Trans Madeira Diary | The Bits Between the Trails
On day one I realised I had no idea what I was letting myself in for; I didn't know how much climbing there would be, what the sleeping arrangements would be like, how much food there was, or what the trails would really be like to ride as an "average rider". It didn't stop me going (obviously), but I thought I'd create a diary as the week went on to give you a feel for what the event is like between the trails and the race stages.
While my brain was a little fried from racing, I hope you still find this useful! If you've raced the event or ridden with Freeride Madeira and you have your own "pro tip" for surviving Trans Madeira, please feel free to let us know in the comments below. :)
As a final summary, I would just like to reiterate the following:
Bring waterproofs! It will rain at least once, and the top of the mountain is wet and cold, even when it's bikini weather on the beach.
Bring as much sleeping equipment as possible! As a minimum bring a sheet to sleep on. If you're a side-sleeper you will benefit from an added mat or blow-up mattress topper. A pillow wouldn't go a miss either. I STRONGLY recommend earplugs too if you are a light sleeper. And don't forget your sleeping bag!
Don't blast down the roads a warp speed! You will almost certainly miss the little red arrows that often take you off the main road for a more scenic route back to camp. Also, you wouldn't want to miss the bar on the final day, would you?
Enjoy yourself!! The island doesn't have natural goat trails or walkers' paths like the Alps, so most of the trails are handmade and have quite a bike park feel a lot of the time. For this reason, I feel that anyone who can ride UK trail centres can ride these trails, it will only be strength stamina on descents and fitness on climbs that is likely to hold you back. If you can survive a 700m-1,300m day in the saddle in somewhere like Cwmcarn or Innerleithen, you will be absolutely fine here.
:)