When you google La Paz - things to do The Death Road cycle comes at the top of recommendations. I watched the Gravity pro - mo from the safety of my desk at home. See www.gravitybolivia.com The World's Most Dangerous Road.
What thoughts went through my head. An attractive challenge. Daft. Why take the risks. Probably over hyped - just good marketing. It can't be that dangerous if they let you do it. Expensive. If I do it do it with Gravity because I want the best/safest equipment.
Anyway I get to La Paz. I am going to do it. I chat to a Canadian who did it with an outfit arranged by the Hostel. He said they were fine and much cheaper. I sign up. I did it today and am here to write the blog. The outfit I did it with are called Barro Biking. They were good. Only 4 in our group plus the guide and the driver.
So what is all the fuss about? Well it is a massive down hill drop. We were driven in a mini bus out of La Paz up into the Andes. The decent starts from La Cumbre 4700m - 12500 feet. We were properly kitted out. Knee and elbow guards - special over jacket and trousers, full face helmet and gloves - and a good spec mountain bike of course. It was cold.
Part one was on a good asphalt road - lots of bends and very steep at times. Quite fast but not threatening. After about 45 mins we turned off on to a dirt road. This was it. The track clung to the mountain edge. It is totally unmade. Lots of bumps, stones, holes and water hitting from higher falls. There were passing places but in the main I would say 4m wide.
It was a 3 hour decent to Yolosa at 1200m - so a drop of 3500m about 10500 feet!
Was it dangerous. Well you have to concentrate totally. No messing around. Some edges were sheer drops definitely. Riders have been killed. However we agreed we never felt scared while riding. It was just about picking your path - braking almost all the way. Fingers became numb. There were moments when your heart jumped but your eyes can never deviate from the track so little is actually seen of the edge.
It was a real bone shaker but we got down without mishap. Big smiles - sweating like mad. We were now down in the jungle. As part of the deal we were taken for a late buffet lunch at a decent hotel - which included use of the open air swimming pool set in a tropical garden - evidence of the drop we had made indeed.
I now have the T Shirt and video to prove it. Alas the few photos I took I have been unable to upload so far. To follow when the Wi-Fi is stronger.
A brilliant day. I cannot stop smiling thinking about it!
PS. The World's Most Dangerous Road claim. Well that has to be tongue in cheek. Excellent marketing. How is the most dangerous road measured? Cycling on some roads in England is not without peril because of traffic. All you can say about the Death Road is it is a fantastic decent, a fair and fun challenge and you have the potential to get hurt - mainly by falling off. You would have to be very negligent or very unlucky to go over the side - but if you did it is likely to be curtains - so the adrenalin flows.
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