World

A 70-year-old biking grandmother conquers 'Death Road'

Mirtha Munoz takes up biking on the advice of her family and a psychologist friend after her son's unexpected death

Reuters October 06, 2019

mirta munoz a 70 year old runner participates in the sky race bolivia 039 s toughest cycling competition bolivia skyrace photo reuters

Mirta Munoz a 70-year-old runner participates in the Sky Race, Bolivia's toughest cycling competition - Bolivia Skyrace. PHOTO: REUTERS

LA PAZ: Bolivia´s "Death Road" might seem an odd place for a septuagenarian grandmother on two wheels.

PHOTO: REUTERS

The world´s most dangerous road spirals skyward nearly 11,000 feet, from the country´s lowland jungles to the snow-capped peaks of the Andes. Fog, rain, rock slides and sheer cliffs are main attractions.

PHOTO: REUTERS

The road has likely claimed thousands of lives. But for 70-year old Bolivian Mirtha Munoz, the oldest ever competitor in Bolivia´s 60 km Skyrace, an extreme bike racing competition, it was a natural extension of a passion she picked up years ago.

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PHOTO: REUTERS

Munoz took up biking on the advice of her family and a psychologist friend after her son died unexpectedly. "He told me ... the bike could help me get through my pain, and to rebuild," she said.

PHOTO: REUTERS

Saturday´s race was a pinnacle achievement, no pun intended.

PHOTO: REUTERS

"It´s a vertical climb, you go up and up and there´s no rest," she said upon finishing the race.

PHOTO: REUTERS

Munoz, one of the race´s founders, says she enjoys more low-key bike-riding with her six grandchildren, though admits she hopes the eldest, now approaching 18, will soon follow in her tracks.