I´m Alive

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The day I rode 64km down the death road and survived. Yes I have typed correctly and yes it is called the death road for a reason.

Just out of La Paz the death road has on average 280 deaths per year and has been officially named “The world’s most dangerous road”. After having ridden down it on a bike (At least my life is in my own hands) I can not believe that it even called a road because in my eyes it is a track! A very wet, slippy, rocky and narrow track.

There are certain parts of the road which are that narrow I can not believe that one car can fit let alone the 40 - 60 seated buses which drive down there, navigating around hairpin, blind bends and probably with drivers under the influence of some substance. The road plunges down 3,600metres with waterfalls and rocky overhangs and there are many sections where you are steaming down at approx 80km/hr, the views of glaciated peaks and sub tropical valley are spectacular. Then you realize that you should be looking at the road not the scenery!


A few facts:

1) A week before I rode the death road there was a new road opened, which even though it still has dangerously scary bends with massive drops it is at least tarmaced. However the majority of drivers still choose to take the Death road as it is 8km shorter!!!!

2) If an accident occurs it can often take the emergency services 4 hours or more to arrive if it is involving locals and a lot less if it’s foreigners.

3) There have been 8 cyclists who have died riding the death road and I know of several people who have fell off their bikes and broke bones or have heard several stories of people falling off the edge but thankfully being saved by a cliff!

4) The last bad accident in August there was 48 in the bus which dropped approximately 40metres over a cliff and miraculously 25 survived. The bus looked like it should only hold about 30 seats but as I described earlier they just cram as many people in as possible.

5) Everywhere along the 33km (This is the worst section, with major drops and untarmaced) there is memorials of those who have found their fate at the hands of the death road, their relatives try and help control the traffic on the extremely precarious blind hair pin bends.

6) The death road is generally closed to bike rides in the wet season; we just about managed to squeeze it in before it was too wet!

While riding the road every part of your body wants to go faster but your brain in telling you to slow down. The adrenalin is immense and after nearly losing it a few times you soon slow down (for a few minutes at least any way) and the trick is that if you feel your back end about to go or that your about to lose it you need to speed up.......if you break you’ve no chance. Thankfully I didn’t stack it and enjoyed a well deserved beer at the end.

Due to the road being so dangerous the tour guides take photo’s for you but due to the format I am unable to up load them onto my blog. If you would like to see for your own eyes what I am talking about look at the following link:

http://www.gravitybolivia.com/gallery/PhotohighlightsfromtheWorldsMostDangerousRoad

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