Eight days in Madeira!
We dropped out of a turbulent sky and braked hard on the tiny elevated airstrip that dominates the south coast of the unruly Atlantic island of Madeira. The place looked pretty small on the map but it turned out to be a bit of a monster on the bikes, and what a rare and beautiful beast this Portuguese island paradise is!
The islands rough and rugged natural flow is only interrupted by views that demand that you take the time to stop and soak in the impossibility of the place.
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| The exposure on some of the trails was scary if you though about it. |
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| Finding flow was a state of mind body and spirit. |
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| A large network of levada’s (open water channels) crisscross the island perpetually accompanied by a narrow single track that can be used to connect sections of gnarlier trail or even allow a mid ride access to kilometers of tunnel |
We folded everything flat and managed to cram everything into our budget rental for the quick trip “straight up” the mountain to our accommodation for the week. Full spring wild flowers and scotch broom shrouded the road creating a fragrant tunnel over roads best known for the islands annual car rally race. An exciting scene for an exciting week of getting to know the hidden gems of the island via the tracks at the third round of the Enduro World Series!
We barely suffered for our lack of Portuguese skills as English is widely spoken and the locals exceptionally friendly! We felt like the islanders were waiting for the racers to arrive, there is no doubt that many (our hostess included ) took special care take to ensure that we stayed on track to best enjoy their homeland!
We were soaked and freezing even before we stepped onto the bikes for the morning training session the next day. With treacherous flooded tracks and visibility down to a few meters we all but felt our way down from the high point of the race, pretty close to the 2100 meter (6000 ft) top of the island. The rest of the day got warmer as we rode on and lost elevation, the tracks however seemed to get more gnarly the closer we got to the ocean.
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| When riding steep rooty trails in the mud it is important to have great brakes (like our Magura Carbon Trail) and know when NOT to use them. We were getting down the course using any bit of camber or blunt edge to minimize the slipping and sliding on the polished roots. |
Day two of training was a beast as well but more due to the accumulated effort of riding the course without shuttling. Our strategy was inspired in part by there not being enough shuttle spaces but also knowing that riding the course in it’s entirety during training ensures that we really know the entire course layout in the chance we have to improvise on race day!
Its a bit tough to see all your friend shuttling by when you are out riding the course but it makes for a great day of riding! It’s also really good for committing the trails to memory if your are planning to return as we hope!
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| View above Machico, where the Race village was set on the Atlantic. |
Race day brought fair weather over slick trails ensuring that far more time was spent on the brakes than the pedals!
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| A nice smooth section. next to me was a 1000 foot sheer cliff drop |
The theme of the day was Downhill and staying smooth and off the ground was the top priority! Mary and I managed to mostly do so with the lowest of tire pressure and care taken! We were glad to have our Carbine 29ers set up with Stan’s NoTubes “Bravo” wheels. These advanced Carbon wheels allowed us to run tire pressures in the teens and make the most of KENDA’S aggressive Nevegal 2.2" tires!
The weather stayed clear overnight and dried things out a bit making the second day of racing faster and far more more fun! It was a chance to ride hard and test the skills in Madeira’s magical mix of rock and root. We racers were immersed in a sea of green ridge tops and dark complex valleys channeled down newly mountain bike friendly lines on routes that have been walked for centuries.
The heat became a big factor and just maintaining the energy to get through the 45 km five stages eight hours on the bike was critical. By the time we reached the race village in Machico, most were ready for a poncha (a strong Madeiran rum drink) or two!
The EWS finished up with a festive awards ceremony that Mary and I were stoked to both be a part of the action on the podium!
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| It was a close battle for the podium spots and I was really happy to post a 3rd place among many straight rippers the 60 strong field! On the podium with the Master's legends: Nigel Page 2nd and Karim Amour 1st . |
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| Mary won the day and made it back up onstage with the overall Enduro World Series Leaders! Martha Gill, Karim, Greg Callahan, Czech u21, Cecil Ravanel. |
It was sad to have only a couple of spare hours in a place we would like to spend a lot longer but we still tried to see something of the island. After a full morning of Jim’s Organic Coffee inspired clean up and putting away the bikes we shook off the overwhelming fatigue and drove enough of the island to confirm some assumptions. Primarily that Madeira is a worthy and incredible place to visit! We are already looking forward to staying longer the next time!
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| Thanks to all who made this such a special trip! |
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| Premier big wave spot Jardim du Mar was sleeping the day we left but we’ll be back!!! |
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