First light of the morning in Machico.

Moody Madeira weather, but so far no rain.

ALN locked and loaded.

Big weekend coming up for Sam Hill. Will the 29 inch wheels help in the battle against Martin Maes?

The last time the EWS came to Madeira Jesse Melamed was the man to beat before a mechanical ended his race. He will carry that confidence into the weekend to challenge the dominance of Martin Maes.

Can anyone beat Martin Maes this weekend?

Sharp rocks on track and sharp vegetation off track on stage 2.

Stage 2 is a beauty that traverses the ocean for nearly its entirety.

Can you spot Josh Carlson among all the green?

Cody Kelley throwing all the shapes on the Gamble track.

Pedro Burns is carrying the torch for Trek Factory Racing this weekend.

David McMillan lays it flat over Funchal.

Keegan Wright getting his switchback on through one of the many tight turns on stage 1.

Shawn Neer dropping down the loose and rocky ridgeline above town on stage 1.

Mark Scott gets down to business in the fresh loam of stage 6.

Sam Hill boosting jumps on Gamble. First run, full speed and sending everything blind.

The Portuguese will all be out cheering for their favorite rider Jose Borges.

Remi Gauvin having a bit of fun at the iconic lookout on stage 7.

Eddie Masters blowing up a corner on Loic Bruni's Gamble Trail

Youn Deniaud pinned down stage 4 that will kick off day two of racing in Madeira

Ella Connolly on stage 8.

Martin Maes is currently the man to beat.

Robin Wallner on stage 3.

The Gamble trail is taking a beating. Big rusts and holes all the way down.

Martha Gill drifting through the dust on stage 1.

Isabeau finding her way through the dust on stage 4.

Someone gambled on traction and lost.

Things get rutted and rooty ion the woods on stage 6.

Theo Galy and one of Madeira's most well-known photo spots.

Ines Thoma battles the dust on stage 1.

Stage 1 will be loose and dusty.

With no rain, it is dry as can be right now in Madeira.

Jesse Melamed has been riding super fast and confident in practice.

Not a bad place for the pits here in Madeira for round three of the 2019 EWS.

Bex Baraona hoping to get herself back on the podium as she was at the opening round in Rotorua.

Morgane Charre takes in the views at the bottom of stage 1.

Florian Nicolai letting that front wheel go where it will as per usual.

Stage 2 is short, but rough. The views are amazing but likely not to be enjoyed at warp speed.

Miranda Miller focused on a good result this weekend.

Tutu every day with Yoann Barelli.

It's a quiet week for Pedro Burns.

Remi Gauvin multi-tasking by watching helmet cam footage during his evening physio session.

Wyn Masters asking Martin Maes all the hard questions.

Let's get this party started!

Beautiful scenery and fresh tracks greeted racers as they took the steep hills of Madeira to kick off two days of practice in the runup to this weekend's EWS race. Super dry and dusty conditions are making both visibility and traction a difficult thing to come by, and with many sections being blown out after just one run, you can be sure things will be rough and wild by race day. With only a few stages revisited from the prior EWS here, all of which have been heavily modified, and a whole batch of new ones to keep riders on their toes, it feels like a completely new venue. Add in plenty of sunshine rather than the rain of 2017 and it's just about the polar opposite.Once again Martin Maes and Isabeau Courdurier are the heavy favorites, but with a list of hungry and capable riders nipping at their heels, it is still very much anyone's race. Sam Hill is on a new 29'er, and Jesse Melamed is looking for redemption after nearly winning here in 2017. While in the women's race, Morgane Charre has proven she can win stages and compete for the overall each round while many of the remaining podium positions have been decided by just a few seconds at the first two rounds. Without doubt this has been the tightest season of racing we have ever seen at the EWS.On Saturday races will tackle three stages while on Sunday they will head out for a very big day of stages to make eight in total. Being the first two-day event of the season, it will be interesting to see if riders who have been string over a single day of racing can carry the momentum and pressure through an entire weekend.Check in here daily to find out.