The last dance of the XCO Cup

26 Sep

03-alecu

MTB Academy XCO Cup was the last round of this year XCO Romanian National Cup. I was laying 4th overall, 2 points away from 3rd place and 3 points from 2nd spot. So I knew I had to leave everything out there and don’t look back. Campulung is not that far from Cluj, but we […]

Porumbacu XCO

12 Sep

porumbacu_xco-tibi-hila-01

I have missed the XCO races feeling, but ever since my crash that I had before Alba Carolina Bike Race I was in doubt if I can push myself to the limit. Did my best to train as close as possible to normal. I wasn’t motivated at all to be honest, but I had to […]

Alba Carolina – dust and pain

29 Aug

ACBR-07-claudiu-miclaus

I think that Alba Carolina Bike Race is my home race away from home. Mostly because it reminds me about the good old times at Maros Bike Marathon, where I was in the organizing team but I was also competing to get on the podium, as usual. The race starts near one of the gates […]

Racing emotions: between pain and frustration

18 Jul

IMG_3788-1

Last week was an intense period of racing, consisting of five days, four races, including two National Championships, one National Cup, and even an ebike race. I invested significant time and effort into preparing myself both physically and mentally, juggling commitments between work and family. Waking up at 5 A.M. repeatedly for training sessions wasn’t […]

Blajel XCO 2023: Thunder and lightning, the gods take revenge

27 Jun

blajel-xco-11-ionut-sarpe

In this blog post, I want to share my experience at the Blajel XCO 2023 event. It was a memorable race, filled with unexpected challenges and remarkable moments. Join me as I recount my journey through rain-soaked trails, technical obstacles, and the triumph of perseverance. Race Day: Arriving at Blajel, with Sebi, I couldn’t help […]