We headed out of Tarifa with the wind at our backs and a glint of sunshine in our eyes. That glint soon turned to a downpour. We pedalled up from sea level and around 330 m to get over the hill to the next bay.

All in a total of 420 m of elevation gain today according to Komoot. However I know we did start at sea level in Tarifa. Most of it in the first 15 km! A steady 5% climb for about 3km followed by another steady up hill for another 2 km. It was doable and hard, and it got done.

It didn’t help that it rained HARD for most of the climb and we tried to scoot into neighboring bus shelters to get some relief. I like the 37km/hr maximum speed!

Once that major climb was done, was done it seemed like it was all down hill and smooth sailing.

And

as we got closer to Gibraltar, we were able to take advantage of the local bicycle paths.

And the skies became clear.

As we neared we could see how industrial everything is, solar power, generation sites, and oil refineries dotted the coast and there were many large tankers, ships, and cruise ships along the bay.

The bike paths coming into Gibraltar, takes you through the industrial heart of the area and the massive industrial network with barbed wire fencing and chain link razor wire. Then a beautifully manicured bike path and spectacular views of the “Rock”.

To get into Gibraltar, you have to cross the Gibraltar airport runway which has gates that close when a plane comes in to land. There were no planes today but crossing the runway was really cool.

It’s a different vibe here and there is little Spanish being spoken. Mostly English, British English i might add.

the narrow streets are packed with people who are rabid to purchase “stuff”.

I’m feeling strong, and feel that I can do this. So different than our last trip in Costa Rica where I couldn‘t wait for it to be over. I think it is the humidity.