The Tour de France is under way and it's time to test your cycling mettle—California style. From neophytes to pros-in-tights—climb aboard a bike and ride with the surf, the sun, and Napa Valley's finest.

For a different way to get into the heart of the wine country, try pedaling the quiet country lanes between the just-ripening vineyards. The flat, sun-drenched valley is built for cycling at any speed, and day-trippers can ride for just an hour or a full day. Start your tours at the centrally located Napa Valley Bike Tours in Yountville, where you can rent a bike and get route advice. Along the area's back roads and byways, you can set your pace and pick your place, but here are a few stops we recommend: The Napa Wine Company, located where Oakville Cross Road intersects Highway 29, is a unique collective used by small independent wineries to make their wines; you can sample more than twenty of these at their Cult Wine Central tasting room. A short pedal away, Saddleback Cellars is a hidden gem of a winery started by Nils Venge, the legendary winemaker whose Groth Vineyards' 1985 Reserve Cabernet got a perfect score of 100 from wine guru Robert Parker Jr. (try the 2003 Cab or the 2005 Pinot Grigio). Finish your tour at Cliff Lede Vineyard outside Yountville, where you'll find a transplanted Canadian making awesome Bordeaux-style wines and running an equally tasteful art gallery. Salut!

TIP: For an on-the-road lunch break, pack up a picnic at the popular (and original) Oakville Grocery.

Napa Valley Bike Tours, 6488 Washington St. at Hwy. 29, Yountville; 707-944-2953. Comfort bikes for self-guided tours start at $20 for two hours, $30 for the day (tandems $40/$65). They also offer fully guided wine tours; these start at $65 for a half day, $125 for full day (per person, tasting fees not included).

Why should tourists have all the fun? Embrace the big orange icon in your backyard. Ride your bike to San Francisco's Aquatic Park—or rent your wheels right there from Blazing Saddles—and breeze along the bike path that runs through the Presidio to the Golden Gate Bridge. After you've pedaled across, refreshed and salty-lunged, roll on down to Sausalito's smooth bikeways. Break for brunch at Caffe Trieste, an engaging slice of North Beach brought to Sausalito's waterfront; you'll know the place by the pack of bikes parked out front and the bikers parked on the patio. To return, hop a ferry for another perspective on the beauties of our everyday bay. Bike to bridge to brunch to bay—now that's what we call a perfect day.

Blazing Saddles, 2715 Hyde St., San Francisco; 415-202-8888. Handlebar bags can be removed (if you don't want to look like a tourist). Bikes start at $7 per hour, $28 for 24 hours (tandems $11/$48).

Caffe Trieste, 1000 Bridgeway St., Sausalito; 415-332-7660.

For ferry rates and the summer schedule, click here.

Santa Cruz and beach cruisers are like peanut butter and jelly: They just work better together. A great place to enjoy this classic combo is West Cliff Drive—a seaside bicycle path near the historic Santa Cruz Boardwalk. This 3-mile ride offers the Santa Cruz spectrum in all its quirky glory. In addition to a parade of people and pups, you'll pass the lighthouse, which doubles as a little surfing museum, and the famed Steamer's Lane break, where professional-grade surfers line up. If you want to cool off, access the hidden beaches near West Cliff Drive and Fair Avenue—or try the clothing-optional sands at West Cliff Drive and Auburn Avenue. Natural Bridges State Beach is the turnaround point, and it's a great spot to break out the sunscreen and sandwiches—peanut butter and jelly, of course.

Rent your cruiser from Electric Sierra Cycle, 302 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz; 831-425-1593. Bikes are $8 per hour or $25 per day; the shop is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (no rentals after 5 p.m.). West Cliff Drive starts just across the street.

Patagonia has teamed up with Weekend Sherpa to talk about initiatives they support, activities they love, and clothes they dig.

Jennifer Drew relishes a good two-wheel trip. Before moving here from Montana, Patagonia's new Palo Alto store manager biked from Glacier National Park to Yellowstone National Park, an eco-friendly way for her to enjoy the scenery. Now that she's in California, she rides to work; on her days off, she enjoys pedaling along the Peninsula's ridgetop Skyline Boulevard. Her favorite Patagonia apparel for those windy rides is the Houdini Full-Zip jacket. "It's soft, breathable, weather-resistant and super lightweight. And if I don't need it, it's easily packable." (Available in men's and women's at the Patagonia store.) Jennifer is gearing up for Patagonia's Palo Alto Grand Opening Celebration this Saturday. Meet her and pick up some cool swag from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Patagonia's newest store at 525 Alma Street in Palo Alto.

THE SWAG: $1,000 Gift Card, plus other great stuff like posters, Frisbees, tote bags, and Kaenon sunglasses!
When: Saturday, July 14, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Where: Patagonia, 525 Alma St., Palo Alto.

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