While you were away, I had the opportunity to support a tandem dealer of
ours with a demo weekend in Ventura. Having scouted this area previously, I had
my minds-eye focused squarely on an ascent of Gibraltar. I first heard about
this climb back in '92 while swapping routes/rides with the collegiate team from
UCSB. I allocated just enough time Friday to get this guy done. I sniffed
around online and discovered a winding, hilly approach through the foothills;
tons of twists, turns, up and downs. I think I racked up 2k in 'ele prior to
hitting the foot of the beast! I hunkered down, found the comfortable cookie
and spun for well over an hour. I shot a photo of my Garmin; it took me 2.5
hours to cover 24 miles! Indeed, turns out those 2.5 hours were about 6k in
vert gain. Sweet satisfaction. I shot some snaps with the "right tool for the
job" at the summit, spun around, and slid downhill. The views East were
particularly stunning.
Check out the Garmin data; http://connect.garmin.com/activity/326565234#
Here's some "rider notes" on Gibraltar; http://www.toughascent.com/blog/2010/06/05/santa-barbara-gibraltar-road-climb/
Looking forward to pedaling with you soon.
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