{"id":197456,"date":"2024-12-12T10:35:08","date_gmt":"2024-12-12T10:35:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/?p=197456"},"modified":"2024-12-12T11:54:19","modified_gmt":"2024-12-12T11:54:19","slug":"sacred-mountain-of-the-ancient-dacians-challenged-on-emtbs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2024\/12\/12\/sacred-mountain-of-the-ancient-dacians-challenged-on-emtbs\/","title":{"rendered":"Sacred Mountain of the Ancient Dacians Challenged on E-MTBs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fly out to the Romanian backcountry and then cycle back. The journey will be hard but with the promise of pure adventure in the heart of the Carpathian Mountains. Our team, which challenged the sacred mountain in Romania, included professional biker Richard \u201cGaspi\u201d Gasperotti, former motocross racer Cristian Dunca, and me, the chronicler of our adventure.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The take-off was sudden. After the first landing, we make our first descent on the new \u201cCoffee Lady\u201d trail from the peak above the chalet, then the pilot picks us up again, and we fly to our second destination of the day \u2013 the plateau from which our two-day expedition will begin. Then again, the helicopter fades into a dot in the sky.<\/p>\n

\"Mount<\/a><\/p>\n

Finally, we can breathe. A deep breath. No stress. Or is there? It\u2019s good to keep a few things in mind: \u201cYes, Romanian mountains have bears, which might be curious about the food we\u2019re carrying. No, there\u2019s no cell service, so no online navigation in case we get lost or injured \u2013 or if we encounter a bear,\u201d Cristian Dunca says. Like his father \u2013 and today\u2019s pilot, Romeo Dunca \u2013 Cristian was also drawn to motorcycles. He raced enduro for years until a major crash shattered his ankle beyond repair, ending his career. His motocross days on the world cups and events like the Red Bull Romaniacs were over, and he swapped handlebars for those of an eMTB.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo I know what the trail will be like? No, I can\u2019t say, I was here with my parents on foot when I was five,\u201d laughs Cristian who invited us to Romania to conquer four peaks of the Godeanu Mountains on e-bikes, each towering over 2,000 meters. Nobody had done it before on bikes or e-bikes. \u201cWe\u2019ll be the first!\u201d<\/p>\n

Alone in the mountains<\/strong><\/h2>\n

That\u2019s how it is: in the Romanian mountains, you\u2019re alone and must rely solely on yourself. To save as much weight as possible, we coordinated so that we carried only one of each item: one set of tools, one pump, one first-aid kit, one gas stove, one knife, and so on. Each of us had our own inflatable mat, sleeping bag, food, and water. Apart from a single river in the valley, we\u2019d be in the mountains with no way to replenish our water.<\/p>\n

\"Outdoor<\/a><\/p>\n