SANTA BARBARA IS CALIFORNIA'S CYCLING CAPITAL.

Byline: Mark Langton Cycling

You don't have to travel miles to get to uncrowded bike paths, cycling-friendly city streets and cool ocean breezes . . . but it helps.

About a 90-minute drive from the San Fernando Valley is the awakening enclave of Santa Barbara. Not so sleepy anymore thanks to a rejuvenated downtown area and a siege of trendy new shops and restaurants, this seaside colony and tourist destination is also one of the most cycling-savvy cities in the nation.

An extensive bike-lane system routes cyclists - from commuters to students to tourists - along clearly marked lanes and specially built paths, with careful attention paid to keeping riders on less congested streets whenever possible.

There are no less than eight bicycle clubs in the region, including the Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition, which hosts an annual bike-to-work day that attracts more than 2,000 riders.

``The area has a little bit of everything. You can ride the open road, up some pretty tough hills or just cruise the beach,'' said Neal Mazzolini of Bicycle Bob's in Santa Barbara.

Ralph Fertig, vice president of Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition, a nonprofit group formed in 1991 to improve facilities and safety for bicyclists in the county, is constantly amazed by the propensity to create bike-path opportunities.

``Its unusual to have so much, and it's really well0used, especially between the university (UC Santa Barbara) and the city.''

A 1990 census survey revealed more than 4 percent of commuters along the south coast of Santa Barbara County ride their bikes to and from work, one of the country's highest rates, Fertig said.

Santa Barbara is home to many historic attractions, such as the Spanish Mission, built in 1786. In fact, you could spend a whole day in the downtown corridor alone just visiting historic buildings and beautiful parks.

But the real cycling attraction is the Coast Route, which traverses the length of the city while connecting Carpinteria on the east to the community of Ellwood to the west.

``We're between the ocean and mountains; it's a narrow coastal strip and it's just beautiful everywhere you look,'' Fertig said.

Well-designed signs lead riders through old-style neighborhoods and the palatial estates of Hope Ranch on the way to the student town of Isla Vista, home to UCSB. Ride at your own risk through the latter locale lest you get caught up in a spontaneous block party.

The route, like most of the city's system, is a well-laid-out combination of streets and paths. Eventually the route essentially turns into a bicycle freeway (although it is technically open to pedestrians and in-line skaters) with 5-1/2 miles of uninterrupted bikeway that cruises up to Goleta Beach County Park, a perfect place to take a break, catch a few rays and watch flocks of pelicans drift by on updrafts.

The path winds its way through the university campus on its way up to Isla Vista. With the warm sun and cool breeze coming off the ocean, it's amazing students get any work done. On any given weekend there is some sort of sporting event taking place on the facility's fields, from soccer to Frisbee-disc tossing to team flyball - a canine competition that is a world unto itself.

The best way to experience this eclectic ride is to begin at the Andree Clark Bird Refuge near the Santa Barbara Zoo. By car, take the Ventura Freeway (101) north and exit at Cabrillo Boulevard. Turn left under the freeway and the first right onto Los Patos Way and park.

From here the bike path takes off toward the beach and renowned Shoreline Park. Every Sunday during the summer, there is an arts and crafts fair, one of the longest running in the country.

The path gets as congested as any you'll ever experience at this junction, so if you want to avoid the aforementioned in-line skaters and joggers consider remaining on East Cabrillo Boulevard and onto Shoreline Drive as it passes Santa Barbara Harbor. Here the circuit jumps onto Meigs Road to the north and then Highway 225 to the west.

It's pretty hilly here, but the reward is a thrilling, twisting decent into Hope Ranch. At about Mile 10, riders meet up with the Crosstown Route at Modoc Road. Turn left and pedal another mile to the bike path entrance on the left. From here on out, the riding is wide open all the way up to Goleta Beach and UCSB.

Total distance to the north side of the campus is around 17 miles. From there you can double back or take one of several alternative routes through Goleta and back to Santa Barbara. But no matter where your wheels take you, you'll keep coming back to Santa Barbara.

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PHOTO Cyclists cross paths along the Coast Route bikeway at Goleta Beach County Park in Goleta, one of many in and around Santa Barbara.

Mark Langton/Special to the Daily News