BBC story

That's the thing from Top Gear isn't it?

Looked a bit dodgy in a car, but would be quite boring on a bike.

Here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBU_h_XoZUM

Further proof that your average gap yah trustafarian is an idiot. And I totally chundered everywhere.

I want to ride the road from La Paz to Arica in Chile. 10 000 +++++ ft descent in 100 miles – most of that in 40 miles – and there is a back road to keep you away from the worst of the traffic.

One of my things to do before I die

I have mate back in 2008, it is absolutely stunning place, it is 64 km in length starting at about 4500m above sea level and finishing about 80m above. Beautiful scenery, you start up in the mountains in the snowline and pass through temperate jungle and end up not to far from the sea, but at a place with a pool.

It is not technical really, but there is a huge drop to one side and you can see all the cars and buses that have gone over the side in the bottom of the canyon. You can reach 30mph + and it is on a rough surface so the arm pump is the worst bit.

If you are going to do it, go with an american firm with decent bikes, we went with a local bolivian firm, paid for full sus Iron horse bikes and got there to find we had old Trek Hardtails, my back tire burst 62km out of the 64, i ended up dislocating my shoulder, pulling the head of my humerous off and having 2 screws in there, but one good thing about Bolivia the drugs in the hospital were good.

If you are that way it is a days bus road from Cusco where you Machu Piccu from.

I can send some pics of the place if you were interested in it.

i went to peru for my honeymoon over xmas,

i never did any biking and it still guts me, terrain was unbelievable

"Simply put, it's all about 'bragging rights'," says Mr Stewart. "Everyone wants to return from their holidays and travels with good stories to tell their mates at work or at the pub, or to post on Facebook.
"The road is simply unparalleled in that regard and the accidents on the road add to that story."

😐

Inexperienced riders on shit bikes on notorious road in death shocker.

Yeh, I worked there for 2 years as a guide for these guys http://www.gravitybolivia.com/

It is an amazing journey, but not a technical mountain bike ride. Gravity has good bikes, good guides and a good support vehicle. If you are going to do the ride, choose your company carefully as there are many unscrupulous companies in Bolivia!! Gravity Bolivia is run by a Kiwi. Oh and the altitude differences are about 4800m at the start (height of Mt Blanc) and about 1000m at the finish.

If you have seen sections in mountain bike movies, or photos in magazines of the good riders pulling out spectacular moves in front of awesome scenery in Boliva, they would have been shown those places by Gravity Bolivia.

There are many other fabulous places to get some real mountain biking done over there. Many amazing trails that drop many 1000's of feet, down fantastic singletrack, through small villages etc.

TandemJerry, I have ridden that route you are talking about as a mountain bike stage race. Actually pretty numbing stutter bumped dirt road for most of the way… I also guided a group from Arica up to Bolivia via a different route where we climbed up and through the Atacama Desert. That was more interesting and much more remote! Got my fastest recorded speed on my mountain bike while going through no mans land between Chile and Boliva. 100.3 kph! I was praying that the llamas were not going to decide to wander out in front of me as crashing into one might have sent me over the barbed wire fence and into the landmined area!!

inzane – IIRC the decent has alternative routes on much of it to keep away from the main road with the ripple – I drove around there in a 4WD.

TJ, the main route is sealed much (most) of the way. I am pretty sure I would have been on the same roads you were in your 4WD and there was ripple when I was there. A grader can fix that pretty quick tho. Tell ya what is awesome fun in that area though. Down closer to Arica the sand dunes are about 300m high and the sand is quite solid. We were hitting 80+ kph going down them. Is like being in an oversized mtb video game!!Mega speed, choose any line you like, and get air off any and all the ridges and lumps!

Just seems like there are much better things you could be doing on a bike, but people want to do it just to be able to say they've done it.

That kind of danger doesn't appeal to me at all really.