rallison

Gibraltar Road is arguably one of the most popular climbs in Santa Barbara. While not quite as steep as Old San Marcos/Painted Cave, an average grade of 7.5% for 6.5 miles is nothing to sneeze at. This ride is even tougher as the first half is noticeably easier than the second half (and a tougher second half just means that you have worn yourself out in the first half before hitting the tough stuff!).

The ride report: https://www.toughascent.com/blog/?p=138

Some pictures from the ride:

rallison

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Not bad for scenery

jdon

Nice photos of a beautiful area. Thx for posting.

rallison

Thanks - glad you enjoyed them! Hope you get the chance to ride the area sometime as it really is one of the gems of California.

Irvent

Nice write up as always. Wonderful pictures and it seems like a great area, hope to one day get out there and check out the climbing, both on bike and rock Looks like it was a lot of fun!

grrlyrida

Great pics. I think this is the first time I've seen a Gibraltar ride report. It definitely looks like the Central Coast. Very pretty. It's good you guys got out there while there are still wildflowers. I'll check out the report too.

rallison

A little surprising since Gibraltar is one of the staples for climbers in Santa Barbara. It does get mentioned here and there a lot though when Santa Barbara threads come up.

I was quite glad it was still somewhat green up there - that won't last much longer.

umd

I know that climb way too well, I know exactly where every picture was taken...

So, you took Camino Cielo all the way to the 154 instead of heading down Painted Cave?

rallison

I was waiting for you to pop in since this is your home turf Living in Long Beach, I envy that you have all these rides in your backyard. But, since my parents are in Goleta, I do get to ride the area a fair amount and always enjoy it.

And yes, this time we took Camino Cielo all the way to 154 (first time I've ever done it that way actually). I've done the Painted Cave descent countless times and it just isn't that enjoyable. The top half has horrible pavement and the bottom half is steep enough and tight enough that you are on the brakes a lot. Actually, I wouldn't mind the descent if the top half had decent paving...but as it is, it sucks.

Camino Cielo from Painted Cave to 154 is mostly very well paved and you only need to hit the brakes a couple of times. I found it to be a much more enjoyable descent than Painted Cave. That, and the section along 154 is quite fast and you still get to hook up with Old San Marcos for that sweet descent. Personally, I'll still switch the descents around depending on what mood I am in, but I am glad to have the Camino Cielo to 154 option.

Oh, and out of curiosity, what sort of times do you post going up Gibraltar (as you do seem to be rather quick)?

umd

Most people just don't seem to be comfortable with the idea of descending on the 154, with all the traffic, so they usually just go down Painted Cave. Also, they just repaved most of that section from Painted Cave to 154, it used to be pretty bad.

jdon

I was actually out that way about 6 or 8 weeks ago and got a ride part way up 154. I was pressed for time though but hopefully next time I will be there a little longer. An SB local has offered to show me around next time I get there and look forward to that! Truely a beautiful place.

Nachoman

I love that ride. a few high school friends and I try and get out there once a year for cycling, drinking and general trouble making.

rallison

Very true. 154 is much less pleasant because of the ever-present high speed traffic. That said, for the route posted, you are only on 154 for a few minutes and you can easily do 35+mph for most of it (and by "you" I mean anyone else reading this as I am sure umd is well aware of this), so it is not really bad at all. And yes, the bottom section of Painted Cave has some of the best ashpalt around and is actually kind of fun (despite having to hit the brakes a lot). It's just that top section that truly sucks.

rallison

If you mean that you got to ride part of 154 on your bike, then you definitely missed out! 154 is scenic, but nothing compared to Old San Marcos, Painted Cave, Gibraltar, Camino Cielo and Refugio when it comes to scenery and light car traffic (and steepness, except for Camino Cielo). Hope you make it out again soon and get to really explore the area - so many climbs so close. And Figueora Mountain, over the hill in Santa Ynez valley, is also an epic ride.

jdon

Thanks rallison, suggestions noted for next time!