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Our adrenaline junkie sides were given an outing on mountain bikes on what has been dubbed "The World´s Most Danerous Road". This 64km route from its start at La Cumbre to its terminus at Coroico also goes by various other names, for instance the people who organise this blog site decided to call it "Death-Road" - a pleasant title indeed! Certainly, it lives up to its name with around 30 vehicles (usually buses or trucks) plunging over the edge into the seemingly bottomless ravine, every year. Cyclists also take regular tumbles and an average of 3 two-wheelers also meet their maker here every year. "All the stories you hear" said the guide "are probably true!". "What about the French girl who was knocked over the edge by a truck, is that true?" we asked "I´m afraid so" was the reply. "What about the guy who got scared over-braked, forgot to steer and disappeared into a 900m drop?", "Yes that´s also true". Yeah, it´s safe to say the road lives up to its name and although we were a little aprehensive, we were ready to tame it!
Attracted by the free T'shirt, free glass of beer, all you can eat buffet
lunch at the end of the ride and the use of the facilities of the 3-star Hotel Esmerelda in Coroico, we decided to choose "Gravity-Assisted Mountain Biking" for our descent. They also boasted a zero-death safety record, fantastic bikes and expertise that was second to none - lower priority promises but also of value! Check them out here
Gravity-Assisted Mountain Biking The ride beins in La Cumbre where we were acquainted with our bikes and guides for the day. We were then told that Pachamama (Mother Earth) would want blood on the day so a bottle of "lab-alcohol" was passed around from which we had to take a mighty swig and then spill a bit on the floor as an offering. Needless to say it warmed the cockles (it's damn cold at 4,760m) and helped to steady the nerves as well (Dutch courage!).
The first section of the ride is on flat asphalt roads and certainly helps in getting accustomed to your bikes, knowing which brake is which and which gears do what. It's also a good opportunity to practice cornering techniques like a super-bike rider. Snoop-Bred (Tommy's nickname for his bike - in honour of Mr N.Khutti) was handling
Pachamama
A drink of what tasted like lab-alcohol (not that I´ve tasted it before!) then a bit is tipped on the ground for the Mother Earth (Pachamama). itself pretty well even if it was a bit slow (also like Mr N.Khutti - sorry mate, cheap hit!).
Gravity Assisted Mountain Biking (read that name again) advertises this ride as gravity-assisted (as the name suggests), so we were a little surprised and felt we were the victims of false advertising when a 5km uphill section appeared - which at altitude was a real stink of a challenge. Still T and L´s competitive streaks kicked in and having found their biker's thighs in Huaraz, decided to take it on despite the offer of being bussed up the hill. Laura even made it to the top, 1st out of all the girls - go girl!
As the road snaked its way down towards the section that is dubbed, "The world's most dangerous road" the hanging mist meant visibility was often no further than 5m in front of you and the regular appearance of large trucks was signalled only by the approaching engine roar. Fortunately the mist lifted and when we finally reached the "Death" section, the air was clear, the sun was making an appearance and confidence was high (on the outside!).
From there on the road becomes
no more than a narrow, bumpy track with loose rocks and sheer drops. Traffic rules change with traffic now taking the left-hand side like its supposed to be (sorry that's very English of me). The reason for the swap is so that uphill traffic, which often consists of large trucks carrying huge heavy loads of timber from Brazil (as well as some Bolivians hitching a ride), can take the wall side and not the drop side. These trucks don't stop and its downhill traffic on the scarey drop-side that have to make way and often find themselves reversing back up the road to a slightly less narrow passing point. For observers it looks extremely difficult and fraught with danger and is certainly an advertisement for why it is much better travelling down on two wheels than four. As well as the obvious issues of the road, the edge of the road and the heavy trucks passing, there is also the added danger of blind corners and crazy Bolivians! A few years ago a very sad story involving two buses, a collision and a heap of deaths led to the start of a human trafficlight system. A Bolivian lost his wife
Tommy on Snoopy
The name of the golden bike. and both of his children in the accident and he decided to set up the system. He is still working on that stretch of road, with a green board for go and a red board for definitely no. The people that provide this service are volunteers, receiving nothing from the government. They survive on the donations from bike companies and the numerous truck drivers that use the road - they're real troopers and deserve a big "Thank you" (there it is).
After the first nerve-wracking section the road widens out slightly and becomes covered in a pale orange dust which is fine during the wet season but necessitates a dust-mask and goggles during the dry season. Large trucks throw up billows of dust as they pass and the world suddenly becomes dark making it very difficult to see anything, including the edge! You could say the conditions aren't ideal for novice mountain-bikers!
As you descend you concentrate so hard on your speed and direction that you often fail to take in the stunning scenery of the cloud forest along the way. Still it's a dangerous game attempting to look left whilst riding forwards, it's a recipe for disaster!
The Herd Prepares
...and listens intently to the safety brief (I took photos instead!) The Gravity kru take photos and video the more memorable moments of the ride such as riding through the waterfalls or 40cm deep muddy puddles (or riding around them - Laura). They're really big on safety and the trip is well organised so you do think that those extra few dollars spent are well worth it and as mentioned, that cold beer and all you can eat buffet on arrival in Coroico, is absolutely glorious!
After completing the ride, a 4-5 hour bus ride awaits the riders but we and many others on the trip felt we'd seen more than enough of that road for one day and postponed the ride back, choosing to indulge ourselves for one night in the Hotel Esmerelda with its steaming showers and swimming pool. Oh the joy!
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Lindsay
non-member comment
Tour de France?
I am glad I did not know about this before you began the ride - my knees are wobbling just looking at the photos!