![HILL SEEKERS](https://cdn.magzter.com/1387349441/1686209783/articles/tma0fMjxZ1686220831821/HILL-SEEKERS.jpg)
Impossible, too steep, no chance. Martim Noronha, of the local bikehire shop, isn't impressed with our route planning skills. And that's before he clocks that we've added a 40% incline to our final day's ride out of Funchal, the capital of Madeira. But, as with seemingly everyone we've met on our long weekend of riding on the island, a wide smile soon returns to his face. "You do know that you can take your bikes on the cable car, right?"
The past three days have seen us watch local football team Maritimo score a rare win, get drunk with Turkish diplomats on 'poncha' cocktails, experience Portuguese folk singing (Fado) while eating black scabbardfish, and consume enough garlic bread to banish the threat of vampire attack. The sub-tropical climate has been a joyous escape from battling vitamin-D deficiencies in the soggy south west winter. It's a mid-haul destination with a short-haul price tag - we paid £75 for a return flight - and we've quickly understood why the woman next to us on the flight was on her 15th visit to Madeira. This autonomous region of Portugal, some 1,000km from Portugal, will get under your skin.
But what of the cycling? It's been short, sharp, steep and sweaty. We've ridden to the Cabo Girão Skywalk, Europe's highest platform that hovers over the Atlantic Ocean some 580m below, on the (still rolling) coastal road and back, while a 38km excursion (1,860m elevation!) to Ribeiro Frio saw us encounter empty mountain passes, forested valleys and not a single stretch of flat tarmac. The fact that Madeira's famous airport is built on a platform supported by pillars that juts out into the sea tells you everything about the topography.
This story is from the Summer 2023 edition of Cycling Plus UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the Summer 2023 edition of Cycling Plus UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
![Here Tadej...](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5195/1725333/J9BaKMB0u1717754802936/HERE-TADEJ.jpg)
Here Tadej...
Even in a thrilling Giro, the shadow of the Tour de France looms large
![Tern Orox R14](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5195/1725333/b46294_4i1717753306830/TERN-OROX-R14.jpg)
Tern Orox R14
The Orox just can't be pigeonholed. It's designed, say Tern, for adventure and utility, be it personal or commercial (it even has a built-in tow bar!).
![SRAM Apex AXS XPLR groupset](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5195/1725333/IW-ZVAWnm1718113962840/SRAM-APEX-AXS-XPLR-GROUPSET.jpg)
SRAM Apex AXS XPLR groupset
\"Apex shifters are basically the same as on Rival AXS... and the brake units follow the same design as the latest Force AXS brakes\"
![Land of the Giants](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5195/1725333/_CbAlvFv51718113084275/LAND-OF-THE-GIANTS.jpg)
Land of the Giants
Warren Rossiter heads to Taiwan to experience the launch of the new Giant TCR
![Tourtalk](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5195/1725333/bXaIQD9IO1717755475107/TOURTALK.jpg)
Tourtalk
Eight key talking points ahead of a much-anticipated race
![PFEIFFER GEORGI CAPTAIN MARVEL](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5195/1725333/LUSzwd3Wo1717755094811/PFEIFFER-GEORGI-CAPTAIN-MARVEL.jpg)
PFEIFFER GEORGI CAPTAIN MARVEL
Great Britain's 2023 national road champion Pfeiffer Georgi is one of the youngest road captains in the peloton. Here she explains this unique job and the pressures that go with it in the season's biggest race
!["I help people overcome life's problems through cycling"](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5195/1725333/JFixwApQU1717754569322/I-HELP-PEOPLE-OVERCOME-LIFES-PROBLEMS-THROUGH-CYCLING.jpg)
"I help people overcome life's problems through cycling"
Rob Brown, 72, from Yorkshire, has created a haven of inclusivity and accessible cycling in Dalby Forest
![Great start](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5195/1725333/w41BItLm01717754216475/GREAT-START.jpg)
Great start
Here's how to avoid ultra-processed foods at breakfast
![HELL OR HIGH WATER](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5195/1725333/M8_8EXa1B1717753667269/HELL-OR-HIGH-WATER.jpg)
HELL OR HIGH WATER
The Paris-Roubaix Challenge pits amateurs against an abridged version of the iconic 'Hell of the North' race
![Go ultra](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5195/1725333/WZ6wNO7OH1717752395172/GO-ULTRA.jpg)
Go ultra
Want to go long, very long, in 2021? Here's our proven advice on taking on an ultra cycling challenge such as LEJOG or Chase the Sun in 20214