16th annual Tour de Menlo set for August 18
The Tour de Menlo offers three Peninsula routes for cyclists of all abilities, along with good weather, great food, and plenty of SAG support for those who need it.
Riders have their choice of 65-, 46- and 35-mile routes, all well-marked and beginning at Menlo-Atherton High School on Saturday, Aug. 18. After taking different routes from the start, all riders eventually will head south on Stevens Canyon Road to the final rest stop at Madrone Park. Riders can rest and enjoy refreshments before heading back to Menlo Atherton High School for a relaxing lunch in the courtyard.
The ride is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Menlo Park Foundation and the Almanac. All proceeds are used to support need-based Rotary scholarships, numerous other Rotary Foundation projects and the Almanac’s Holiday Fund, which contributes more than $150,000 a year to 10 local nonprofits. Second Harvest Food Bank, Life Moves (formerly Innvision-Shelter Network) and St. Anthony’s Dining Room are among the beneficiaries of the Holiday Fund.
The 65-mile route is by far the most popular, taking riders up to Belmont and the first rest stop on Polhemus Road. Then, after climbing up to the bike bridge, riders head south to Cañada Road in Woodside and then to the second rest stop at the Portola Road firehouse near Alpine Road.
Riders on the 46-mile route also stop at the firehouse and then both routes circle around to Page Mill Road, with the longer route climbing up to Altamont Road and the others over to Arastradero Road and Los Altos. All riders meet south of Los Altos as they roll out Stevens Creek Road to the final rest stop at Madrone Park, before heading back to Menlo-Atherton via Foothill Expressway.
After riders on the 35-mile route turn south on the Alameda de las Pulgas and Santa Cruz Avenue, they ultimately use Foothill Boulevard and then Stevens Creek Road to reach the Madrone Park rest stop, where the route makes a 180-degree turn to return to Menlo-Atherton High School for lunch. The 35-mile route is virtually flat, but gives riders a good workout.
Registration is available online.
