The Paseo Nuevo Trio

Paseo Nuevo is one of Santa Barbara's most distinctive collection of shops, restaurants and art venues. Here you'll discover Spanish-style courtyards, flowing fountains and winding paseos...

Yet, no trip to Paseo Nuevo would be complete without getting a glimpse of the famous Dog, Cat, Rat trio (AKA Booger, Kitty, and Mousey) that have been spreading their message of peace and tolerance for over eight years on State Street at E. De La Guerra Street.

Not your college brew

Every Monday-Friday from 4pm-7pm the Canary Hotel (31 West Carrillo) in the heart of Downtown Santa Barbara offers a killer Happy Hour at their restaurant & bar Coast.

The Canary chirped about their Wednesday Beer Tasting on twitter and these two seasoned UC Santa Barbara alums jumped on our bikes and had to check it out!

This is definitely not your college brew.

Allagash White Beer, Lost Coast Raspberry Brown, De Konick Pale Ale, He'brew Jewbelation

For $12 bucks each we ponied up to the bar for 4-30z. samples of flavorful and distinct beer served with a perfectly grilled jumbo shrimp & farmer's market greens appetizer.

We know what we're doing next Wednesday...hopefully we'll see you there.

Inn of the Spanish Garden

Recently our partners at the Santa Barbara Conference + Visitor's Bureau kindly invited us to introduce SB Bikes To-Go to Santa Barbara hotel members.

As a result, SB Bikes To-Go received a warm invitation from Sales Director, Christine at the Inn of the Spanish Garden to experience their retreat...

...What at treat it is!

The secluded Inn of the Spanish Garden is a truly an indulgence of Spanish-Colonial architecture modernly interpreted within the walls of Santa Barbara's downtown Historic Presidio District.

Constructed in 2001 this two-story, 23 room, boutique Inn flaunts modern amenities like a large lap pool, in-room massage therapy and a wine bar.

Additionally, the Inn beautifully pays homage to Santa Barbara's European past with the city's signature white adobe walls, red tile roofs, ornate ironwork and a European style complimentary breakfast.

To top it off, just steps from the Inn of the Spanish Garden are three of SB Bikes To-Go's must-see favorite sights in the Historic Presidio District:

1. The Presidio Founded in 1782, this is the last Spanish military outpost built in North America, and located just steps from the hotel.Padre Junípero Serra, well known for his leadership in founding the California missions, blessed the site of the Santa Barbara Presidio four years prior to the establishment of the Mission of Santa Barbara in 1786. 123 East Canon Perdido St.

2. C'Cest Cheese Be sure to visit the (adorable) owners Michael & Kathryn Graham in this small family run cheese shop. C'Cest Cheese's impressive cheese list changes each season. Since man cannot live on cheese alone...you can also enjoy their chocolates and wine. 825 Santa Barbara St.

3. Ensemble Theater Company Founded in 1979, the Ensemble Theatre Company is Santa Barbara’s longest running, most award-winning professional resident theatre company and is housed at the historic 140-seat Alhecama Theatre. 914 Santa Barbara St.

Lance Ph'actor

I was at my local bike shop FasTrak in Santa Barbara and with owner, '88 Olympian, Tour de France mechanic & Lance buddy- Dave Lettieri about his recent twitpic with Lance in Los Angeles.

We were joking in disbelief how 300,000 people are following Lance Armstrong on twitter. Clearly the guy lives an interesting life, but to have a small metropolis following your every move (tweets), that's a lot of kool-aid.

Lettieri (2nd from left) & Armstrong

Back in 2004 I had the opportunity to witness cycling history. Watching with a million other cycling aficionados packed on the famed Alpe D'Huez to catch a glimpse of Armstrong time trialing his way to a record breaking 6th Tour de France win. At that moment Cycling reached its zenith in popularity. Tucked in the French alpine countryside, American flags and tourists ventured across the pond to see Armstrong ride a bike.

Fast forward 3 years, Armstrong is retired, TdF is in doping shambles, and popularity in cycling is far from front page news or back page for that matter. Even the most ardent of cycling fans saw their enthusiasm wane. Sure bike racing will always be captivating, but for the French, Armstrong is the Lex Luther of cycling, and having a supervillain in the plot always makes things interesting. To add insult to injury, there was no big name to pass the torch to. The entire cast of characters, the big names in cycling are gone. Floyd you ask? My next dog will be named Floyd, my current dog Freddy needs a friend.

