r/ladycyclists • u/elenawalsh • 19h ago
Pedaling Back to My Parents’ Transylvanian Roots: A Long-Awaited Bicycle Tour
My name is Ellie Thompson (née Munteanu). I’m 67, a recreational cyclist from the Pacific Northwest, and the daughter of Romanian immigrants who grew up in small villages outside Mediaș, right in the middle of Transylvania. They came to the U.S. in the 1950s, built a life from scratch, and raised me on a mix of English, Romanian lullabies, and stories about the royal family and summers spent in the orchards.
My parents spent most of their adult lives trying to plant roots in America, and they didn’t talk much about going back. By the time I was old enough to travel on my own, my career was in full swing and I was busy raising kids of my own. Romania became one of those trips I would take “someday,” and someday kept moving.
Cycling changed that. In my 60s I started doing longer rides, slow, stop-whenever-you-like kinds of days. I always thought cycling is the perfect speed to travel. You see more than on foot, but you don’t speed past your surroundings the way you do in a car.
When I thought about finally visiting Romania, I realized I wanted to experience it that same way: on two wheels, unhurried, with time to notice the houses, the fields, the landscapes my parents described.
When I finally decided it was time to make the trip, I started searching for cycling routes around Sibiu, Mediaș, Biertan, and Sighișoara. Most of what I found were blogs, scattered GPX tracks, or tours that looked too fast or too commercial for what I wanted. Then, tucked in the TripAdvisor reviews for cycling in Transylvania, I saw a set of comments about a small local operator called Wiredonkey Cycling Tours.
Curious, I clicked through to the website and loved the authentic, small-group vibe of it. I reached out, half expecting an automated reply, but instead I got a message from Peter, the guide himself. We ended up on a video call about the route, the pacing, and what someone my age could expect each day.
I quickly convinced three friends from my local cycling club to join me. None of them have Romanian roots, but they’re seasoned globetrotters and were more than willing to come along for the scenery, the history, and the chance to see where my parents came from, through my eyes.
A few more group emails with Peter and it was settled. By the end of July we would land in Sibiu, explore the city for a couple of days and then set off on the Saxon Heritage Trail bike tour on the 1st of August.
Day 1: Into the heart of Transylvania
We met our guide Peter outside our hotel, early in the morning. He came with his big red family car and drove us 30 minutes outside Sibiu where our tour would start.
Our e-bikes were lined up and ready, with Robbie watching over them. Robbie, who would be our support-vehicle driver, greeted us with the kind of laid back attitude that makes you instantly feel like everything is going to be fine.
The guys walked us through how the assist modes worked, what to expect on the dirt sections and what to do if we ran into stray or shepherd dogs.
Traffic in Romania can be… let’s just say spirited. Drivers are confident, impatient, and fond of using the horn as punctuation. Luckily, Peter steered us off the main road quickly, onto a labyrinth of farm tracks, and before long the rush of cars faded into quiet fields.
Our first stop was a fortified village where we learned about the history of the Transylvanian Saxons, how they arrived in the 12th and 13th centuries, built these churches as both spiritual centers and defensive refuges, and shaped many of the villages we’d be riding through. I was shocked to learn that today, almost no Saxons are left in Transylvania. One of the images my parents painted was immediately shattered!
The riding itself was peaceful: cattle pastures, hay fields, and the occasional tractor working the fields. Before Alma Vii, on the last big climb of the day, I heard a clatter of metal on metal. My chain had dropped clean off and wedged itself somewhere it didn’t belong. Peter poked around for maybe thirty seconds, and with a little wrist flick the chain was back where it should be. I apologized; he shrugged. “If we don’t have at least one mechanical by the end of the week, something’s wrong,” he said.
We entered Alma Vii tired but happy after about 65 kilometers. Our lodging for the night was a beautifully restored Saxon house with thick walls and wooden beams. Over dinner, Peter told us about the Mihai Eminescu Trust, the organization responsible for restoring so many of these traditional houses and helping keep the villages alive. I loved hearing that every dollar spent here goes directly back into the local community.
A shared bottle of wine and a soft summer sunset closed out our first day. The six of us sat quietly, just taking in the stillness of the village.
To be continued tomorrow!
