The Transfăgărășan was built in the early 1970s as a strategic military route to connect the historic regions of Transylvania and Wallachia. The road was ordered built by "one of the most hated men of the the world," Nicolae Ceaușescu, thus the moniker, Ceaușescu's Folly. Thirty-five years after its completion, the Top Gear team came here, and dubbed it "the best road in the world," so of course Greta and I had to run the Transfăgărășan.
The Transfăgărășan, although in need of re-paving, was a good time and Greta took her like a champ. I ran the road twice, once in either direction. The first run started at about 3:00pm and required the passing of many vehicles, a bit too many to call the run exciting. The second run started at about 6:00pm, and required only about a dozen vehicle passes on the steep sections, and another dozen on the lower sections, hardly noticeable on a motorcycle, and as such, allot more fun. I teamed up with two other bikes, and we ran it very fast, pushing limits the whole way. The return trip (north to south) took about half the time.
As much fun as the run was, I can not make the same conclusions as Top Gear's assessment, "the best road in the world (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLAtcrB0GZg)." The PCH, The Tail of the Dragon, and Pikes Peak in the US and a dozen or so other roads throughout South America are as good or better, with more twists and turns, better pavement, better scenery and thus more exhilarating to run. That being said, it's worth running if you are in the area, especially later in the day.
As an interesting side note, I rode past the castle of Vlad the Impaler (Vlad Dracul), the inspiration for Dracula.
Stage Distance: 365 mi (589 km)
Total Distance Traveled: 19,976 mi (32,093 km)
Countries/Territories Visited: USA, Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Uruguay, Canada, Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Gibraltar, France, Monaco, Italy, Vatican City, San Marino, Slovenia, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland, Ukraine, Transnistria, Moldova, Romania
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| Transfăgărășan above the Timblerline |
The Transfăgărășan, although in need of re-paving, was a good time and Greta took her like a champ. I ran the road twice, once in either direction. The first run started at about 3:00pm and required the passing of many vehicles, a bit too many to call the run exciting. The second run started at about 6:00pm, and required only about a dozen vehicle passes on the steep sections, and another dozen on the lower sections, hardly noticeable on a motorcycle, and as such, allot more fun. I teamed up with two other bikes, and we ran it very fast, pushing limits the whole way. The return trip (north to south) took about half the time.
As much fun as the run was, I can not make the same conclusions as Top Gear's assessment, "the best road in the world (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLAtcrB0GZg)." The PCH, The Tail of the Dragon, and Pikes Peak in the US and a dozen or so other roads throughout South America are as good or better, with more twists and turns, better pavement, better scenery and thus more exhilarating to run. That being said, it's worth running if you are in the area, especially later in the day.
As an interesting side note, I rode past the castle of Vlad the Impaler (Vlad Dracul), the inspiration for Dracula.
Stage Distance: 365 mi (589 km)
Total Distance Traveled: 19,976 mi (32,093 km)
Countries/Territories Visited: USA, Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Uruguay, Canada, Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Gibraltar, France, Monaco, Italy, Vatican City, San Marino, Slovenia, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland, Ukraine, Transnistria, Moldova, Romania
Hey - new helmet ?
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