CyclistClassic climb: Transfgran, the epic driving road thats also pretty stunning by bikeWith a name that could win you a Scrabble game, Romanias Transfgran is revered locally with the title of the most spectacular road. And while the stunning setting among the Carpathian Mountains and Transylvanian forest supports this claim, that tagline is rooted in a history clouded by dictatorship.Step forward Nicolae Ceauescu, Romanias long-term communist leader and a man whom Mikhail Gorbachev dubbed the Romanian Fhrer. Anxious in the wake of the 1968 Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, Ceauescu sought to bolster his defences in case of any move to expand the Warsaw Pact to its southerly neighbour. The start town of Crioara is under an hours drive from the city of Sibiu.Harry Taylor-BullAs such, the Romanian leader homed in on the Carpathian Mountains, authorising the construction of a 150km highway for strategic military use to fend off what he perceived as a great danger to the prospects of world socialism.Years of manual labour and 6,000 tonnes of dynamite later, the Transfgran was opened on 20th September 1974. Ceauescu was greeted by crowds waving hammer and sickle-branded flags at a mountaintop ceremony with all the framed portraits and patriotic chanting youd expect from the dictators devoted followers. Related Posts Big Ride: The Transalpina Highway in Romania Big Ride: Romania's Transfgran Pass Harry Taylor-BullHalf a century on, this barrier to Soviet imperialism has evolved into an asphalt spectacle, drawing motorists and cyclists from well beyond the countrys borders. The Poarta Genitilor commemorates the lives lost building the 150km-long highway, many of whom were conscripted soldiers.Harry Taylor-BullLaid out over 25 hairpins, the Transfgrans northern and toughest ascent provides 30km of climbing at a modest average gradient of 5%, reaching Romanias second-highest paved summit at a height of 2,042m.Grin and bear itCeauescus Folly begins in the village of Crtioara, located slap bang in the middle of the country on the last remnants of flatland in Transylvania. At first its quite tame, climbing at a gentle gradient as you near the cloud-capped Carpathians loitering in the distance. This section of the Transfgran is prone to rockfalls and avalanches, which forces its closure from late autumn until spring or early summer.Harry Taylor-BullThe odd stray dog or loose cow is bound to catch your eye in the opening 5km, with the steepness ramping up to the mid-single digits by the time the road is wrapped in thick Balkan forest and the bed and breakfasts, known as pensioni, slide out of frame.On these lower slopes there are several billboard-like warning signs displaying a stick-figure bear cub chowing down on a slice of pizza. It seems the brown bears in the area had become used to the influx of tourists, who would tempt the bears with food to get photographs, leading to several dangerous incidents. Harry Taylor-BullAs a result, in 2024 the environment minister, Mircea Fechet, announced a relocation scheme to move the animals to a sanctuary 100km away to prevent them interacting with humans.Whether you see a bear or not, the climb keeps trundling on, sticking to its now-familiar 6% incline as you follow the gentle curves of the tarmac. That rhythm is soon broken at the climbs halfway point when, rounding a hairpin at the Blea Cascad chalet, youre welcomed by souvenir sellers and the smell of Hungarian chimney cake emanating from a food stall in the adjoining layby.Your best chance to spot a bear is in the climbs forested lower half.Harry Taylor-BullBeyond the hairpin, breaks in the tree line offer views out over the Transylvanian plains, and a little further on you pass the Poarta Genitilor (engineers gate), a memorial unveiled during the 1974 inauguration ceremony to recognise the soldiers who worked on this engineering goliath. While official records suggest the number of deaths during the roads construction totalled 40, some witnesses later claimed the death toll was closer to 400 by the time the Transfgran was completed.The Lake Blea cable car carries tourists over the switchback-filled finale.Harry Taylor-BullThe commemorations continue a further 500m up the road at the Poarta ntlnirii (meeting gate), another small memorial that stands just ahead of a curve topped with a substantial anti-rockfall cover. At this point, the gradient softens for a brief spell, allowing the political slogans, graffiti tags and towing service advertisements on the overhanging walls to blur as you stamp on the pedals.The closing 5km intersect the course of the Blea River and its manmade tributaries.Harry Taylor-BullSoon enough the gradient tilts up to 6% again as you enter the jaws of the Blea valley with 7km of the ascent remaining. Now encased by mountains on all sides, a quick succession of switchbacks carves through the brown-hued meadow flanking the course of the Blea River.With 5km to go, the Transfgrans pice de rsistance appears ahead, swamping your field of vision in the process. Stacked up like a giant marble run, the climbs closing hairpins zigzag across the scree-coated slopes in imposing fashion, with the tarmac strip supported by a set of bridges and pillars.The modest 5% average gradient was an intentional choice to guarantee speed and access for military vehicles.Harry Taylor-BullIts this engineering showpiece that brought the Transfgran international coverage in the 2000s when Ceauescus defences were breached by Jeremy Clarkson. In a 2009 episode of Top Gear, Clarkson crowned the Transfgran as the best driving road in the world, dethroning Italys Stelvio Pass in the process.Ceauescu later ordered the road be expanded to two lanes to facilitate tourist traffic into the Carpathians.Harry Taylor-BullTwo wheels goodA bike might be a slower way to ascend the Transfgran than the Aston Martin DBS that Clarkson drove, but it offers more time to appreciate the layer cake of carriageway that unravels over the course of nine hairpins.Harry Taylor-BullWith 2km left to the summit, a chipped marker stone indicates the spot where motorbikers like to park up and snap their pride and joy against the backdrop of the road writhing down into the valley. For cyclists it marks a much-needed opportunity to catch your breath before tackling the climbs final section.From here the road jinks right before one last pair of hairpins takes you under the path of the Lake Blea cable car. The summit comes into sight after rounding the final bend, perched just above the 2,000m altitude marker.Top Gear is credited with boosting visitor numbers after the show aired its Romanian Road Trip in 2009.Harry Taylor-BullIn July, this final pitch doubles up as the home straight for the queen stage at the Sibiu Cycling Tour. During its almost 15-year reign over the countrys biggest stage race, the Transfgran has helped announce up-and-comers such as future Tour de France champion Egan Bernal and Vuelta a Espaa white jersey winner Matthew Riccitello, who won atop this peak in 2017 and 2025 respectively.Harry Taylor-BullTo distinguish this 29km ascent from the rest of the 150km Transfgran, the race officially calls this climb Lake Blea. The shores of its namesake hide behind a row of shops selling a mix of local produce and mass-produced keyrings in shed-like boxes at the passs crest, just before the road teeters down into the Blea Tunnel.As the crow flies, the countrys tallest peak, Moldoveanu, is less than 10km away from the end point of the climb.Harry Taylor-BullBeside the lakeside shops stands Cabana Paltinu, the former holiday residence of Ceauescu, who visited the area to go hunting long before the Transfgran broke ground. Today you can pay 300 Romanian Lei (approximately 50) to follow his lead and stay in the Ceauescu apartment, which looks almost untouched since the Cold War.During his stays at the Cabana, Ceauescu would have seen his own portrait hanging above the Blea Tunnel from his bedroom window. Today all hed see are supercars and cyclists gearing up for a lengthy descent.The post Classic climb: Transfgran, the epic driving road thats also pretty stunning by bike appeared first on Cyclist.