I love reading about these epic SoCal rides just wish I was in good enough shape to attempt them without fear of heart attack :(
They really motivate me and have helped me get stronger for improving my distance to 50+ this year (not with those kind of elevation challenges).
Thanks for posting and discussing these rides!

Check out this annual summer challenge series, https://www.smmtchallenge.com/climbs/map which started with 15 road segments, but has since added running, gravel, and mountain bike segments.

Aside from the whole challenge aspect, it's a great list to identify some feature climbs you might want to build a ride around riding to/from.

I completed the road part in 2016 and, until this summer, failed to repeat the task. It's quite a list and some of the climbs (like Las Flores) are just plan awful. They do, however, force you to ride outside of your regular routes and can open your eyes to new ones!

A member of my club completed ALL 45 bike segments (road/gravel/mtb) in 72 hours on the opening weekend of the challenge. Suffice it to say, she's insane.

This is great! Thanks to a few suggestions way above, and the link you just provided, I'm planning to work on some of these routes this weekend. Am I correct to assume that red = road and blue = trail?

The red ones are Road, other than that, I dunno. My mountain bike is garbage and I get hurt almost every time I ride it, so, I tend to stick to the roads. :)

You might want to check out my club, cvcbike.org. We have regular rides on Saturday and Sunday with different routes every weekend at A, B, & C levels... The A & B rides tend to hit the Santa Monicas frequently. We start in Westlake and go from there. Guests welcome with a waiver. Hit me up if you think you might want to come out this weekend.

Sunday, for instance the A/B ride is going up Westlake, down Encinal, up Mullholland (currently closed to cars and a blissfully quiet climb!) and back down Westlake.

Ahh, some of my favorite roads in So-Cal
Piuma/Stunt/Saddlepeak/Fernwood/Topanga

Good climbs, with Epic descents !

Gibraltar Rd. will be the site of the 2019 Hill Climb World Championship, on October 19th.

Open to everybody. Still time to sign up.

Sounds like an event within an event. It's on the same day as the Santa Barbara 100, but I guess just the climb only.

and for all the climbs we can recommend, you still live within a two-hour drive of gibraltar. personally?
i'd try to hit a few of the climbs previously mentioned in the next week or two, then take a little trip up the
coast to santa barbara on a day off and hit the actual climb before the event to evaluate myself. drive up,
carpool with a fellow cycling buddy or take the amtrak train. traffic on the climb and east camino cielo on
weekdays is barely measurably. weekends are busier so try to get an early start if doing it on a sat/sun..
this is a climb that recon/familiarity with will help on a future ascent. if you don't want to spoil the surprise
of the upcoming event, then hit something else listed previously.

One training ride down.

https://www.strava.com/activities/2747326975

Do yourself a favor and get a power meter. There is nothing like a power meter to pace yourself on a long climb (at least it was for me).

Looking at your power numbers (est. Strava), I think this long climb is going to be a long grind for you but doable.

Good Luck!

My bike improvement budget just went to new wheels, which arrive in a week. Maybe a power meter later, but down the road.

End of season, you can find great deals on power meters usually. Even a single sided system would help pace effort.

Mind recommending something to look at? I haven't researched the topic.

For power meter research, I really like DC Rainmaker's reviews (https://www.dcrainmaker.com/product-...s/power-meters)

For pacing with a power meter, I know what my FTP is and try to keep it below my FTP (around 80-90% of it) on a long climb. Sometimes you have to push it on a grade like 15-17% but at other times, I just sit down and keep the cadence high enough (70-90) and watch the Wahoo BOLT power read out. From a mental perspective, I know I can put out that power for a long time, so I focus on my ability as opposed to the steepness of the climb.
Even if I am doing 6mph, who cares as long as I reach the top.

Strange thing, I did notice I can climb a lot better ever since I started cross training with running hills usually on 6-7 mile runs.

Oh, on one bike, I use a Garmin Vector 2. On another (my touring bike) I have a Powertap G3 hub. Garmin cycling dynamics are fun to look at but I don't find them super useful.

much yes.

I'll be in SB in couple weeks and would like to do a 40-50m ride. Including Gibraltar would be fun and it sounds like the Camino Cielo would be a can't miss. Any suggestions for routes that would total in that range?

Here are the SB100 routes. Two are 62 miles long and one of them includes Gibraltar. You can easily shorten either route to keep within 40-50m.

Gibraltar Challenge

Noted on the 100 mile course elevation profile as “HC” (which means a climb beyond categorization), the infamous Gibraltar road is known by locals as the “Santa Barbara Alpe d’Huez” as it is very similar to the famous Tour de France climb.

Not ready for the challenge, below is the most casual ride mostly along the coast ...The 34 mile course gives the riders a taste of what Santa Barbara cycling has to offer.

Starting along the idyllic palm lined beaches of the Santa Barbara water front, you’ll ride through some of the most exclusive neighborhoods in the country before turning inland to experience the back roads and rolling foothills of Santa Barbara with a few short climbs along the way. The course finishes with a gorgeous tour of exclusive Hope Ranch, then back to the finish line at Leadbetter Beach. There are 2 aid stations on the 34 mile route. With a total altitude gain of 2,200 feet, this course is suitable for a beginner to intermediate cyclist.

The only time I did Gibraltar, I parked at Tuckers Grove County Park and warmed up going on Foothill Road. An option if you need/want to avoid downtown Santa Barbara. Not even 30 miles.

Thanks guys. Looks like I might be able to take the 66m and knock out some miles by heading N up Sheffield, San Ysidro or Olive Mill to connect to 192 and still get the guts of the ride and bring it to about 45ish.

what's your sched this coming week of nov 2nd? up for a gibraltar/el camino cielo and painted cave/osm (or, i daresay, dirty refugio) loop mon, nov 2nd, election day special or wed, nov 4th?