Gibraltar Road: The Struggle

Gibraltar Road meanders up the rocky and rugged Santa Ynez Mountains with almost no regard to pitch or direction—it’s steep when we need respite and the gradient eases long after our legs start begging for mercy. The climb really starts at the sharp, banked turn onto Mountain Drive, just after the Santa Barbara Mission, but it doesn’t officially count until nearly ten minutes later when we pass the mailboxes at the intersection of Cielito and Gibraltar. The climb then kicks up with a vengeance.