András  Szilágyi's cycling tours
I am looking for cycling partners in
Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania,Serbia, Albania, Austria to climb moutain passes
in 2024

view from  Col des Montets (1462 m) towards  Mont Blanc >>>>

What a feeling in Dolomits, Italy , while I was - though in a sharp turn- overtaking the truck of  Astana team victoriously at the age of 58 ..

I wish to encourage every young and not any more so young cyclist with the description and some photos  of my cycling tours to experience the whistling of the  spokes,
to enjoy the breathtaking view from the mountain passes,glaciers, the relief and joy felt by reaching  the  pass top.
I in the same time recall the delight of racing downhill from Zoncolan

How has it begun ? Not many events worth to mention had occured since my birth in 1949 until 1962. But during this summer vacation I as usual stayed  at my grandparents in Ecser. My cousin Magdi, who was three months younger than me had been riding a bycicle for a few years  as a girl ! I very well remember even now : it was a pretty hot summer noon. Nobody had been seen around, so I pushed a bicycle out of the shed, where several ones used to stand. I set in the saddle on the empty street. Better said I started to pedal under the frame, because I was too small, and landed straight in the trench on the opposite side. Apart from  my scare I did not get hurt. So I tried it again. That was the start  my cycling 's "career" over few hundred thousand km.

I soon asked my parents to buy me a bike.
This model was simply called that time "Russian bike".
It was a heavy, but stabile "vehicle".
I studied all maps available  in our house. I  dared to pedal on the  country road  nr. 4 as far as Cegled.
As soon as I caught sight of Cegled's houses I quickly turned, because I was afraid not to arrrive home in time.
For we used to play table tennis for example at Gyuszi  Ferencz, I got in a table tennis club. I had to come late home after the tirering trainings. My mother worried, because I had to walk 10 min. from the tram stop at night.
So I got an idea. I  appealed to my parents to get a race bicycle on exchange  for leaving the table tennis trainings.
I found in a short while a beautiful red used race bike of model  "Bianchi ".
Now noone should think it was a real Italian one. But it did not care me then at all.
It was not in my mind even, it could not be a genuine model.
I had to promise my mother I will not go to any cycling club.
Of course I had already the address of well known Újpesti Dózsa.
I also went to the abutment of  Margaret bridge, but somehow I missed the start of the training.
I was ashamed of myself, so I went to another club:  BVSC on Garay square.
They took me, because I had my own bycicle.
I made through two juvenile  and two junior racing years.
I was a  cyclist with very average ability, without any rankings in the races.
But as I should have been preparing myself for the matura exams, I attended the Hungarian adult cycling team's tranings and managed to keep  15-20 km along with them, I got in better shape.
During the 100 km-es Budapest Road Championships less than 10 cyclists broke away on the hills of Naszály. I was also this time among them, for I used to be very light.
But after 60 km ride in the breakaway group as I saw the finish banner, I took all my power and mostly my courage to start a long sprint first time in my life.
My club mate, the excellent sprinter Fülöp Józsi, waited long cleverly and overtook me and even Mohácsi  winning the championship thus .
So I made a third rank first time in my life .
Uncle Patyi - our coach  was not to be held that afternoon running up and down among the coaches and the cyclists kept on boasting  :
three cyclists from BVSC team in the first 5  !!! 

It turned out later that I became a member of the Hungarian junior road cycling team.
On the excuse of our low performance - and obviously lack of money - we did not take part in the European Junior Road Cycling Championship in Constanca (Romania ).
We BVSC team won the Budapest team championship , because  my late friend Legner Laci was also in the breakaway group, actively taking part in the lead work.
We won the 100 km Budapest road team cycling championships by 2 min.30 sec.. Our forth team member was my former school friend Ferenczi Gyuszi, who had left us for ever since.
I happend that our other club mates caught us from the saddle avoiding falling down to our shame after the finish line.
The Hungarian 100 km road team championshsip we lost by 26 sec., because we went 3 min. longer than a week earlier at the Budapesst Chapionship.
The rest of my cycling "career": is not interesting of mentioning.
In May 1968  then as cyclist of the good club " Tipográfia" I retuned my cycling "kit " partially on advice of sports physician (hypertonia).
With my friend Legner Laci we planned then to go to the Black Sea over the Carpathians, before also he was giving back his race bike with accessories to  Uncle  Patyi.
But the compulsory daily police registeration held us up.
I thought then, I left cycling forever.

It  has not happend like that luckily  !

In the former GDR I often went to work by bicycle and for tours of shorter distances.
So happaned that I own several old bicycle of  brand " Diamant".With the oldiest (at least 50 years old counted in 2019) I sometimes go to work.
But even my touring bicycle was 20 years old,when it was stolen..
By the way the first race bicycle  I received from my club  was the same brand.

My new bicycle: Neuzer Wirlwind 1.0      

In 1989 I persuaded a (West)German friend of mine, to take a  900 km tour in Ceauşescu"s  Romania   (North-Eastern part)
At 818 m Setref was the highest pass between Săcel (Izaszacsal) and   Năsăud (Naszód), after the previous day's  587 m high Huta pass between  Negreşti-Oaş (Avasfelsőfalu) and Tecea ( Técső ). At end of May reaching the pass top stripped to waist I had enough time to enjoy the view of the snow covered peaks of Radna and Máramaros mountains.
The following downhill race in the picturesque valley established my fond and respect to the mountain passes.
At the age of 55 I started cycling bicycle tours again.

in the  age 61 after  2000 km cycling I reached the king of the Pyrenees Col du Tourmalet  (2115m ),too !!

                     











Enguri river's gorge in Caucasus on "off-roads" ,in Svanetia (Georgia) 5000 m ridge of Caucasus in(Georgia)

In the menu left are only  those bicycle tours of mine listed, where I took photos.

The pictures in the texts can be opened >>>> by clicking on the links .

Grödnerjoch - in South Tyrolia , Passo Gardena in Alto Adige




Enjoy them !

Have fun with cycling !

cyclist friendly apartments in Budapest' center

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