Travel Log Contents
Blogroll |
 Death Ride!Back to La PazBy Mike Beris - 2009-11-12
So what would possess three guys who have spent the past seven months riding bicycles to spend their downtime renting other bicycles for a paid tour? Here’s a clue: we start at over 15,500 feet up, and end up at 3,555 feet. And in between, its a bumpy, deadly ride.
We were joined by ten other tourists, two guides, and the guy driving the van. The bikes were fully UNloaded mountain bikes, equipped with front shock absorbers and disc brakes.
We started on top of a mountain after about an hour’s drive from the heart of La Paz. At that altitude, not much vegetation grows, and it is dry and cold.
There was usually one guide at the head of the pack, and the other followed behind. We started out on a smoothly paved road, so it was easy to go really fast.
Every 15 minutes or so, we would regroup to know that everyone was safe. Our guides were also eager to point out all the makeshift memorials on the sides of the road from where people have gone off cliffs.
At one point early on, as we approached a Bolivian checkpoint, I squeezed my left brake lever a bit too hard. Of course, applying the front brake first is usually a safe and efficient way to come to a stop when there’s 100 extra pounds behind me. But over the handlebars I went, to the snickers of the Bolivian checkpoint guards. It looked something like this.
The desert-like conditions at the top gave way to warmer, more humid air and lush, tropical forest.
The cliffs were spectacular, especially when we could see the rusting car chassis at the bottom.
When we got to the end, we relaxed outside and enjoyed a much-needed shower and meal.
|
