Bolivia: Dangerous Road

La Paz, The Worlds Most Dangerous Road (WMDR)
4800m to 1800m over 64km on a Kona Mountain Bike with no guard rails and sheer drops of 400-900m...

So you ask yourself why in the heck would we want to do something like that? Well my dad asks the same question every time I skydive, "Why would you want to jump out of a perfectly good airplane?"

Well because it is one of the top activities to do around La Paz. The scenery is incredible and the ride....well the ride was unreal.

Gravity Assisted Mountain Biking
www.gravitybolivia.com has all the details beyond this update.

The morning started with a short one hour ride to some killer music of Metallica, Midnight Oil and AC/DC all the way up 4800m. The air was thin, freezing cold and the low mist offered no visibility either. One by one we got our bikes with a brief intro to the necessary components, donned our helmets, gloves and orange safety vests on top of our five thermal layers. It was cold!!

We gathered in a circle with our bikes around our two guides, (Guy (pronounced Gee) from Holland and JJ from Bolivia) to get our safety briefing and outline for the day. With the briefing came the blessing to Pachamama (Mother Earth). Very important on the WMDR for safety or our bikes and persons. This consisted of a bottle of 96% alcohol, taking a swig and and a splash to the ground for Pachamama. A little warmth at altitude never hurt!!

And so we set off in the freezing cold mist at 4800m zooming downhill very fast (speeds up to 60km/h). There were stops along the way to keep the group together and check that all riders were still on the road. The first stop was only 10 minutes down the road and the groups fingers were already frozen. Rachel had frost on the fringes of her hair and around her nose. My nose felt like an ice cube!! We continued on down hill thru the mist and around the turns as we approached a checkpoint where we had to walk our bikes thru. Still frozen!!

Continuing on, the rain started. My boots were soaked and my feet were now frozen as well and we hadnt even hit the uphill part. So we all stopped and 10 of the 14 riders (including Rachel and I) jumped back inside our following support bus to bypass the 5km hill and the rain. The bus offered no insulation, except shelter from the rain as the plumes of vapour from our mouths filled the interior. Happy to be out of the rain we moved on to the next stopping point, while a few nutters pedalled on uphill.

A quick snack as we waited for the other riders....this was the "official" starting point of the WMDR. The rain had stopped and we were already down a few 100m. The temp would continue to warm as we descended to 1800m. The road was now dirt and laden with rocks, washboards that shattered your spine and skull and the occasional muddy section.

My bike had front shocks while Rachel opted for an upgrade to full suspension. Thankfully so for her. We both faired quite well the next day with only a minimum of soreness from the ride.

The rest of the ride got warmer, bumpier, dirtier and more scenic. The photos are amazing and the ride back home 5hrs up the hill we had just descended on our bikes showed how vertical and twisty the road really was. Amazing and exhilirating all in one.

We made our way to the pick up point, stripped off our gear, grabbed the provided beer, took some photos, got our tshirts and loaded up in the bus for the short ride to Coroico for lunch. The best part after the ride was the hot shower included in our ride. Gravity definitely had the goods sorted out. Not a complaint about anything from safety to set up to guides to office to everything. By far the most wild thing we had done....yet!

So we set off for home...5hrs back up the WMDR in the bus. The rain set in again and darkness was not far behind. As we hit the top at 4800, freezing rain and then snow started to fall. The entire landscape and road was covered in white. We slowed a bit for safety and eased our way off the top towards La Paz. What a cool way to end our WMDR ride.

By far one of the highlights of our trip!!!

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