Three isolated communes in the Poiana Ruscă Mountains count together more than 700 inhabitants, but the wild land of the mountains will be traversed by bicycle tracks. “Transalpine of cyclists” has already been built, but other bicycle tracks could compete.
Cerbăl – Ulm bicycle lane, also called the cyclist transalpine. Photo: Daniel Guță. TRUTH
In Cerbăl commune in Hunedoara, with 400 inhabitants, a three -kilometer bicycle lane has already been built, descending steeply between the churches in the villages of Cerbăl and Ulm. In Vadu Dobrii, a mountain village of Bunila, a commune with 250 inhabitants, another bicycle route of about 2.4 kilometers is in the site, and in the commune of olda, with less than 80 inhabitants, a bicycle lane of about 2.5 kilometers will be built on the mountain.
Transalpine of cyclists from the Poiana Ruscă Mountains
The fashion of the bicycle lanes from the mountain peak gains land in the most isolated villages in Romania. In the west of the country, one of the most unusual bicycle tracks was built in Cerbăl commune (Hunedoara county), whose villages are located on the hills of the Poiana Ruscă Mountains.
The track, about three kilometers long, was completed in 2024 and cost 1.4 million lei, being made with funds obtained by the Cerbăl City Hall through the National Plan of Redress and Resility (PNRR), which supports the arrangement of bicycle tracks including in rural areas.
The route is spectacular: it descends from the church from Cerbăl to the one from Ulm, an isolated locality, with only 10-20 inhabitants, hidden on the other side of the slopes that guard the Zlaști Valley.
The extremely steep slope from the village of Ulm puts to the difficulty not only on cyclists – a rare presence in the land of the forests – but also those who try to climb it.
“Tourists come to see the track, walk it or even climb it by car. It is right, it seems like a bicycle track. It’s hard to climb on two wheels, especially from Ulm, where it’s a steep slope that you are climbing, not a joke.”the story of one of the few locals from Ulm, a village about 20 kilometers from Hunedoara.
The bicycle lane in Cerbăl was nicknamed the “transalpine of cyclists”, but could be “overshadowed” soon by another runway at least as spectacular, working on the outskirts of Vadu Dobrii.
Bicycle track in the site at Vadu Dobrii
About 60 kilometers from Hunedoara municipality, near Muncelu (1,140 m) and Rusca (1,355 m) in the Poiana Ruscă Mountains, Vadu Dobrii is considered one of the most isolated villages in western Romania.
In the past, the village hosted an iron mine and an anti -aircraft military unit (video). The mine was linked to Hunedoara through a funicular network of over 40 kilometers. In the 1950s, a rocket unit was established here, which worked until the early 2000s. After their closure, the village entered decline, and today less than ten people live permanently in Vadu Dobrii.
Access to the village is difficult, due to the degraded land roads that go up from Hunedoara and Deva. Although some road sectors were partially rehabilitated, the village remained isolated, and visitors are warned to expect off-road routes. The asphalt will soon reach Vadu Dobrii, but not on a car road, but on the new bicycle lane.
The route (video), with a length of about 2.4 kilometers, descends from the village, from the right roads, towards the stream Valley, where, in a small meadow surrounded by forest and mountains, a place of relaxation was arranged.
“The implementation of the project involves the realization of a route for cyclists, which will ensure the connection between the village of Vadu Dobrii and the recreation point arranged by UAT Bunila. In this way, road traffic with cars and the emissions of CO₂ in Bunila commune can be significantly diminished.is shown in the project.
In the area of Vadu Dobrii, located in the Poiana Ruscă Mountains, at the border of Hunedoara, Timiș and Caraș – Severin counties, the few people of the place were accustomed to the wilderness of the vast forests, some secular, populated by bears, wolves, deer and many other species of animals, sought by hunters.
The construction of the bicycle track in the village of Vadu Dobrii is financed by the National Plan of Redress and Resilitis (PNRR), through a component that aims to develop the cycloturistic infrastructure in Romania, with a total budget of 247.5 million euros for the arrangement of 3,000 kilometers of cycloturistic routes.
Bicycle tracks in the heart of the mountains
Romulus Stroia, the mayor of Bunila commune in the Land of Forest, said that he took advantage of the opportunity to attract funds for such projects, through the program for the construction of bicycle lanes.
He adds that the route could be connected in the future with other routes to be arranged within the European program “by bicycle through the west”, which aims to make over 1,700 kilometers of cycloturistic routes in Timiș, Arad, Caraș-Severin and Hunedoara.
Thus, a secondary sector, called “Via Carpatica”, will cross the localities in the Poiana Ruscă Mountains: Lăpugiu de Jos, Dobra, old, Cerbăl, Bunila, Lelese, Ghelari, Teliuc, then descending to Hunedoara and Călan. This segment is an integral part of the cycloturistic network funded by PNRR.
The old woman in Hunedoara (video), where about 80 people live permanently, will also have a bicycle lane, built on the mane of the hills.
The works, aimed at arranging a route of about 2.5 kilometers, will start after obtaining the necessary authorizations, says Mayor Ciprian Sergiu Pascesc. And this project, worth 1.3 million lei, benefits from financing through PNRR.
