Back in the game! – Munţii Baiului, Romania

Now take it easy on the football pitch, she said when I paid for the football protection

I don’t play football, I responded

The broken leg from the freeride skiing the past winter is healing and the doctor has given his go ahead for road biking and I gave the go ahead for gravel roads… and maybe some more… anyway wearing a football protection.

During the week the guys convinced me to join for a mountain bike ride in the local forest – easy non-technical trails without too much shaking – and it all went good. So, when they asked me to join for a ride on gravel roads in the mountain I of course joined.

In other words – I’m back in the game!

We started off in a village called Teşila – 120km from Bucharest: Marius, myself, Toni, Istvan, Cosmin and Stefan.

Working our way up, the first 300 meters of vertical climb on asphalt

A lot of Buckthorn along the way

After the village Secăria the asphalt is breaking up more and more

I get to open the gate to heaven

The climb up to the ridge is getting very steep, and sweaty in the blazing sun. Marius realizes that it’s too much for him and drops out.

We are making it up to the ridge. Toni is hanging in there with Bucharest far away in the distance behind him

We are up. The Bucegi mountain range with it’s 2500 meter peaks in the background

The Giant asses

A bit of biking on the flat

And as always in the mountains… The weather is changing… Thunder and showers of rain getting closer

Somehow we are escaping it but the thunder is still very close

The Giant asses are taking the lead

By now we are pretty tired and the initial idea of adding some 600 meters of climb and 10-15km is less appetizing compared to just hanging out in the grass. Only the sound of the cow bells and a shepherd shouting. Magic. We start the descent. One of the strangest I’ve done. The leg has been fine when climbing but it hurts a lot when the calf muscle is shaking around the Fibula. I drop the saddle to minimum and go with the right foot out of the pedal, but with a lot of speed. I’ve a got the football protection sort of…

But where are the others?

Ahh, there they are

We eventually make it down to a gravel road and I got the chain up on the biggest chain ring – yes, my old bike still has three chain rings.

I don’t know from where the power came from but suddenly three of us are racing like hell at the speed of 45-50km/h all the 10 kilometers back to the cars, or rather the bar… Cold drinks and entertainment as well