A day's ride with Freeride Madeira 13.10.2024

This October I had the chance to spend a day riding some of Madeira's epic DH trails. I had a fantastic time. However, my recommendation is:
Go for a week of riding, and take your own bike with. While the Cannondale Jekyll isn't a bad ride, some of the creaking from the carbon headtube didn't fill me with confidence. The suspension was okay to start with, but by the 2nd half of the day it felt pretty bad. The biggest issue however was the pedals - 4 pins each, two of which were bent badly so virtually no grip, even with FiveTens. Also, hitting some features is prohibited on the rental bikes.
Did I mention, our guide was Matias Camacho, Portuguese enduro champ? No wonder I couldn't keep up!
Will be back for more, epic day / trails / views / company!