I was out in Peru to do all the classic touristy things when we met a couple of Aussie fellas who said we should get a bus across the border into Bolivia if we liked biking and do the Road of Death.
Seemed like a good idea at the time! Most of the people doing it were with american owned firms and wore coloured vests and were told to control speed, we went with some dodgy Bolivian firm, who promised full sus Iron Horse bikes, we arrive to find that they are 10 year old Trek hardtails with mechanical disk brakes.
Cue this very hung over fella going far too fast down the infamous road when the rear tyre pops and wheels buckles chucking me, 62km into the 64km’s down.
Ended up dislocating my shoulder and snapping the head of the humerous off and sticking the brake lever through my leg. Took 8 1/2 hours to get tiny antique support bus back up to La Paz, turns out that the guide buggered off and the support bus had no first aid kit.
Got to clinic in La Paz, had surgery at 5200m above sea level to re-locate shoulder and put 2 pins in, but they miss where i stabbed myself in leg, so started to bleed out overnight.
Cut a long saga short, took 3 days to get back to UK due to flight cancellations in Miami connection, then went to hospital here to be checked out, only to find out that they had no idea what the Bolivian surgeons had done, and that i had to have the whole surgery done again!!!!!!!
Other than that, great trip..
