Pier to Pier, Ventura to Santa Barbara

This is an easy 60 mile round trip with few hills, great views and a sea breeze nearly every day. This route is very popular among the locals. Portions of this route are featured in two popular charity rides, the Cool Breeze and Ojai Valley Centuries. The Cool Breeze Century gets its name from the tailwind that helps cyclist heading back to Ventura in the afternoon, which is the last leg of the ride. The earlier you go the better. The wind builds throughout the day, up to 15 to 25 mph by 2 PM until sundown. The total elevation gain is 1,900 ft and the pavement varies from table top smooth to old cracked pavement, especially on Rincon Highway.

Heading north out of Ventura, you go past Patagonia headquarters, cross the Main Street bridge over the Ventura River, past the RV Park to the entrance to Emma Wood State Beach. A good gauge of the headwind you will have going to Santa Barbara, is the wind tunnel effect through the underpass before you get to the La Conchita Bike Path, voted by the California Bicycle Coalition as the Best New Bike Path of 2014 . The bike path is a good warm up with a slight uphill slope and a couple of very short climbs. Once you carefully cross over the Rincon Highway, you'll ride past the beach for the next few miles. At Faria Beach, you'll see the famous surfing spot, Mondos, where generations of folks learn to surf.

Nearly 10 miles out, you'll pass the last Ventura County Fire Station where you can find water. Just beyond the Fire Station, cut under the 101 to get to the new bike path along the freeway. For years, cyclists had to ride on the 101. It was scary riding next to 60 mph traffic. The first time a semi passed you, it captured your attention. The new path is separated from traffic with a steel barrier taking you past La Conchita to the Santa Barbara County line at Bates Road.

You have a choice at Bates Road you have a choice, the official bike path points to a short uphill stretch on the 101 to the next exit, Highway 150. Most take Rincon Hill Road instead. You get to the same road but with a better view and it is a lot more quiet. I typically take Highway 192 along the back side of Carpinteria versus cutting through town on the way to Santa Barbara.. At Gobenador Canyon Road, there is a water fountain and a bench set up by a farmer. The fountain even has a filter on it. It is the best tasting water in the area. I’ve been told that the farmer is a cyclist. Stage 4 of the 2013 Amgen Tour of California zipped down the same route. It was humbling seeing the pros flying down the same roads as I do at a much faster speed.

Ocean fog pushing toward Rincon
Mountain in Carpinteria

I like passing through Summerland. It is a small beach side village with a bunch of antique shops, burger joints and a couple of art galleries. There is a small park on the other side of the freeway where there is a water fountain and a public restroom. The bike path to Montecito skirts Ortega Hill. It is a few years old, prior to that you had to go up and down Ortega HIll Road. There are stop signs at the bottom of each side of Ortega Hill Road with traffic crossing both, making a fun descent a problem. Going up Ortega Hill Road from Montecito to Summerland, the road is narrow and twisting. Cars would often stay behind cyclists instead of passing or cars would come around a corner and find you there huffing up the hill.

Every time I am in Montecito I always marvel at the cars that I see. BMWs, Mercedes, meh, here you’ll see Teslas, Ferraris and a few Rolls. Whatever the hot, new car is, it’ll be rolling around here. Of course, as you pass the Four Seasons on the way to Butterfly Beach, you'll see more expensive cars and a lot of the well to do milling around.The bike path between Montecito and Santa Barbara goes through Butterfly Beach, the nicest short bike path you’ll ever see. It has multicolored lantanas, with butterflies flitting around, on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean in front of mansions, one of which is the humble home of Ty Warner, the billionaire who invented Beanie Babies. It’s the dark salmon, moroccan style mansion with the security cameras in the palm trees. You can grab lunch at the East Beach Grill on Cabrillo Boulevard on the Santa Barbara beach, before heading back to Ventura. You will enjoy a nice tailwind on the way back to Ventura.