exist and should have been woodland.
Next day was the Transfagarasen, a real boring ride up a heavily populated valley from our overnight at Rimnicu Vilcea. All the way signs said the Transfag was "Ferme", however the bikes coming the other way suggested otherwise. we pressed on and after about 20 not so interesting miles skirting an almost empty reservoir we started the climb up to the start. Things were starting to look good, snow, mountains, bends galore etc. After passing through a tunnel we were at the top of the famous Transfagarasan highway and stuck. The road was closed for 4 hours while the local motor club did a hill climb, despite loads of protests from locals we had to sit and watch a few dozen locals chug up the hill in Puntos with roll cages.
A few Germans got pissed off and went down the hill while cars were going back down to the start. After two runs and the start of a rain storm the rest of those stuck on the hill just drove past the local police man and headed down the hill. The bends are very spectacular and I have no doubt with a closed road and a powerful car they are great. On a motorcycle in the damp and in traffic they are shite. Almost every bend has ridges or grooves in the road which make the bike seem as if it has a puncture.
Don't avoid these roads, the views are good in places and bends plentiful but I saw and rode on roads so much better in Romania and Bulgaria.
I planned my tour and may main objectives were to ride these two roads, especially after Top gear voted the Transflag the best road in the world. We first rode the Trans Alpina highway North to South, after our previous day of unexpected off road riding through the mountains we were a bit worried about the road, we should not have been. A few bad bits of rough road round the reservoirs and a very short off road section after miles of new smooth tarmac. Many miles were being made into very good roads to get coaches to the new ski resorts. Nice views in places but many better in other parts of Romania. There were very few sigh posts to show the route and a few places you could go wrong, Garmin sat nav was way off, the road I was on did not officially exist and should have been woodland.
Next day was the Transfagarasen, a real boring ride up a heavily populated valley from our overnight at Rimnicu Vilcea. All the way signs said the Transfag was "Ferme", however the bikes coming the other way suggested otherwise. we pressed on and after about 20 not so interesting miles skirting an almost empty reservoir we started the climb up to the start. Things were starting to look good, snow, mountains, bends galore etc. After passing through a tunnel we were at the top of the famous Transfagarasan highway and stuck. The road was closed for 4 hours while the local motor club did a hill climb, despite loads of protests from locals we had to sit and watch a few dozen locals chug up the hill in Puntos with roll cages.
A few Germans got pissed off and went down the hill while cars were going back down to the start. After two runs and the start of a rain storm the rest of those stuck on the hill just drove past the local police man and headed down the hill. The bends are very spectacular and I have no doubt with a closed road and a powerful car they are great. On a motorcycle in the damp and in traffic they are shite. Almost every bend has ridges or grooves in the road which make the bike seem as if it has a puncture.
Don't avoid these roads, the views are good in places and bends plentiful but I saw and rode on roads so much better in Romania and Bulgaria.
casperghst42
Registered user
I have to agree, there are more interesting roads in Romania than these two in the area, also when talking about these two countries, also add Serbia (south east), which is as intersting.
I've enjoyed both these roads so i think they are worth doing once.....
Can you recommend (with details) others?
Ta,
JC
Can you recommend (with details) others?
Ta,
JC
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