WMDR - World's Most Dangerous Road

4 March
La Paz to Coroico

We survived!! This is a treacherous 60km downhill mountain bike ride, on a 3m wide gravel road, with steep drops (some up 600m) to the valley below where approximately 25 cars per year meet their doom. This used to be the only way to get from La Paz to the city of Coroico, regularly used by buses and trucks which maneuvered themselves around corners and along roads wide enough for only themselves. Fortunately, an alternative new road has been built which has alleviated most of the traffic on this road.

Nicky, Gayle and Ron opted in for the big adrenaline rush. Maarten being a little fearful of heights, decided not to risk his life and was left at home with all our emergency contact numbers and passwords in case of tragedy.

The first part of our experience was on a tar road in the pouring rain. We have to admit that after being soaked through within 2 minutes, raindrops piercing our eyes, a visibility of a maximum of 10 to 20 metres and our hands so frozen we couldn't squeeze our brakes, the two of us resigned ourselves to defeat and when the option came to travel 40 minutes downhill while warming up in the bus came - we jumped at it. A little lower down the mountain, the rain subsided a little and the feeling returned to our fingers and toes. We got back on our bikes and pushed ourselves to redeem our bruised egos.

The scenery at the start of the gravel part was spectacular, with the cloudy mist obscuring the deep ravines and eagles soaring in the air currents. Dense rain forest vegetation covered the mountains adding to the treachery of our surroundings. We quickly learnt it was necessary to keep our mouths closed or else eat butterflies or mud. It was an absolutely exhilarating ride where we had to navigate a narrow rocky road, dodging landslides, occasionally going through thick, boggy mud and cycling through small waterfalls and rivers. We stopped regularly to view cyclist memorial sites and graves as well as parts or whole cars or trucks in the valley. The most recent tragic accident involving a bus with 65 passengers occurred 6 months ago, with only 25 surviving. (Since we did the WMDR, the latest statistic we learnt from fellow travellers includes an Israeli and a Canadian who lost control and died going over the edge!)

Arrived home full of mud, soaking wet, muddy shoes and exhausted from an unforgettable day - no regrets! (Especially not for getting on the bus)