Going down death road - Adrenalin Junkies

Ok people this is our first blog in ages that has actually allowed us to comment on the photos we are showing you. Here starts the lesson.

Worlds most Dangerous Road - Basically 'Death Road' was originally and Inca Trail turned stock route in the last 200 zears. As this is the onlz road connected La Paz to NOrth east Bolivia, it encounters heavy traffic, thus the reason for on average over 100 fatalities a year. So it is not just a tourist attraction, but it is by definition the worlds most dangerous road.

The morning we started, it was sleeting there was ice on the road, it was clouded over, visibi8lity was arouind 15 meters, we all get out of the van, wet slippery, we get briefed on riding a bike, do four mexican waves and then 'Vamous' - 'We go'.

Over the next 33km we were on bitchamen paved road, and after 15 mins we couldn#t feel how tightly we were gripping the brakes as our fingers had become numb. Then we reached the start of the unpaved section of Death Road.

All our senses were against the idea, but as we are creatures of foresight, with foresight telling us if we don#t decend the mountain we will regret it. Also the idea of travelling down the muddy road in the mini van as the alternative, made the decision much easier.

To describe what we could see, the road was about 3 meters in the narrowest wide, averaging at about 5 meters across, servicing two lanes of traffic. It was clay, gravel with gutters forming from the rain, we road on the drop off or left hand side of the road, to our right was a sheer cliff face, and to the left was a white wall of fog - the abyss - every so often the clouds would part, part your false wense of secuirty, and reveal the 1000 metre drop off. At this point we would let out a little "Oh Shit". We took sharp bends, hugged the cliffs edge, got speed, heard lorry horns growing closer, to the point we would stop and step towrds the edge to allow the trucks to pass. For the 'bad' bolivian corners, there were little traffic controlling men with red and green flags.

In terms of accidents, there was one on our trip, a near head on between two vehicals, where two riders following too closely behind skidded to stop.

At the bottom covered in mud, big gritty grins, Ebs more mud than contact lenses in her eyes. We survived death road, and have the >T-shirts to proove it.

Ebs and Richo (hardcore as they come)