World's Most Dangerous Road

It is fair to say that I have a reputation for being clumsy. This fact crossed my mind as Millie and I booked our trip on the World’s Most Dangerous Road ®. While I am sure some you would have been sad had I come off my bike and fallen to my death, I also think it would have raised a few smiles and gone down in history as THE classic ‘McBride’.

For those that don’t know, the World’s Most Dangerous Road is a 3.2m wide gravel road that descends 3600m over 31km with rock solid walls on one side and 600m sheer cliff drops on the other. Until a new road was finished in 2009 you would share the road with buses, lorries and cars but thankfully nowadays it is mainly mountain bikers and a few brave drivers.

The ride lived up to all expectations. At the top of the road you are still in the clouds and the danger to your left is a mystery. However, as you start to descend, the clouds give way to sheer drops and you realise exactly what you have let yourself in for. The plus side of this is that the scenery is absolutely stunning and you have to remind yourself to take your eyes off your front wheel every now and again in order to enjoy it.

While the ride can be challenging in places (riding through waterfalls was fun!) the prospect of riding the road is much scarier than the reality. Millie can attest to this as she slept for one hour the night beforehand! However, 'The Bomber' (ironic considering the speed she was travelling) arrived at the bottom with a huge beaming smile on her face! The drink at the bottom was well deserved and one of the best I have had on this trip!

Mc