Mountain Biking the worlds most deadly road

After hearing about the mountain biking tours of the worlds most deadly road, it was something I knew I was going to do.  A couple of days ago I met a guy from Holland in my hostel, and we decided that we were destined to ride this trail, so after wandering about the city for a few hours, checking every tour guide option, we finally decided on the best in town.  The tour company is called Down hill Madness and they provide a Rocky Mountain Bike, (an awesome bike that goes for about $2,500) all the safety equipment needed, and even a free buffet lunch and shower/pool at the end of the excursion.  We headed out early in the morning and made our way to 4700 meters where we began to gear up.  This bike is nicer than the one I have at home, and the hydraulic disc brakes were a nice change.  I immediately started playing, ecstatic to be on such a machine.  The first part of the trip is on paved road, making our way downhill to the death road.  The weather definitely left something to be desired, as it was snowing at the top, but we made haste and, tucking my body in as tight as possible, I followed my guide down the road, passing trucks and busses on our way down.  The ride was incredible and fast, and my group of 16 people had about 10 that like to go really fast, so I was in good company.  The ride involves about 3 km of climbing, which seemed near impossible at elevation, but enjoying the scenery that was provided, I made my way up the hill as I watched two hawks fight over a piece of food.  Watching these fierce birds of prey dance through the sky looked elegant and preplanned until one of them landed a blow, resulting in the loss of a few tail feathers, slowly drifting to the ground as a reminder of the power that can be mustered with enough hunger.  Finally after climbing, we made it to the start of the death road.

The death road got its name because it is an incredibly narrow road built into the side of a cliff, offering little chance of survival if one was to go over.  Through its existence as the main gateway from Coroico to La Paz, this road has claimed thousands of lives.  The road is only wide enough for one small car, and when multiple double decker tour busses meet head to head on the road, there is no easy simple solution.  Many busses in the past have gone over, and the road claims on average a hundred or so lives a year.  The most unbelievable tale I have heard on this road, involved a man traveling to la Paz who was in a bus that went over.  The accident was horrific, and many people died, but he managed to survive.  He was extracted from the steep canyon, and placed in an ambulance to be taken to la Paz.  As his ambulance was traveling up the road, there was another accident, and the vehicle went over the edge.  This man, having just survived one terrible accident, was fortunate to survive yet another, and he was extracted and brought to La Paz to the hospital.  After spending two weeks in the hospital healing up, he tried to return home by the only route available, the death road.  He got on a bus, and again, on his return, his vehicle went over the edge in a crash that killed 38 people.  This blessed man once again survived, and til´ this day, holds the record for the most times going over the edge.

At the end of our ride, about 5 or 6 hours of the perfect fix for the adrenaline junkie, we kicked back at the hotel esmerelda, where there were showers, a pool, sauna, and delicious buffet.

My bike excursion was far less dangerous.  Two months ago, construction of a new road, a safer alternative, was completed.  Now the road is seldom used by through traffic, and primarily provides amazing views and heart pounding adventure for those that choose to take the ride down.  The narrow road is plenty large enough for a bike, and while there are still accidents on bikes, there are far fewer since the completion of the new road.  One of the more infamous crash sites is called italian guy corner, where an enthusiastic traveler could not make a turn and launched himself, surely hundreds of feet into the canyon before making contact with anything firm.  Yet another, not but 100 meters from this site, a french girl was moving out of the way of some traffic, and she just slipped off the edge.  Caution is definitely necessary, however the ride was incredible and fast.  The road is at a good pitch, and it is incredibly easy to pick up speed, splashing through puddles, and riding through waterfalls.  From the highest point we descended 3345 meters.  The change in climate was incredible.  We went from the snowy summit to the tropical jungle at the bottom all in a days ride.

Another common hazard of the death road, especially now in the rainy season, are the land slides.  Our support vehicle following behind us was turned around after encountering a huge rock slide from the day prior.  We dismounted our bikes, and crossing one by one, made our way across the obviously unstable terrain, as rocks from above still came tumbling down intermittently.  After half of our group had passed through, another slide started up, causing the rest of the group to wait for a clear opportunity to pass.  The rocks were flowing down the hillside like water, the larger ones bouncing violently down past the road below.  It was an incredible sight to watch geological time taking place.  The rocks were falling with such consistency, many people were trying to see who or what was causing them to fall.  At the end of our ride, about 5 or 6 hours of the perfect fix for the adrenaline junkie, we kicked back at the hotel esmerelda, where there were showers, a pool, sauna, and delicious buffet.  The cold beer was the most refreshing part, seeing as how we had changed climates so drastically.  All in all, it was an amazing experience, and our tour company was most assuredly the best option in the town.  Next for me, it is off to Oruro tomorrow for Carnival.  I paid about 15 dollars to secure a ride to and from the town, with a camping spot in a school gymnasium.  I am not really sure what to expect, but I do know that this is the biggest party in Bolivia, so I am sure it will be exciting.  Until next time