Tying Up My Transylvania Cycling Holiday
I am tying up summer with this post. We have been back for three days. It was a productive summer full of activities. Mainly, it involved juggling between my new mountain bike and my road bike during a Transylvania cycling holiday. I got to push my physical and mental limits on two wheels while discovering Romania by cycling.
Fractured Metatarsal: The End of My Transylvania Cycling Holiday
I safely survived all these vigorous outdoor activities. Ironically, though, I fractured my 5th metatarsal on the left foot in the second-to-last week of the vacation. It happened while descending the stairs at my in-laws’ place. Turns out it was the stairs, not my usual fear of bike descents, that finally got me.
Missing Out on Sibiu Night Cross Challenge
With a swollen foot, I had to halt all sports and withdraw from the 9 km Sibiu Night Cross Challenge.
There were race distances of 4.5 km and 9.0 km. Participants would go round the lake in the park once and twice respectively. The route was mostly on paved roads, with a small portion on dirt roads. It was a small race of 500 participants but with great ambience. A DJ played the latest dance hits throughout the event, charging up the adrenaline of the runners.
Except for some confusion in signage near the finishing line, the race went well. Best of all, everyone got tasty pasta at the end, which I happily took part in despite not running. The guys — Silviu, Nicolae, and Ionel — completed the race and seemed satisfied with their effort. That’s despite having complained of sudden body “aches” a couple of days before.
Ruin of Upcoming Race Season
My fractured metatarsal has ruined the autumn race season. I will not be able to join the Orsay running club for at least two months. On top of that, I have to cancel the two planned races in September. The healing will take at least six weeks, and then another four weeks to recover my strength.
No running, minimal walking, no cycling, no swimming (as I have to walk to the pool). As a result, it will be hard to avoid weight gain and muscle loss. That’s why I am currently searching for home strengthening exercises that won’t impact my injured foot.
Transylvanian Brunch
Despite the unfortunate event, I still managed to enjoy my last week of summer. In fact, I ended it with a visit to Alma Vii, a former Saxon village 70 km northeast of Sibiu. Ionel and Mirela invited us to join them at Transylvanian Brunch. Namely, it’s a series of brunches organised in different villages across the Transylvanian region. The idea is to help people discover the local culture.
I will let the following pictures introduce Alma Vii and what we did during our 4-hour stay with Transylvanian Brunch.
