Albac is a Moți village on the upper Arieș, and its name is tied to one of the great stories of Transylvanian history. In 1784 a peasant from the village of Arada, just up the side valley, known as Horea, led a revolt of Romanian serfs against the Hungarian nobility, together with his companions Cloșca and Crișan. The uprising spread across the Apuseni and beyond, and it was put down with brutality; Horea and Cloșca were broken on the wheel at Alba Iulia the following year. Today Horea is a national hero, and the commune next door bears his name, with a memorial to the revolt and a fine wooden church where he is said to have prayed.
The village itself stretches along the river at the point where the Transursoaia road comes down from the mountains to meet the main Arieș valley road. It has the typical Moți mix of wooden houses with steep shingle roofs, small farms, sawmills and stacks of timber, and the people are known for their woodworking skills and their stubborn independence. In August there is a festival in the area celebrating local traditions, music and crafts.
The riding here is one of the joys of the Apuseni. Coming down from the north on the Transursoaia, the road descends through forest and meadows with a long run of linked bends and views over the hills. Along the Arieș, the road follows the river with gentle curves, the water rushing over rocks beside you, and the valley narrowing and widening between the hills. The valley road is in decent shape; side roads collect gravel, and cattle and horses wander wherever they like. Traffic is light, apart from summer weekends when visitors come up from Cluj and Alba.
Albac has a few shops and guesthouses that will happily feed a hungry rider. For fuel, the nearest reliable stop is Câmpeni, about twelve kilometres down the valley to the east, a small town with stations, supermarkets and other services. Câmpeni is also known as the capital of the Moți, and it has a small museum dedicated to Avram Iancu, another local hero who led the Romanians of the Apuseni in the revolution of 1848.
From June to September the afternoons often build thunderheads over the ridges, so ride the mountain sections in the morning and save the valley for later.