More than 2,500 cyclists made their way through Santa Barbara County on Friday, winding their way through the valley, down Highway 101 and eventually traversing the Santa Barbara waterfront as they pedaled through the sixth day of their week-long trip.

The cyclists were part of the AIDS/LifeCycle event, a seven-day bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles to raise money and awareness in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

They’ve been on an epic journey across the state and will have covered 545 miles by the time event is through. The race started June 1 and will wrap up on Saturday in Westwood.

The cyclists took a lunch break at Girsh Park on Friday, where Noozhawk caught up with cyclist Dusty Klass, a UCSB alumna who now lives in Culver City but was excited to be back on the South Coast of Santa Barbara County.

“It is amazing to be back in Santa Barbara,” she said. “This is where I learned how to ride a bike. All of the roads are familiar.”

On Friday morning, the riders started in Lompoc, climbed over the Gaviota Pass — Klass estimated an elevation gain of about 1,100 feet — and then on to Highway 101 and onto Hollister Avenue through Goleta. They would end the day at San Buenaventura State Beach, an 84-mile ride for the day, she said.

They’ve averaged about 80 miles a day throughout the ride.

She’s been doing the ride since studying at UCSB, and said “this community is really addictive.”

“Whenever I find people who have given up on the world, I always tell them to do this ride,” Klass said. “It always reminds me how caring people are.”

It’s not unusual if riders arrive early at a campsite to set up a tent for those who have yet to finish the ride, she said, and that people step up to care for one another.

This year takes on an extra significance for Klass as she rode close to Isla Vista in the aftermath of the shootings that took place there May 23.

She decided to put up a banner for people to sign, which said simply “ALC Stands with UCSB” and gave people the chance to sign it.

“I’ve been watching people come up and sign it and it’s been strangely healing,” she said, adding that she’s met UCSB alumni on the ride she didn’t even know were there.

Original article posted on NoozHawk

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Video sourced from KEYT

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Leadbetter Beach to Hendry’s Beach (also called Arroyo Burro) is my favorite beach ride. First, always check the Santa Barbara Tides This Santa Barbara bike ride just north of the Harbor. Distance is appoximately 7-8 miles roundtrip. A moderate ride for a fat tire bike. 1st, check the beach for sand. Sometimes the winter and spring storms wash the sand away leaving a rocky and un-bikable beach. Mid-summer to late fall is best for lots of hard-packed bike riding sand. Bathrooms are at either end of the ride. Lots of tidepools along the way. Don’t get caught on incoming tide, or you won’t be able to ride around the points. There are two places where stairs lead up to the bluff, should you need to exit the beach. Local tip: Once you get to Hendry’s Beach, look north to Campus Point. If the tide’s low enough, add another few miles on to your ride, or return another day and ride from Hendry’s to Campus Point and back.

Stern’s Wharf to Montecito Village is a favorite Santa Barbara bike ride. Begin at Sterns Wharf and ride the bike trail south to the Bird Sanctuary. Then turn up the hill adjacent to the cemetary, following the bike trail to the Biltmore and Butterfly Beach. Turn left on Olive Mill, then right on Danielson, before crossing over the 101. Danielson takes you to San Ysidro Rd. Take San Ysidro up the hill to the little village center of Montecito. This ride is a scenic coastal route with restaurants and shops at Sterns Wharf and Montecito Village. Moderate somewhat hilly ride approximately 7-8 miles roundtrip.

Sterns Wharf to Carpinteria is a 26 mile roundtrip Santa Barbara bike ride. Much of it along the frontage road of highway 101. Some hills. Stop in Summerland at the Summerland Beach Cafe for breakfast or lunch.

Stern’s Wharf to Montecito Route via Route 192 is a challenging and somewhat difficult Santa Barbara bike ride about 14 miles roundtrip. This ride encompasses sections of the rides mentioned above, except it’s more difficult. The first part of the ride takes you from Sterns Wharf up State Street through the heart of Santa Barbara. Restaurants and shops along the way tempt you to lock up your bike and have a look, or a bite to eat. After you pass Mission Street, turn right on Los Olivos Street. It’s a steep uphill climb past Santa Barbara’s Old Mission. Just past the Mission, look for Mountain Dr. to your right. The climb begins in earnest all the way up and along the foothills of Santa Barbara. There are great vistas of Santa Barbara and the Pacific Ocean, so bring your camera. The mountain road changes names several times, but keep following signs for Route 192 and you’ll be fine. Once you pass through the little village of Montecito, it’s downhill along a beach route back to Sterns Wharf. This is a favorite, but difficult, ride. Don’t keep it a secret!

