Check out The Trans Madeira

It’s 16:00 on day three, also dubbed ‘adventure day’. I'm somewhere in the middle of the jungle. I haven’t seen any other riders in the past hour or so, the previous feed station seems an eternity ago and there are still two timed stages on the menu for today. According to the race book, there should be a feed zone soon, and it’s the thought of those home made cakes that keep me going. 

Just to explain a little bit; adventure day is just one of the 5 day event which will scar you for life, in the best sense of the word. With all these Trans, Epics and Enduro events, it’s easy to throw them onto the pile of competitive events that most people are not interested in. But there are a few that should be mentioned on your bucket list, and the Trans Madeira powered by Cannondale is one of them. 

The Island of Madeira also known as the Atlantic Pearl was once home to Christopher Columbus and has a rich history. The name actually means ‘wood’ in Portuguese so it’s no surprise to see the whole island covered in all different types of trees and lots of logging activity. The colonial history has some dark pages in terms of exploitation and slavery, but these days it is mainly tourism that brings in the wealth. It doesn’t matter if you want to just chill at the beach, surf, hike, bike or go on a jeep safari this place got you covered. 

If you are a mountain biker however, Madeira brings up images from movies like Death Grip and of course the multi day enduro race the Trans Madeira. This event has had many pro and amateur riders raving and the likes of Brendog, Peaty, Clementz and Matt Jones are all repeat visitors of the island. A unique blend of trails, perfect climate and lots of work by the trail builders make it an awesome location. So when 2022 rolled around and the stars aligned for me to finally head out there, I was over the moon.

PPPP

Preparation prevents poor performance, those famous four p’s. In my case I thought I had things dialled. Several big days on the bike in spring, regular ride outs and then early May two weeks off to do some more epic days and some high intensity stuff so I could squeeze the most out of my old body. Fate had a different plan however, and the final two weeks before the event were spent doing an emergency restoration of an apartment. I’ll save you the how and why, but I really felt like a Mr. Myagi that gave me a Karate Kid style training instead. Wax on wax off.  

Painting walls and ceilings did give my shoulders a good workout so I could hang on to the bars of the brand new high pivot Jekyll I got to ride for the event. If you want to know more on the Jekyll, check out the review further down in this issue but the summary is this bike made it possible for a mediocre rider with crappy preparation to finish this 220km multi day event with a smile on his face. 

Day 0

Monday morning I headed straight to the registration tent to get signed up and put my bike together. I was one of the first and after getting the tags, number plates, goodie bag and instructions it was time to build my ride. No faffing for me, as I was booked to go on the 13h uplift for the warm up lap. And a warm up lap it was. The bus ride seemed eternal, and the ‘quick lap’ to stretch the legs turned into a 20km epic on its own.

Arriving at the top we also got a good introduction to the weather that was mentioned in the briefing email. We left the camp at the beach with 25 degrees and sunshine, but by the time we reached the ride’s starting point it was back to horizontal rain and fog. No complaints here though. The trails were smashing and gave us a great taster for what was to come the rest of the week.

When we made it back to camp it was time for a well earned beer and some food before the event briefing. The basic idea behind the Trans Madeira is you get to see all corners of the island, showcasing the best trails while battling it out with 30 timed descent stages spread out over 220km of riding. To make sure climb and descend time are more balanced out there are two uplifts per day. Along the way you’ll find food stations, tech assistance and photographers. At the end of the day you’ll arrive in base camp which is moved around the island by the organisational team. Here you can grab a shower, fuel up at the buffet, get your bike fixed and fall asleep in your tent. If that’s not cool enough, the last day takes you to the town of Calheta where you’ll spend the final night in a 4 star hotel.

The kickoff

After a decent night's sleep the alarm clocks went off early. Day 1 required us to be awake, fed and ready to rumble at 8:15 sharp. Breakfast itself was pure joy. Anything you wanted was there, as much as you liked. Fruits, porridge, eggs, toast and as much coffee as you wanted. Slightly overfed we entered the shuttle bus to take us to stage 1 out of the 7 stages planned for the day. 

The weather pulled the same trick on us as on day 0, blue skies at camp and tropical storm on top. Rain jacket on and off we went into the fog. On the way to stage 1 we had some time to warm up and think of a strategy for the race. I settled on keeping the rubber side down, not crashing and keeping the flow. My favourite enduro mantra is still “to finish first you first need to finish”.

Stage one was slippery, but I managed to keep it together and even overtake three riders. Not a bad start, but before you think I will make a personal description of each and every stage of the week I want to say fear not. When riding, it indeed is about the stages, trails and exciting moments along the way. But in the end all of these events have one other thing that makes them a great experience. The people that are in it. 

Characters

On the liaisons, stage finishes, breakfasts and dinners you get to hang out with a bunch of cool characters. Take Leo Kokkonen, a regular of the Trans Madeira races and very skilled bike handler. He also runs Pole bikes and has more dance moves and party tricks up his sleeve then you can think of. Or Ben Soja, the man for whom a challenge like this is not enough so he decided to enter on a unicycle. Yes, you read that right. He did the entire 220km on a unicycle. The only time he was in the advantage was on the 2 hour hike-a-bike on day 3, as his bike was surely the lightest of all. 

The event is known enough these days to really get people from all over the world showing up. Germans, Swiss, Brits, French but also Canadian, Americans and even a few Australians made it out to the island. And before you think this is a pro only thing, some riders were indeed very very fast. But others have only been riding mountain bikes for 2 years, or never rode in the mud before. Yes there is a race element in this, but only as much as you want it to be. 

