Normally, my Saturday mornings are for the long run, my favorite run. However, because of my recent knee pains, long runs are on a hiatus. Instead, my long efforts are on the bike. 

Today I decided to finally take a shot at the Gibraltar Road climb in the Santa Ynez mountains behind Santa Barbara. This ride is a must for SB-area endurance athletes. It climbs about 2500ft in 6 miles to connect with Camino Cielo, the road on top of the mountains. It’s a steep one.

I started my ride from my apartment, so rode for about 12 miles and 1000 ft of climbing before starting the Gibraltar climb. About halfway up, I caught a couple mountain bikers making their way. We stopped and ate snacks and chatted for a bit. They told me they were going to loop back to Tunnel Trail once they hit Comino Cielo and rip the rocky singletrack back down the mountain. Technical downhills on a bike are of no interest to me. I prefer to get my trail adrenaline rush with my feet in contact with the earth. I continued on up. After about an hour of thigh shredding pedaling I reached the top of the mountains. I took a few minutes to eat and drink and admire the view. 

I then stashed my bike behind a bush and got ready for part ii, the short trail run up to tag White Mountain. I hadn’t gone up White in about a year. I got a nice panoramic view. Then cruised back down. My feet were missing the feel of pitter patter on dirt and rock.

Once back down to the road, I saddled up on the bike to start the ride back home, part iii. I am still quite uncomfortable with fast downhill riding, so the ride down Gibraltar was nerve wracking and full of adrenaline. I took my time, using my breaks liberally, and eventually made it back down to the fancy homes of Montecito below. I then rode back home via the rolling, scenic Cathedral Oaks road. 

All in all, I totaled about 43 miles on the bike with 4000 ft of climbing. Sandwiched between the rides, a one mile trail run with 400 ft of climbing. Total time of about 4 hours. Bike-Run-Bike (BRB) long day.

My music selection today was a Billy Strings show, 1/25/2025 in Denver, CO. Thanks to taper: The Vibration of Life. I have really been into the current day jam grass sounds recently. Bluegrass music and beautiful mountain days go hand in hand.

Links Strava activities:

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