Sterns Wharf via Summerland and Montecito is a challenging ride of approximately 22 miles. Begin at the dolphin fountain at the foot of Sterns Wharf. Plan on stopping for breakfast or lunch at either the Summland Beach Cafe (just south of Ortega Hill Rd and Evans) in Summerland, or Pierre LaFond (at East Valley Road and San Ysidro Road) in Montecito. The ride climbs into the foothills of Santa Barbara along shady lanes. Bring your camera and plenty of water.

If you didn’t bring a bike on your visit, feel free to contact us to schedule a bike rental. We recommend a beach cruiser rental for the less strenuous rides, or a road bike rental if you plan on doing a more challenging ride.

Original article posted on Santa Barbara Day Trip

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Even if you don’t own a bike, or you’re visiting and didn’t bring it, road bike rentals in Santa Barbara will enable you to do take these extraordinary rides through town.

One great source of road biking rides comes from the Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition. They have crafted a number of rides that will inspire as many road bike rentals in Santa Barbara as there are unequipped riders. Some locals already own a bike. But if you live here and you’d like to try a fantastic road bike or if you’re from out of town, renting may be the perfect answer. Here are some fabulous rides the SBBC has put together.

Santa Barbara Bicycle Ride. This ride is 10.8 miles long, passing through the heart of downtown Santa Barbara. It passes the County Courthouse, city parks, and the old Santa Barbara Mission. You’ll ride in bike lanes most of the way, and cross Highway 101 on a bike bridge. The ride ends with a three-mile down hill ride with sweeping views of the mountains, ocean and harbor.

Mountain Drive Bicycle Ride. If you like vertical, this 15.9 mile-ride will take you up 800 feet above Santa Barbara. Your efforts going up will afford spectacular views from winding Mountain Drive. When you descend, you’ll pass through Montecito gated estates, historic hotels, and plentiful dining opportunities. You return to the start past Santa Barbara Cemetery, the Bird Refuge and East Beach.

Goleta Bicycle Ride. Starting from Goleta Beach, this flattish 21.2 mile ride heads west from the beach, through the University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB). You’ll pass from the beach through the University, quiet residential areas, lemon and avocado orchards, La Cumbre shopping center, and return to your starting point.

Sideways Film Location Rides I&II. These rides each begin and end in Solvang. They are 50.0 and 52.3 miles long, respectively.

The first ride starts west along Highway 246 to Lompoc, returning along Santa Rosa Road. The 18 miles on Santa Rosa Road offer you what many consider the best bike ride in Santa Barbara County. You will pass three restaurants, a bar, golf course, motel, winery and of course Ostrich Land—all film locations.

The second Sideways film location is tougher–you’ll get a good bit of vertical climbing heading north through quiet Los Olivos, then through the Foxen Canyon Wine Country. There are four wineries along the way, plus the Los Olivos Cafe, all film locations. Firestone Winery even supplies a bike rack for visitors!

So if you need a road bike rental in Santa Barbara before taking one of these rides, stop in and see us.

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California snorkeling is a great adventure for water lovers and ocean explorers. Grab a good mask, a snorkel and some fins and you’re set for your journey into the sea. The beaches near Santa Barbara offer exquisite spots to see kelp forests and sea lemons, one of Southern California’s most commonly seen nudibranchs.

Refugio State Beach and Tajiguas are adjacent sites about 20 miles north of Santa Barbara. You’ll find them off of highway 101 as you follow the coastline west out of Santa Barbara toward San Luis Obispo. Tajiguas is an undeveloped beach with free parking and great photo opportunities in the water. You won’t find as many fish in the inshore reefs as you will at Refugio, but the anemones and nudibranchs cover the rocks and will delight your eyes.

Refugio can be a better bet because you’ll find a lot more fish. The beach is 1.5 miles of beautiful sand and surf. This is a great California snorkeling site. The calico bass, opaleye or sheephead are prolific but can easily be spooked by lots of bubbles so you may choose to do some free diving to really get in and amongst the fish.

At each end of the cove at Refugio beach there are reefs you can easily reach by swimming. Snorkeling at these locations is great fun. The sporadic low-lying reefs to the east are only about 50 yards out. This is a great halibut hunting ground and if you’re looking for sea hares, anemones, sea stars and sponges you’ll also find them there. The western reef is a bit further out and more remote but still easy to access if you’re snorkeling. These kelp forests are a great spot for sightseers and photographers looking for rockfish, sheephead and cabezon. This is a spot the divers are not likely to visit often, leaving the marine life virtually undisturbed.

