70-year-old female cyclist becomes oldest ever on Bolivia's «Death Road» race.

Pedro_P

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After taking up riding to cope with tragedy, Mirtha Munoz has scaled the peak of extreme cycling.

Mirtha Muñoz on Bolivia’s notorious ‘Death Road’. Photograph: David Mercado/Reuters
▼  Bolivia’s “Death Road” might seem an odd place for a septuagenarian on two wheels.
The world’s most dangerous road spirals skyward nearly 3,300 metres, from the country’s lowland jungles to the snow-capped peaks of the Andes. Fog, rain, rockslides and sheer cliffs are main attractions. The road has likely claimed thousands of lives.
But for 70-year-old Bolivian Mirtha Munoz, the oldest ever competitor in Bolivia’s 60km Skyrace, an extreme bike racing competition, it was a natural extension of a passion she picked up years ago.
Munoz took up biking on the advice of her family and a psychologist friend after her son died unexpectedly.

Mirtha Munoz on the starting line of the Skyrace. Photograph: David Mercado/Reuters
“He told me ... the bike could help me get through my pain, and to rebuild,” she said.
Saturday’s race was a pinnacle achievement, no pun intended.
“It’s a vertical climb, you go up and up and there’s no rest,” she told Reuters upon finishing the race.
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.

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Rushcourt71

After she completes the race, will she want to compete or participate in other dangerous ventures for years to come.

Arunita

All I can think after reading this is Oh my God ...I am not even close to half her age, yet I wish I had at least half of her tough attitude

abhidebb

So encouraging & Motivating. Aweshome achievement. great Share.