Death Road - What A Crazy Adventure

Yes, the road really is called Death Road and we will be mountain biking it down. And down means down. We start at an altitude of 4600m and bike down to 1200m over the next 4-5
- hours. It is called 'Death Road’ because of the numerous deaths that occurred on the road over the last few decades, mainly from trucks falling down high cliffs due to the very narrow path the drivers have to navigate.
No trucks are driving on the road anymore, however, which provides the opportunity to mountain bike it down. Crazy, right? But hey, should be great fun.

So after a quick breakfast and a short ride out of the city, we geared up, got our bikes and were ready to go. Well, maybe not quite ready as Maria and I were definitely both a bit nervous. Maria has never been on a mountain bike before, but did train riding a bike for an hour a few weeks before as I asked her if she wanted to do the Death Road and she said
'hell yeah' (her pour parents).

Anyway, after we told each other it would be a piece of cake and that we would not die, we set off. The first part of the tour was relatively easy. While it was winding down from the high Andean mountain range into the forest area, it was still paved like a normal road with cars and trucks still driving on it, i.e. relatively safe and a very good intro and practice for the actual death road.

We made frequent stops to admire the breath-taking views and for the group and guides to check on each one. I remember Maria telling me "this is actually great fun, I am enjoying this a lot", so I guess her nervousness was gone and we could now actually enjoy the ride.

Then it was time for the real Death Road. No cars, no concrete, no guardrails, just gravel and the looming abyss right next to you. Also cycling on gravel is a whole different ballgame than cycling on a paved road. And it was not just small gravel stones, but also bigger ones that made you really focus on the road. A few times I could feel my wheels slip away underneath me and I had to recover at the last second to avoid a fall/crash. I could see the same happening to Maria in front of me.

Cycling down Death Road, we continued to make frequent stops to admire the stunning scenery. Everytime we stopped, Maria and I looked at each other and laughed, probably about how crazy this whole trip was, but also to nod at each other that we were actually doing this. At some point, I felt Maria had lost all sense of nervousness and restraint, as she was speeding down some areas, where I thought slowing down would be a VERY good thing to do. But no, sometimes I thought she did not care about having breaks, although she assured me that she was using them.

It was an absolutely amazing experience as we biked down through some small waterfalls, along deadly drops and landslides. Just as we were finishing with the last downhill section of the entire Death Road, it happened. I was cycling behind Maria, when I saw her lose control of the bike and fly over the handlebar with the bike flying even further. My heart stopped for a second, but luckily it was on a 'safe' section. I immediately brought my bike to a stop to avoid a crash, got off it, and luckily saw that she was alright. A bit of blood on her lips, but nothing broken (bones) or broken off (teeth). I was relieved and once we started to joke and laugh, I knew everything was alright. Definitely a story to tell, especially for her.

The last few kilometers of the Death Road felt like a slog as we had to cycle a bit uphill as well. But once we arrived at the finish, a very nice pool with a delicious lunch was waiting for us and we took advantage of both.

So, how do I rate the experience? Damn it was amazing. It is a must in Bolivia and I would do it again in a heartbeat. It is so much fun speeding down, feeling the adrenaline rush through your body, concentrating on the wheels not slipping away and enjoying the ride and the scenery. It was stunning, amazing. Death Road accomplished, even with a few scratches for Maria (Maria: "Death Road 1, Maria 0"). In all fairness, afterwards we - and our families - were a little relieved that we survived the death road.

What an absolutely spectacular day!Read more