Unlike Tajiquas, Refugio is a developed site with showers and restrooms, campsites and beautiful hiking and biking trails. And if your traveling buddy is more of a fisherman than an avid snorkeler, this spot will make everybody happy.

If you want to take your snorkeling seclusion to the next level, you can rent a kayak from Santa Barbara Fitness Tours to get out to some more untouched beaches without road access!

Original article posted on Gone Snorkeling

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Come enjoy the relaxing art of Yoga combined with the core burning sport of Stand Up Paddle Boarding! These classes take your favorite yoga routines and put them on the water. Our Yoga classes will bring balance and help restore your body to it’s natural state by creating physical, mental and spiritual harmony. Both yoga and stand up paddle boarding are great for building better balance, coordination, endurance, and neuromuscular re-education!

We are hosting a summer group SUP & SUP Yoga series with Hotel Milo for paddle boarding and paddle board yoga on the following dates:

– June 28th, 2015
– July 26th, 2015
– August 30th, 2015

These are group classes with SUP Yoga starting at 9:30am and regular SUP at 11am. Both classes meet at Hotel Milo and are $45 each with all rentals included.

Important Details:
– SUP Yoga classes range from 1 to 1.5 hours.
– All SUP Yoga and SUP Fitness Instructors are registered Yoga Instructors or Personal Trainers.
– Boards and paddles are included in the lessons.
– Classes meet in the harbor for the tranquil waters.

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Rider: Jimmy Lucchesi
Photos by: Satchel Cronk

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As animals go, we humans are the oddities in our jungle. Unlike most, we are designed to stand up and travel great distances on just two legs. Though our evolution is the subject of great debate, all human babies are born with an innate drive to stand up. Offer your index fingers to the hands of a tiny seated infant and the baby will grip hard, using your offered fingers to immediately push themselves upright on to their wobbly little feet. A human baby will progress from standing alone to walking and eventually running, usually by the second year of life.

Stand up paddling gives us humans an amazingly efficient way to travel quickly across a body of water in our naturally favored position. Think about how excited and intrigued you were the first time you saw someone stand up paddling. Tap into your nomadic ancestry and you’ll understand how valuable it would have been for hunting and the discovery of safe, more verdant shores. It has a universal appeal.

As humans, we are naturally inclined to move forward. We advance with our eyes first, scanning the horizon, arms helping to propel our bodies, all while effortlessly balancing on two feet. Modern stand up paddling is inherently recognized as a valuable skill by our inner prehistoric selves.

ANCIENT FISHERMAN LAY THE GROUNDWORK

Fishermen all over the world have been standing solo in their small vessels for thousands of years. Chan Chan is ground zero of a rich and ancient Peruvian civilization. Bordered by fertile lands and an ocean that teemed with life, Chan Chan was once the largest city in South America. On its shore near the village of Huanchaco is a coveted surfing beach where caballitos de totora which translates to “little horses made of reed” are straddled and then surfed by the local fishermen.

To aid in maneuvering the vessels into the waves, a split and hollowed length of bamboo serves as a double ended paddle. 3,000 year old shards of painted pottery depict the unchanged design of these same famously photogenic reed boats. It’s not hard to imagine young, virile fishermen showing off to their peers and potential mates by standing on a caballito and skillfully paddle surfing it to shore!

Amazingly, caballito is a modern name for these handmade boats that predate the arrival of fifteenth century Spaniards and their horses by thousands of years.

Fast forward to seventeenth century Venice, the magnificent Italian city that’s built almost entirely on the water. Eight to ten thousand gondoliers use long paddles to move their vessels through the crowded canals. Today, only about four hundred gondolas remain in service. They shuttle tourists and wedding parties through the beautiful city that remains steeped in mystery, romance and glorious water.

THE HAWAIIANS PIONEERED STAND UP PADDLING FOR FUN!

The first standup paddle surfers to surf for the sheer joy of flying down the line on a board are believed to be Hawaiian. Ancient Hawaiian islanders survived with nature, not because of nature. They called themselves keiki o ka’aina, literally “children of the land”.

