Madeira Nature Festival 2013

The first few days of October were a bit different on the charming Portuguese archipelago of Madeira. Funchal's high street suffered a fresh revamp, surprising all the passersby, as a mini mountain bike track was placed right in the middle of it's busiest area, thanks to the MADproductions and Freeride Madeira families.


It was the '2013 Nature Festival' in the capital's downtown, which allowed us to make use of some amazing trees, rocks, pines, colourful moss and anything else that reminded us of our unique Laurisilva forest, displayed round a pump track and a wooden path/north shore area.


We faced some tough raining conditions while building the track, and it took some hard work to pull everything together for the kids. After four days of building, we finally did ourselves proud as all the building and digging was complete. Everything looked spot on thanks to Rui Sousa, Pedro Silva, Roberto Chaves, Rosbert Molina, John Fernandes, Jose Araujo and Antonio Abreu.


There were plenty of smiles in the track, while the kids and adults alike faced the different obstacles. Everyone that passed by was quite amazed by the movement created, and often many even had a go. There was a fantastic mix of kids that didn't know how to ride a bike, as well as adults that wanted to remember how it felt so good to pedal, especially after a long day of work.


For the MAD and Freeride families, every hour spent preparing this one of a kind event in Funchal was a true joy. From the four year old kids pedaling like true champs, begging their mothers for another ride on the track, to the more experienced riders having a good laugh with their mates. Everyone that loves mountain bike would go home with a smile on their faces.


We were amazed to have roughly 500 riders test the track throughout the week! Surprisingly, boys and girls, men and women, Madeiran locals, and many tourists - all wanted to have a go on out track.



Everyone respected the rules, and the most experienced riders tried to teach the youngest about techniques to overcome the track's obstacles and the benefits of bike riding. So many kids would be back to the next day, some of them with their own bicycles and original helmets, to try and ride the track's tight berms and dirt sections without any help.


Everyone, including ourselves, wished the centre of town could remain like this forever, but the week was ending and everyone got their chance to ride the track one more time.


We also gave a small practical lecture on mountain biking,and let those who attended take the enduro bikes for a spin round the course. The event focused on spreading excitement about nature, healthy lifestyle and sports, giving kids from all ages a reason to forget about the sofa and television for a week !


The young locals helped the MAD and Freeride crew to clean the street and to disassemble all the wood structure as a token of appreciation for all that had been done that week, as well as out of pure passion for mountain biking. It's something bigger that takes us back in time when we were kids too. We all remember mounting a track in the street with a piece of wood and some concrete blocks.


Mountain biking always smilled at us like an escape from the boring daily basis routines. Today, we try to teach the young kids that this sport can be a healthy alternative to problems, as well as encourage them to keep studying and always searching for a bigger purpose in life. We feel proud to put a smile on their faces. We wish we could do it all the time.


Thank you so much for the support, Bike Zone, Turismo da Madeira, Parque Ecológico Funchal and Atlantipetalas.

Words: Rita Sousa and Antonio Abreu
Translation: Andrew Talas
Photos: Antonio Abreu
Event by MADproductions and Freeride Madeira