Death Road Conquerors - that´s us!

No sooner had we arrived in La Paz than we had signed up to bike ride down the Worlds Most Dangerous Road nicknamed "Death Road". The road goes from La Cumbre (4,800m altitude) all the way down to Yosolo (1,200m).

Descent: 12,000 feet (3,600m)

Distance: 65km, mostly downhill

Details: the infamous narrow (occasionally very narrow) road clings to steep mountainsides above hair-raising precipices. The track hugs the walls of the sheer valley as it snakes its way beneath waterfalls and rocky overhangs as it plunges down from the high peaks of the Andes to the sub-tropical Yungas. In 1995 the Inter-American Development Bank dubbed the La Paz to Coroico route "the world's most dangerous road."

B-Side Adventures took us by minibus from La Paz up to the top of the pass where we got our bikes & gear. The bikes were fantastic, brand new Iron Horse dual suspension bikes with hydraulic disk brakes. They were sure to soak up all the bumps...... We opted for B-side because they have 1 guide for every 5 cyclists & took the fully inclusive package of protective gear (knee pads, goggles) & commemorative photo CD & t-shirt. We also met a lovely Irish couple (Peter & Frances), Peter was doing the cycle but Frances opted to see the road from the "safety" (??) of the bus & so chose not to cycle!

It was a truly awesome day out.

The road started at the top of the pass where it was pretty cold at altitude of 4,800m. The 1st 33km was on normal road but still lots of fun as we could relax & enjoy the spectacular views while free wheeling downhill! Then came the killer uphill section, do you know how hard it is to ride a bike uphill at 4,500m altitude?? Sheer murder. We passed through beautiful valleys & the cocaine checkpoints (where we had to get off our bikes).

It didn´t seem that long since we put the 1st section behind us that we pulled onto the gravel of the old Coroico Road (aka Death Road). Again the views took our breath away (our maybe it was the sheer anxiety at the prospect of going down the road on bike). Death Road was a single lane, narrow gravel road that hugs the side of the mountains while you drop down to 1,200m. No guard rails or anything safety related of course. There used to be hundreds of deaths per year on the road with buses & trucks often going over the edge as they tried to reverse up to the turnouts to allow one to pass the other. There is a new road now, so the old road is used mostly by mountain bikers but we still passed several vehicles.

We descended into the cloud forrest, coming out the other side into the upper jungle. From there we descended further into the lower jungle where we rode through waterfalls (San Juan) & through many creek crossings. Apparently the waterfalls bless you & keep you safe, also we passed numerous crucifixes laid in respect of people who had lost their lives - a bit freaky that this road has become such a tourist attraction but it sure does wonders for the adrenaline.

We were seperated into 3 groups based on our ability, needless to say Dave couldn´t resist being one of the 5 cyclists in the "fast group". I chose to play it safe, slow group for me (of which there were 2 of us)! It certainly was a hair raising ride, the drops to the left hand side were deadly, literally!! Bolivian law dictates that those going downhill must go to the outside of the cliff - yes, the side where you are cradling the cliff edge so needless to say this added to the sheer terror factor. One wrong move, skid or over a stone that caused a blowout & you could plummet off the side.

Everyone got down safe (Claire last but not least) & agreed it was a great experience. The bus took us to Coroico, where we had a hot shower & meal (in a lovely hotel) before making the 4 hour bus journey (on the new road) back to La Paz.

(Adventure) highlight of the trip to date, hands down. Death Road Conquerors - that´s us!