Seeing the Carpathians on two wheels

“Four wheels are designed to carry a body, but two wheels are designed to carry a soul!” said Yuriy Karpin, an experienced biker, as he jumped onto his bike to head down a narrow trail in the Carpathian town of Yaremche, followed by a small group of fellow two-wheel enthusiasts.

The route is a pretty simple one: about 17 kilometers of mainly even ground with some occasional hills and river bridge crossings.

“It’s one of the best routes for beginners. You don’t sweat while climbing up a steep mountain on your bike, just ride, relax and enjoy the view,” Karpin said.

Bike riding in the Carpathians is growing in popularity among both Ukrainian and European tourists, attracted by the terrain’s natural beauty and stunning views.

While there are no figures for cycle tourists, there are now eight bike rental stores in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, where two years ago there was just one, according to Viktor Zahreba, coordinator of BikeLand, an organization of bike enthusiasts.

BikeLand was initially established by a group of two-wheel fans headed by Zahreba, who managed to get a two-year grant from the European Union for the development and maintenance of biking infrastructure in the area, including parking stands, route markings and maps.

It wasn’t long before their initiative gained support from local travel agencies, hotel owners, bike rental companies and businessmen who smelled money from promoting bike tourism.

“Once, I tried to figure out how we could entertain visitors who come here,” said Rostyslav Martyniuk, a hotel owner from Kosiv said.

The conquerors of the mountains: bikers stop for a photoshoot on the way up to the mountain in the Carpathians. (Courtesy)

“The first day they would go to a kolyba, a traditional wooden restaurant that serves local food; the next day they’d hit a wine cellar, then another restaurant. On day four they have nothing else to do but to start their gastronomic route over again.”

Riding a bike makes all the difference, Martyniuk admits. Tourists can explore new routes every day as the area is packed with breathtaking views and natural wonders.

So far Ukrainians are the most frequent guests, but people from Western and Central Europe – Poland, Czech Republic and Germany – are starting to discover the region.

“Usually they are tourists who have been all over Europe and come here for some new experiences,” said Oksana Fedorovych, head of Ivano-Frankivsk tourism association.

“Here they can find anything they want and choose a bike route they like – be it a waterfall tour or the old railroad [built during the Austro-Hungarian empire] sightseeing tour.

They can combine biking, horse-back riding or rafting if they want. Some travel agencies offer international tour packages that include a stay in Romania and western Ukraine.”

Skeptics say that western Ukraine has a long way to go before it can attract the international biking crowd.

“Our rental companies provide average-quality bikes that would not satisfy picky European tourists,” said Hryhoriy Tomiuk, a local businessman and hotel owner.

“A good bike costs 2,000 euros, a special mountain bike for downhill or all-mountain ride would cost 5,000 euros, and our rentals simply don’t have the money to invest in fancy bikes.”

Usually, rental stores offer medium-class bikes (helmet and gloves included) at Hr 90-100 per day. Still, Tomiuk admits that most tourists coming for bike rides are novices, and they can detect no difference between an ultra-expensive and regular bike. The few extreme sports fans who can tell the difference usually bring their own equipment.

The biggest problem is the poor transport infrastructure in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast. To get there from Kyiv, for example, you can choose between an overpriced flight or an overnight train.

Then, you have to take a minibus or hire a cab to get to Yaremche, Kosiv or another destination. It’s pretty tiresome for Ukrainians, not to mention the foreigners who don’t speak the language.

But despite multiple challenges, BikeLand’s Zahreba has no doubt that biking has a future in western Ukraine. The basic biking infrastructure is already there, and it just needs to be maintained and developed.

BikeLand has introduced a special certification system for hotels and private houses who want to host bikers.

At the moment there are three criteria the hotels have to meet to be certified as bike friendly: They have to have bike storage facilities, a bike wash and a stand with all the necessary information, like maps and bike routes.

A modest annual fee of Hr 100-500 will soon be introduced for the certified hotels (53 as of today) that will go toward the upkeep of existing infrastructure and mapping of new routes.

“This new trend, an active outdoor vacation, is becoming huge in Europe,” Zahreba said.

“And it’s becoming more and more popular in Ukraine. I think that the mountain regions in western Ukraine can borrow the best practices of the Alpine towns that have tourists coming all the year round – for skiing in winter and biking and outdoor sports in summer.”

Staff writer Olesia Oleshko can be reached at oleshko@kyivpost.com.