Located on the Central Coast, and overlooking the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, Santa Cruz offers the quintessential California experience.  It is the perfect destination for outdoor enthusiasts, offering coastal paths for road and off-road family rides as well as challenging single track and mountainous roads for cycling enthusiasts. Approximately 70 miles south of San Francisco, this coastal town of 58,000 is rich in natural beauty and was recently designated a Bicycle-Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists. With a mild climate year-round, and approximately 300 days of sunshine, Santa Cruz County offers 29 miles of coastline and old-growth redwood forests nearby.  Hailed by Lance Armstrong as one of his favorite places to ride, Santa Cruz is home to the century-old Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, a vibrant downtown area, Big Basin Redwoods State Park (California’s oldest state park), Mission Santa Cruz, a world-class arts and culture scene, U.C. Santa Cruz, and California’s first surfing museum.  Santa Cruz offers exceptional beaches, thrilling sporting events, quaint shops, sumptuous restaurants, and award-winning wineries.

The City of Santa Cruz is a silver award winner of the League of American Bicyclists' Bike Friendly Community award in 2007 because of the City's many bike facilities, programs and culture. Santa Cruz boasts coastal paths for road and off-road family rides as well as challenging single track and mountainous roads for the cycling enthusiasts.

Lance Armstrong has stated that Santa Cruz is one of his favorite places to ride as we offer biking through redwoods, orchards, and stunning views of the ocean. Santa Cruz is home to 3 professional bike racers who compete in the Amgen Tour of California, so come visit us and find out for yourself why Santa Cruz is the place to bike.

For more information on Santa Cruz as well as helpful guides for the unaquainted traveller, visit the Santa Cruz Conference & Visitor's Council website.