Cycling in Madeira

[Yang]

Am in Madeira, 19:30 local time here and the sun is shining brightly. I managed to wheezle a bike and a ride with a LBS, and am just about to go out with them, on the road. The roads here are very very hilly, and because of the cobblestones they use MTB's for their training. Wish me luck- will try to report tomorrow, if I survive.

[Pocketbikes]

Damn... my home town. Where you staying, Funchal (cobblestones by the church). I had a hard time driving there, due to the narrow roads - keep safe.

 

Could be a joll taking the cable car from Funchal to the top of the mountain, then do some down hill . You can also cycle to the "BIG shopping centre" (Madeira Shopping)in San Antonio and then rest all the way down.  I can't think of a section of road that is flat for more than 2 k's

 

We've got an apartment just behind the casino, on Rua de Infante. Things got horribly expensive when the Escudo changed to the Euro, so haven't visited for a while.

 

[Yang]

 

When I left SA to go to Madeira I took my pedals and shoes with me, determined to find a bike that I could use there. Miguel Zacarias is a cycling brother-in arms, and I was lucky to find him. He has a bike shop in Madeira and lent me this. Shimano Alvio group set, but it did the job and saw me through some awesome days in Madeira.

he's at www.mzbikes.com. 

[Yang]

 

One of the viewpoints I rode to. This is a view over Funchal. The line sticking into the sea is the harbour.  

[calabash]

Glad that you chose an MTB bike while there. Those roads would kill a road bike

[Yang]

Some of the roads in Madeira would make Paris Roubaix feel like a gentle walk through a meadow. Some of the cobbled roads (which they call cal?adas) have small, round, smooth cobbles, and would be impossible to ride on with a road bike or even a hybrid. But they have resurfaced most of the roads now. In the photo is a typical road near the Monte, and then another one near the Estreito da Camara de Lobos, overlooking the ocean from about 600m up.

[Yang]

[Yang]

These were some of the views. Cani?o.

 

[Opel OPC]

awesome scenes

 

but were is the sardines???

 

[Yang]

Another great view.

[Yang]

awesome scenes

 

but were is the sardines???

 

 

Plenty of sardines here. But riding was off limits.

 

 

 

[madmarc]

These were some of the views. Cani?o.

 

 

Please enlarge 4000 000 times, i'm sure there is a sardine down on that beach with no scales on

[hagar]

 

awesome scenes

 

but were is the sardines???

 

 

Plenty of sardines here. But riding was off limits.

 

 

 

lovely pics did the lady know you were taking them

 

no serious looks like great weather you had too !!!

 

i am GREEN with envy you lucky sardine

 

[Yang]

No sardines, but lots of bait- other photos make me feel like a voyeur. My nephew got to make a date with one. These photos were at Porto Santo, an island off Madeira, a 2 hour voyage on a cruise liner.  I took my bike, and hired bikes for the rest of us. You can ride around the island in a day, although since I was with my nephews I regrettably could not do this. Christiano Ronaldo is building a hotel on the island. All his rich mates are gonna visit and real estate value will rocket.

 

 

[Pocketbikes]

Hey Yang, some great pics. You bring back some memories...

 

The pic with the "sardines", is that at the Lido? The beaches at Porto Santo look great, never been there. To those that don't know, most of the beaches in Madeira have stones, not sand.

 

[Yang]

Hey Yang' date=' some great pics. You bring back some memories...

The pic with the "sardines", is that at the Lido? The beaches at Porto Santo look great, never been there. To those that don't know, most of the beaches in Madeira have stones, not sand.
[/quote']

 

The sardines pic is at Porto Moniz, on the other side of the island. I got here from Funchal by car with my cuzzins. Here's another pic of the same pool complex from another angle. The oke with no hair is NOT me. Insane hey?! Funny how everywhere you look there's a sardine- in the water, lying in the sun....- this one had a bikini wax!

 

 

Then, there's a typical beach in Madeira Praia da Formosa- volcanic round rocks. This one has some black sand, which is exactly like ordinary beach sand except its black. I stopped here on the first day I got out on the bike, an easy ride from Funchal. Check all the construction cranes in the background.

 

 

Look at this place- also in Porto Moniz. Man- the best two weeks of my life. If you look closely you can see the pools in the volcanic rock. Sea temp was about 23.