TWO WHEELED NO
MAD
ar"
P
syched with a mixed bag feeling of ‘Just
how hard is this road going to be?’ deliciously
tinged with that pre-excitement you get moments
before a rollercoaster’s tipping point. We gave
ourselves no choice but to take a deep breath and
carefully: navigate around careening cyclists hell
bent on fulfilling their bragging rights, falling
rocks and blind hairpin bends, penetrate
waterfalls, cross two rivers and endure the fog,
mud and humidity. All over a 3,600 metre vertical
descent.
protection. The ride was set to be adrenaline-
packed as it was unforgettable.
Built on the backbreaking labours of Paraguayan
prisoners during the Chaco War between Bolivia
and Paraguay, the construction of the road took
place in the 1930s. Due to both the engineering
design of that decade and the natural structure of
the area, its topography and geological formation
meant steep slopes were created. The resultant
single-track lane varied in width from 2.9 to 3.5
We knew the trip was set to take in stunning views metres.
among the rolling hills, but come with the
somewhat distracting – and for some frightening –
lofty heights from the canopy as two rubber tyres
separate the rider from a narrow single-lane road
with very little in the way of roadside