The earth provided the islanders not only food and materials to build with, but a place of deep spiritual connection and playful recreation. Aina means “that which feeds”. The land, the sea and mankind were thought of as siblings born to the same parents at the beginning of time. As siblings of the sea, Hawaiians of all ages and sexes enjoyed playing together in the waves. Maka ’ainana is a term used to describe the common people, but it actually translates to “eyes of the earth”. Nature nourishes, and by custom, humans were to play with and  protect their siblings, the land and the sea.

Though Hawaiians have probably been standup paddle surfing for centuries, the earliest photographic evidence is only about 60 years old. Duke Kahanamoku, the most famous of the Waikiki beach boys, was said to use an outrigger paddle to help propel his heavy board into the velvety waves of Waikiki.

Two other Hawaiians beside Duke are often named as the first. Young John “Zap” Zapotocky, born in 1918 had moved to Oahu from the Mainland in 1940. After a few years of working at Pearl Harbor, the Dole Pineapple Cannery hired him as a machinist. A family man loved for his community involvement, Zap also became a dedicated waterman.

He was one of the few non-native Hawaiians to be named as an honorary Beachboy by his surfing brothers. Zap had admired how Duke and a few of the other Beachboys used a paddle to help themselves surf more effectively. In the 1940’s Zap began to include a canoe paddle in his own morning routine of surfing out at Waikiki.

He didn’t stop using the paddle as he surfed for the next 60 years. Dorian “Doc” Pascowitz said at John Zapotocky’s memorial on 10/29/13. “Please remember that this, the biggest, greatest development in the sport of wave riding of the last 1,000 years is the result of the passion, the effort and the aloha of John “Zap” Zapotocky.’

John “Pops” Ah Choy was born in 1920 in ‘O’okala on the Big Island, but raised his own family on Oahu. Pops was an inventor, the father of six and one of the others most mentioned as the first to surf with a paddle. Pops constantly tinkered with homemade ideas. He created a board wagon that he (or one of his surfing sons) could use to easily haul 8 heavy boards weighing nearly 100 pounds each, from home to Kuhio beach.

He also designed leg leashes, skateboards and a chair with suction cups which allowed him to fish while sitting on his board. As failing knees made it difficult for Pops to pop up on a surfboard, he began to carry a canoe paddle out to help him surf the waves. Standing between sets also greatly improved his vantage as a photographer. Taking photos of tourists was yet another skill Pops used to help feed his large family.

Original article posted on Stand Up Journal

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(Jesusita Trail in Santa Barbara)

• Stay Alert: Santa Barbara front country trails can be extremely crowded.
• Yield: Bicycles yield to all other trail users. Uphill travel has priority.
• Use a Bike Bell: Use a bike bell to let others know of your approach.
• Maintain Control: Maintain controllable speed, slow around blind corners, and ride within your limits.
• Ride Smart: Use riding techniques that minimize impacts to the trail.
• Leave No Trace: Be sure to pack out at least as much as you bring in.
• Avoid Wet Trails: Wet and muddy trails are more vulnerable to damage than dry ones, consider other options.
• Ride Open Trails: Respect trail and road closures.
• Speak: Take the time to say “Hello” and “Passing on your Left/Right” to other trail users.
• Small Groups: Keep riding group sizes small, less than ten is recommended.
• Be Prepared for the Ride: Know your equipment and needs for the trail.
• Participate: Volunteer for trail maintenance events, you will have more trail to ride.

Originally posted on Santa Barbara Mountain Bike Trail Volunteers

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The UCSB mountain bike team is a student run team out of Santa Barbara, California. They race in the Western Collegiate Cycling Conference, with races taking place across California and Nevada. Race weekends embody some of the greatest parts of mountain biking; exploring new places and great trails, a super mellow and fun atmosphere, and most importantly, riding and having fun with your buddies and making new ones. Collegiate races include categories for everyone from beginners to experts, with events including downhill, super D, dual slalom, cross country, and short track.

In Santa Barbara, we are lucky enough to have access to some great mountains with a healthy mix of flowy and gnarly singletrack, as well as dirt jumps and smooth singletrack right next to campus that drops you off right on the beach.

Here’s a peek into what the team has been up to this year…

Nik Benko, Garrett McGurk, and Jimmy Lucchessi capped off the collegiate race season in the fall by representing the team at nationals in snowy North Carolina. Photo: GoJaMMedia/Jay Schultz

Photo: GoJaMMedia/Jay Schultz

Some airtime over a classic Santa Barbara sunset.

Nik Benko during a break in some filming.

Enjoying the view just a short drive from campus and the beach.

Garrett McGurk and Daniel Hacking during some filming on the big bikes.

Original article posted on Pink Bike

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