Celebrating the world bicycle day; the Santa Monica way!

Cycling is fun. Cycling is healthy. Cycling is exciting. Nothing spells slow travel better than cycling. You can take in the sights at your own pace, hop on or off where you like, and quite literally stop to smell the roses.As World Bicycle Day spins around again on June 3rd, here’s a way you can explore Santa Monica on two wheels.

Known as LA’s beachside city, Santa Monica feels like California’s quintessential playground — hugged by the ocean with a pedestrian pathway that follows the beach past eclectic eateries, artists’ galleries, clothing stores and, of course, the occasional surf shop. Gorgeous topography, temperate weather, and a bike-loving populous help make Santa Monica an ideal destination for a two-wheeled adventure. Whether you favor a leisurely beach cruise, a scenic road ride, or an epic patch of single-track in the mountains, Santa Monica's diverse trails deliver it all.

Hop on a bike and cycle along the South Bay Bike Trail – theworld’s longest oceanfront bike-path(22-miles) known to locals as “The Strand,” the Marvin Braude bike trail. It stretches along the Pacific Coast from Pacific Palisades to Torrance. Start your Santa Monica biking adventure at Will Rogers State Beach in Pacific Palisades, continuing past popular surf breaks along Santa Monica State Beach, underneath the Santa Monica Pier, and by the famed Original Muscle Beach. The trail then leads to Venice Beach, until an end at Washington Blvd., where riders will need to head inland to pick up the trail near Marina del Rey—the only stretch where riders encounter motorists. Bikers will then be led to the Ballona Creek bike path before hitting a coastal trail again in Playa del Rey. Those with stamina can press on through Venice, El Segundo, Manhattan, Hermosa Beach, and Redondo Beach, all the way to the path’s end at Torrance County Beach.

Don’t have your own equipment? No problem, several rental stands are located along the trail which offer bicycles, roller-skates, and roller-blades for rent. Some facilities also offer three-wheel recumbent bikes.

Tracing the spiny crest of the Santa Monica Mountains, this popular 13-mile round-trip biking route begins at Will Rogers State Historic Park in Pacific Palisades and features everything a mountain biker could want: smooth singletrack, switchbacks, flowing descents, and just enough technical rocky sections to keep you on your toes, not to mention wide-open panoramas of the Pacific.

Just north of town, the Santa Monica Mountains rise nearly 2,000 feet, creating an ideal playground for fat tire fans. Riding options abound off Westridge Fire Road, a wide dirt path that links single-track trails along a ridgeline flanked by a 20,000-acre forest known as “The Big Wild.” Atop San Vicente Mountain a former cold war-era military lookout provides sweeping view of downtown Los Angeles.

This curvy sliver of asphalt bordering Santa Monica Mountains National Recreational Area is an extremely popular out-and-back training ride for cyclists. Thought to be the longest dead-end, paved road in Los Angeles, the route stretches five miles, rising a heart-thumping 1,000 feet into the hills. The route’s gentle grade (no more than 5 percent) and relative lack of car traffic make it suitable for all skill levels. Up for a challenge? Local racers have been known to sprint up the canyon in less than 18 minutes.

Seemingly tailor-made for townie riders, Main Street is especially desirable because of the numerous shops and restaurants, as well as the Sunday Farmers’ Market. The market has a free bike valet; plus, there are three bike corrals on Main Street, which make parking convenient and safe for riders. (The two corrals on the east side of Main Street have seven racks with room for 14 bikes, and the one on the west has four racks with space for eight bikes.) Thanks to the recent addition of green bike lanes on Main Street and neighboring Ocean Park Boulevard, Broadway, and Second Street, and several bike boxes, all of those streets are well-equipped for casual riders.

Stretching from Ocean Avenue to Wilshire, this Santa Monica biking tour visits a lively mix of homes, shops, and restaurants. A dedicated bike lane allows cyclists to pedal from one end to the other, and dip into downtown via Ocean Avenue on the western end. The loop around the Brentwood Country Club, near Wilshire Boulevard, is a warm-up for many cyclists who ride in groups, particularly on the weekends.