Scroll to the present, cycling waters moved from tepid to piping. The best part of the cycling season is getting underway. Watching the Solvang TT, the Astana bus was 6 deep with folks wanting to grab a shot of LA warming up. It's 6am on Saturday morning, coffee brewing, cycling.tv streaming Milan-San Remo, as I watch riders endure a 189-mile stage on narrow streets and zip line descents. MSR, is a great 1 day race, and the LA phactor is adding a great sub plot to this classic.

The resurgence of buzz within the sport of cycling is undeniable, and for those that argue they have always been a fan, it's hard to argue a little more attention on this sport can be a bad thing. It might be as simple as having a bonfied cycling legend hitting the tarmac and the energy that follows gets the people excited again. 5 years later, I might have to plan my own comeback with a trip this July to Mt. Ventoux to witness a redoux of the Lance Phactor on the penultimate stage of TdF, any takers?

-Joe O.

SUPing at Hammonds Beach, Montecito

Hammonds Beach in Montecito, just a few minutes south of downtown Santa Barbara, is our new favorite spot to hang after a long bike ride. Crowds are small and the sandy is a-plenty.

Pick up a SUP (Stand Up Paddle) from local the BlueLine SUP Surf shop and enjoy!

Joe O. on his first SUPing adventure


Chris & Coco (Yorkie) SUPing

Directions to Hammonds Beach: Exit Highway 101 at San Ysidro Rd and head west toward the ocean. You are on Eucalyptus Lane. Park near the Saints By The Sea Church and then walk until you see a path on your right that says "Hammonds Meadow Trail." It leads through tropical plants to the beach.

TwitPics: Solvang Century

Dishes are done!
Solvang Century is a good, but tough ride. Big hills @ 85 mile mark

At mile 60! Kearns & Co. Dave had 7 PB&Js!

PB&J in hand at the Solvang Century, ready to start on the new Lorini!

Follow SB Bikes To-Go on Twitter

Friday Fun: Eat your Oatmeal

The Results are in...

What's your favorite Pre-ride meal?

1st Choice: Oatmeal (42%)



2nd Choice: Coffee & Toast (30%)



3rd Choice: Bacon & Eggs (24%)



4th Choice: Banana (21%)



Last Choice: Protein Shake (6%)

Free Speed!

With local triathlons (UCSB Tri, Wildflower, SB Tri, Strawberry Fields, Ventura) just around the corner thought we'd share the tweet we heard from our buddy Rich Strauss (who coached Joe O. to finishing IronMan Canada sub 11 hours).

Endurance Nation has a free triathlon training eBook. It's a simple introduction for new triathletes or a great re-fresher for experienced athletes. The eBook also contains over 60 hours of audio.

Intro to Triathlon Training & Racing with Power

We also eye-spied a few other killer free resources from Endurance Nation:

Long Course Triathlon Training Manual


Heart Rate Training Redefined



OutSeason Guide

Bike to Farmers Market

There's nothing like hoping on the orange cruiser and pedaling downtown to the Saturday Santa Barbara Farmers Market, on the corner of Santa Barbara & Cota Streets.

South from Capinteria to just north of Santa Barbara to Solvang, the Santa Barbara area has 8 Farmers Markets, 6 days-a-week, open year round rain or shine.

Be sure to check out the What's in Season chart before visiting the local farmers. Once back to your vacation rental, hotel or home you can whip up some of the Markets' recommended recipes.

Bon appetit!

___

Bike Artwork

Artist Hillarie Tasche of Winnipeg, Canada loves to draw and paint bikes. She has a collection of her favorite originals that she's strung up. Prints are available for sale on her etsy site.

Yellow Ten Speed Road Bike / Red Ten Speed Road Bike


Green Ten Speed Road Bike / Gold Ladies Ten Speed Road Bike



Red Lighting Speedster Bike / Full Series: 14 Bikes - Limited Edition Art Prints

___

TwitPic: Commuting to Work

Commuting to work
Follow SB Bikes To-Go on Twitter: http://twitter.com/SBBikesToGo


___

New F1 Ceramic BB

F1 Ceramic Bottom Brackets will reduce friction. They just might be the best possible 'Bang for your Buck' upgrade on your ride!

• Premium F1 Ceramic Bearings
• English Threads 68mm
• Drastically Reduced Resistance in your Bottom Bracket!
• More durable and longer lasting than traditional stock bearings
• This is one upgrade you can FEEL!
• Shimano 10 Speed Compatible: DuraAce 10, Ultegra 10, Ultegra SL, 105 10, Shimano Compact
  
• NOT Compatible with SRAM/TRUVATIV/BONTRAGER
• Available in Silver or Limited Edition Orange at SB Bikes To-Go online shop.