The day started out in Santa Paula, waking up with tons of excitement in the air. Everyone was in good spirits, singing and dancing as they packed up for the last time. With “the Killers” and epic “Boondock Saints” music playing in the background, it was quite surreal watching everyone clean up and get ready for the final ride. We had a phenomenal breakfast provided by the Church of Christ, including scrambled eggs, large, fluffy pancakes, and freshly picked California oranges and grapefruits (yum). Our cue sheet meeting was pretty memorable when Denis and Ravi pumped us up with a Bike and Build version of the “Cool Runnings” speech.

The weather on this Thursday morning was very grim…cloudy, drizzly, and cool. It reminded us all of our departure from Revere Beach, Massachusetts where we had precisely the same weather. We all laughed about it as we slipped on our arm-warmers and saddled up for the ride.

The ride was short and enjoyable. I rode on the “sweep team” which included Megan, Cali, Ali, and myself. The day was filled with DM (donation magic) and beautiful sights. We had free coffee and donuts for second breakfast, then free subway for lunch. Thanks for the support!

Our ride was mainly on a bike path that followed the coast, giving us our very first views of the Pacific. A few miles before the beach, we all met up at Lookout Park and as we approached it, the grey skies opened up and the clouds quickly scattered away. Rolling into the park, the sun shined brightly down on all the bikers laying in the grass with the beach and ocean right before our eyes.

Riding 31 deep for the last few miles to East Beach, Santa Barbara was one of the most exciting moments of the trip. We took the town by storm, dominating bike paths and whole lanes of traffic. My heart was racing as we caught a breath-taking view of this coastal cliff rising from the beach, filled with palm trees and colorful flowers. It was truly amazing.

As you may know, one of our beloved riders, Sarah Royal, broke her elbow two weeks ago. We all wanted to finish together, so we picked her up with a mile left to the beach. It was such a cinematic moment seeing her waiting at the start of the bike path in this crazy bike contraption. It was a three-wheeler with a full seat so that she could lean back and just use her one good arm while cycling in the last mile. She led the pack all the way to East Beach where we were greeted with a fanatic group of family and friends. They cheered us on with their oversized Bike and Build signs and along with the screaming riders, we caused quite the commotion. We pulled up to the beach, threw down our bikes and ripped off our jerseys. A finish line/chute had been set up, so we sprinted down the beach whizzing past the colored flags and diving straight into the Pacific. It was the moment we had all been waiting for…singing our trip song, “Build me up Buttercup” in the Pacific. Such an epic moment, so well earned. Bottles of champagne were popped and we all celebrated the insane achievement that we had accomplished TOGETHER.

Jacqui’s mom continued with her habits of generous baking by bringing a very large tray of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies to the beach (they were still warm from the oven!). The beach was spectacular and just looked like a little slice of heaven.

The rest of the afternoon involved biking another few miles to the church we were staying at, fighting traffic on our long journey to shower at the YMCA, and getting spruced up for our end-of-trip celebration. We had a banquet at the Santa Barbara Golf Course with riders and their families. Each leader gave a brief speech/presentation…Ali did a picture slideshow recapping the trip, Megan read a poem that she composed, and Nathan worked his magic in getting a widely popular live performance of one of our favorite songs, “Frustrating” (Brad Milison and Aaron Goldstein). We laughed, we cried, we laughed again (and again, and again) as we reminisced about our wonderful journey and all the great memories we’ve had. Following the banquet, drinks and wild celebration ensued late into the night. Good times all around.

Boston to Santa Barbara was an AMAZING trip and even though it is quite possibly the most intense route (thanks José!) I know that we are all so proud and thankful to have been a part of B2SB. SHOUT OUTS to all our gracious and generous parents, especially those who provided some wonderful meals and mail-drop goodies. Thanks to everyone who supported and followed our journey, we couldn’t have done it without you.


Larry Galante