Mountain Biking Death Road

8:30am

Yesterday we paid 370bs ($57au) to put our lives on the line and mountain bike down Death Road. DEATH road. DEATH.

 

I haven’t told mum (sorry mama) but I let Beth know, sent her a message telling her I loved them all so she’s probably shitting herself. Or she’s hungover and doesn’t care. I’d say the latter.

WTF was I thinking? I’ve obviously spent way to much time around boys lately.

Anyway, it’s 8:30am, we were up at 6 to get to the place by 7 where I was fitted out in the sexiest outfit of all time. And a helmet. Don’t they know I don’t do hats?

 

We’ve had a quick breakfast and made some new friends, Matt & Kate, and I’ve latched onto Kate hoping she’ll go slow with me ;)!

 

Matt just said to me: “If you’re out of control, just jump off. Don’t try to correct yourself. A scrape is better than going over the edge of a cliff”. Yeah, um, thanks for that sound advice.

So in about 1 hour I’ll be hurtling (walking my bike) down a road on the way to the ‘Deathly’ part.

Lord have mercy.

9:00am
I need to wee.

11:30
We just stopped for a snack and I finally got to pee. For 1 Boliviano, there were no doors on the toilets and I think I got herpes, again. But at least I got to go!!

So far it’s not been too bad! I didn’t walk my bike at all, although I started out a bit nervous, but it’s been on bitumen thus far and it wasn’t long till I was whizzing down the road with the breaks on only a little! Ok, so I was the last person that each stop but at least I was picking up speed and feeling more confident.

But then, the last 100m was on gravel ‘much like the death road’ our guide says, and I nearly ate rocks about 3 times. Fuck.

Right now were on the bus again for an 8km ascent before the Deathly part happens.

Jessica Williams and the Deathly Road – here we go.

12pm
We’ve just pulled onto Death Road. Fuck me dead.

12:03pm
Good lord what was I thinking!!

1:30pm
I fucking hate this.

2:50pm
I made it. I survived, just.

3:00pm
Ok so I’ve had time to rest, hand back my stuff. And reassess my choices.

Right now I am wet through, we rode in the rain and through rivers! I’m sore, my fingers are stuck in the breaking position, my arms vibrated the entire time and are sore from gripping, my shoulders are killing me. And my poor poor fanny.

The first part of the actual Death Road was hell. Pure get wrenching fear took over and I was so close to tears. Poor Matt had to ride at the back with his silly girlfriend and so missed out on killing himself (he can thank me any time he likes). We stopped and I asked how far we had come. 8km’s of the 31. If ever I thought it appropriate to say FML it was then.

The next part was equally as scary, it was raining, it was so gravelly, and rocky and steep. And the drop to the left is so sheer. We were 4700m above sea level and the drop was 600m. And you have to keep to the left. You have to keep to the WHERE? You mean I CAN’T HUG THE CLIFF WALL. ARE YOU FUCKING JOKING ME. Lucky it was foggy and I couldn’t see my impending doom, or perhaps not so lucky.

We had a break again, I was the last to the group as usual, and then we set off for the second half. This time I seemed to get the hang of it a bit and felt more confident, but not that confident, I did pick up a little speed and stopped looking like this:

 

I even stood up for a while, not out of some new found mountain biking skills but out of necessity. My fanny was getting a pounding.

There was mud all up my back, all on the stupid massive coat I’ve been carrying around for the few small weeks that we will be cold and my only shoes and jeans were saturated

But I was alive!!

 

We stopped a few more times and on these occasions I was not the last to rejoin the group. Now we’re awaiting our buffet lunch which I imagine will be amazing.

In the end the only thing that kept me on that bike was the thought of having to go in the mini bus to drive the rest of the Death Road. No way.

Jess 1 | Death Road 0, sort of.