The annual Madeira Avalanche race is this coming Sunday (12th). I arrive on the island late on Saturday and my local-riding mates have just entered us all (only told me a couple of hours ago)…. I haven’t been on a bike, let alone ridden downhill for months. What could possibly go wrong!?

Anyone else out there at the moment and entered?

I wish

Can u take lots of pics?

I will try.

The first mission is to get my trusty Strive CF back into commission. Haven’t seen it for a few months, so hopefully it will all work and the wheels will go around (about the limit of my mechanical understanding).

Next mission will be to qualify as badly as possible so I can start at the back (mass start like the Alps avalanche race) and not get pushed off a cliff by a crazy local.

Final mission is to get to the bottom in one piece. Entry rules require full upper body armour in addition to knees, arms and full-face.

Never heard of it but loving the sounds of it!

Take a look at https://youtu.be/DxTvwLxowJo

Full contact downhill racing at the top until it thins out enough to start heading down the single-file trails.

I’ve ridden all of the trails many times, but never non-stop and never while wearing a Santa outfit.

Still alive and kicking after my Covid Booster jab on Thursday night, so hopefully I will have the energy to do it.

Off the airport in a bit. Wish me luck.

well i’m alive!

a fantastic day, dampened only by the fact that the race was halted due to pretty horrible crash in the first quarter of the field just before the end of the race (young guy took the final double jump waaaaaay too fast and ended up about 100ft down the trail…. ambulance, spinal board… track blocked… no chance to finish.

i had a pretty big off in the qualifying while threading my way at speed down a very damp toboggan (those who have ridden in Madeira will know all about the toboggan), knackering my arm and consigning my smart watch to the deepest recesses of the Madeira mountainside (no idea where it went). Still managed to qualify slap-bang in the middle of the field (approx 200 entrants).

i ‘think’, i was one of only two Brits in the race, which i guess is rather down to Covid etc.

will try to sort out some stills from my GoPro…

definitely a race that everyone should try… really good fun. really nice people… plenty of beer over the lunchtime between qualifying and the race… big thumbs up.

am now back at home in Funchal nursing my wounds, but the pain is dulled by a rather substantial amount of poncha consumed on the way the back.