Some people do come for the race, but then fate decides for their luggage to get lost in transit. This happened to Dylan Crane, a Propain rider from the US who stopped by the TM on his way to Crankworx Innsbruck. No spare clothes, no bike, nothing made it to the island. But with some donated kit and a rental bike he could still ride. Definitely not an ideal situation, but somehow he never lost his smile and enthusiasm, though he did look a bit happier when his luggage eventually showed up, and still in the end he managed to finish 4th overall. 

The riding  

Still, I imagine you are curious on what the riding is like and I think the best thing to call it is unique. There is a lot of variation and something for everyone. At the lower elevation you find yourself whizzing through eucalyptus forest flow trails with perfectly sculpted berms, while higher up the feeling is almost like in the high alpine. Big rock slabs, roots and some very technical sections that had me go AAARGH as they caught me by surprise. 

Another characteristic thing about Madeira is the lavadas. A big irrigation system put in place by the first settlers to bring water to the drier parts of the island. They are ideal singletrack sections to connect one epic descent with another and you’ll ride a lot of them when you go to visit. On the aforementioned adventure day the lavada is even combined with two tunnels. Not some silly short one, but proper long ones where you can’t see daylight for the 10 minutes you’re adventuring your way through them. 

Pro tip, make sure your batteries in the headtorch are charged. Holding an Iphone and your bike while balancing on a ledge in the dark after climbing 1500m is type 2 adventure at its best. A big thanks once again for the riders behind me and in front of me who did have proper lights! 

If you make it through the tunnels you get a proper reward though. There were many trails that stood out during the week of riding, but SP17 is worth a special mention. Endless loamy turns, snaking its way through the jungle. Mixed with jumps berms and this all on what looks like a giant natural snake run with a perfect gradient. I’d return to Madeira just to be able to ride that trail again. The next time I’d prefer to be fresh and fit instead of broken and beaten! 

The racing

For those who like a good bit of competition, you can take the racing side seriously too. With 30 special stages, there is plenty of timed racing to prove your worth and the event is organised professionally enough to keep it all honest and fair. The day's starting order is made up by the overall standings in reverse order, so after day 1 it’s not too likely you need to pass too many riders. You can choose the gap you leave between the rider in front of you too, to really minimise trailside traffic jams.  

Timing is done with remote chips, proper EWS style and very accurate. At the end of each day you head to the timing tent, check out and get a print out with your stage times of the day. Perfect for comparing with your friends and foes over a beverage and recovery snack (which are also taken care of by the organisers!). 

The timed stages are a great mix of fast, flow and tech and slow so the overall winner needs to have a good toolbox to secure the top step on the podium. There is minimal climbing in the stages, but with 5500m of climbing spread out over 5 days a good physical prep is a must, especially if you want to give it your all on the timed stages. 

For me it had been a while that I was between the tapes with the aim to go fast. After the first day however I felt right at home on the Jekyll. This was a bike that is really likeable, predictable and their new suspension design made for a smooth ride. Very important if you want to stay fresh and in control for 5 days in a row! 

The finish

During the TM you spend 5 nights in the easy-pitch Quechua tents in base camp. A comfy mattress and a long day in the saddle make sure you sleep like a baby each night. But for those who refuse to camp, you could easily book rooms across the street from the camps and sneak out to your lush hotel. Speaking of lush hotels, for the final nights the organisation got you covered once again. The entry to the event includes a night in the 4 start Saccharum hotel, basically the most fancy place on the island. 

It is here you end up after the final stage, where you can take a dip in the infinity pool feeling good about yourself. In the evening the prize ceremony and dinner is held on the rooftop terrace overlooking the Atlantic and if you still have some energy left you can go shake a leg at the after party until the early hours of the morning. 

Is it worth

That is a very good question. The entry fee of € 1790 is a decent sum of money and although there are plenty of cheap flights to Funchal, you still need to calculate about € 500 for getting there. Once you are there though, absolutely everything is taken care of. Airport transfers are taken care of and the entire week of riding is organised to perfection. The food is amazing and with multiple feed stations per day it’s impossible to go hungry. Gluten free, veggie or vegan, no problem they got you covered. Even beer is sorted as you get some beer tickets every day. 

Feeling rough? Grab a massage! Your bike is giving you trouble? Every day there was a mechanics station along the route with top class magicians to sort out your bike. Often working into the early morning hours these guys were life savers for many riders on the event. From rebuilding wheels to reviving brake pistons, they even were able to get a specific linkage bolt machined overnight when my friend Lee lost one mid ride.  

Combine all this with the people you meet, the race element and the pro photographers snapping ace action shots of you and you have a trip of a lifetime. As there are only 140 spots and two Trans Madeira events per year, the chances are big you’ll miss out. In that case Freeride Madeira will be able to sort you out. They organise trips all year round to cater any budget. Starting from € 850 for a week's riding, including uplifts and a guide, their trips are a great alternative for those who don’t make the cut. 

The second Trans Madeira of 2022 is held on 20 - 24 September 2022 and to register you can click here: https://trans-madeira.com/registrations/#rider-registration If there are no more spaces available, you will be added to the waiting list in case anyone cancels and more spots open up.

For information on the Freeride Madeira trips, check out their website: https://freeridemadeira.com

By IMB

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