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Madeira Bike Tours
Madeira Bike Tours

About

About Madeira Bike Tours

Independent reviews of every Madeira MTB trail + operator, written by an IMBA-certified guide and Trans Madeira race veteran. No advertorial. No commission-weighted ranking.

Who we are

Lead reviewer is Tomás Faria, a Funchal-based IMBA Level 2 MTB guide and three-time Trans Madeira race finisher. Tomás has helped build over 15km of singletrack on the Paul da Serra plateau, rides 200+ days a year, and writes every operator review himself after a paid client trip.

Editorial oversight, fact-checking, and pricing audits are coordinated by the same independent Madeira-based editorial team that covers boats, jeeps, diving, fishing, and wine touring across the island.

Why this exists

Madeira's MTB scene is one of the world's best for intermediate-advanced riders — and one of the worst-served by English-language content online. Most "Madeira MTB tours" listicles confuse XC and enduro, miss-rate trail difficulty by a full grade, and rank operators by who pays the highest affiliate commission.

We started this site because we got tired of friends booking the wrong tour for their skill level. A €100/day enduro shuttle is incredible for the right rider and a humbling disaster for someone who's only ridden bike-paths. We tell you which is which.

How we work

  • Quarterly trail sampling across difficulty bands — beginner XC, intermediate flow, advanced enduro, expert gravity. Re-validated each season.
  • Operator audits as fee-paying clients, never disclosed in advance. We assess guide competence, bike condition, shuttle reliability, group-skill matching.
  • Difficulty ratings re-validated each season as trails change with weather and use.
  • Pricing refreshed quarterly from operator websites + our own bookings. Last-verified date on every trail and price page.
  • We never accept hosted trips without disclosing them.

How we make money

We earn affiliate commission when you book through GetYourGuide or Viator links. The commission is paid by the platform, not by you — your price is identical whether you click through us or go direct. We disclose this on every page that contains affiliate links.

For private group rides and Trans Madeira-prep weeks, contact us via WhatsApp. We don't sell ad placements, accept comped trips for placement, or rank operators by commission rate.

Trust + accuracy

Every trail, operator, and guide page shows a "Last verified" date and verifying author. If you find something out of date — pricing changed, trail closed, link broken — we want to know.

Email hello@madeirabiketours.org or message us via WhatsApp. We update verified content within 7 days.

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