2026 El Camino Real Ride (Santa Clara to Menlo Park)

Meetup: 9:00 - 9:30 AM at Santa Clara Transit Center, or join for part of the ride from one of our rest stop points!

Route: 17 miles northbound along El Camino Real - view route here!

Rest stops and meetup points: Santa Clara Transit Center - Sunnyvale Sprouts - Mountain View Eagle Park - Palo Alto Cal Ave Pedestrian Plaza - Menlo Park Library.

Ride the whole route, or join along the way using the schedule below!

You will be riding in a "Bike Bus" - a group of 50+ riders who will stick together along the route. Every Bike Bus will visit every rest stop, starting from Santa Clara - but you, as an individual rider, can join or depart at any stop you'd like.

We will follow all traffic laws, will not be stopping traffic or holding intersections.

After the ride, various groups may take Caltrain or ride home together.

Want to volunteer to help out? Visit our Volunteer Signup Page here!

Please join SVBC for our 6th Annual El Camino Real Ride. This year, we celebrate enormous progress in Mountain View, Los Altos, and Palo Alto. In October 2025, Caltrans repaved El Camino and installed painted bike lanes with physical flex post divisions!

This ride remains a call to action: for continued safety improvements to prevent injuries and fatalities on El Camino Real, and for safer access for bicyclists and pedestrians to use this direct and convenient corridor. For more information on SVBC's work on El Camino Real, visit our ECR webpage.

During this ride, we will cycle at a relaxed pace through Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Palo Alto, and Menlo Park and stop for free refreshments along the way. If you want to do only part of the route, you are welcome to join at any of the locations you'd like!

At this fun and safe ride, Bike Buses will take over the right-most car lane as a group (in addition to the bike lane if any), cars will politely go around us using the other lanes, and we will follow all traffic laws. Our ride is a rare and safe opportunity to experience riding on this convenient and direct route which very few people normally choose to ride. Note: This ride is not like San Francisco's Critical Mass which does not yield right-of-way to car traffic. We will ride as vehicular traffic and stop at all traffic lights. Volunteer ride support will work to keep the group together so that nobody falls behind or gets separated.

The full route we will ride is 17 miles long, starting from the Santa Clara Caltrain station and ending in Menlo Park. We will be riding on El Camino Real the entire way except for short detours to the rest stops.

Arrive at the Santa Clara Caltrain station between 9:00 - 9:30 AM to check-in and fuel up with free breakfast. We will have "Bike Buses" rolling out at 9:30, 9:40, 9:50, and 9:50 AM. If you're taking Caltrain, here's the Caltrain schedule. If you're driving to the Santa Clara Caltrain station, you may pay $5.50 to park in the Caltrain lot or park for free at nearby streets like Benton (for free parking allot extra time to find parking).

In Sunnyvale, Mountain View, and Palo Alto, SVBC will host rest stops with bathrooms and time for you to stretch your legs and taste some free refreshments we provide from local ECR businesses.

Instead of starting at the Santa Clara Caltrain station, you have the option to start the ride from the Sunnyvale, Mountain View , or Palo Alto stops. Look for an SVBC Greeter at each location to check in.

• Sunnyvale stop: Sunnyvale Sprouts
• Mountain View stop: Eagle Park
• Cal Ave stop: California Avenue on bay side of El Camino
• Menlo Park: hop onto Caltrain for your return or join a group for lunch at various businesses in downtown. By patronizing businesses along our ride, we are sending out the important message that bikes bring local customers to local businesses!

Bike bus schedule

At the end of the ride, we will announce groups heading in various directions so you can join a group if you want. Some groups we will announce are: Caltrain riders SB and NB, people cycling SB and NB, and people going to local restaurants on Santa Cruz Ave. for lunch.

This ride is open to all ages, but children under 12 must be able to ride without training wheels or sit on a seat that's attached to an adult's bike (e.g., bike seat, tandem bike, trail-a-bike, bike trailer). Please bring a helmet, water, and, if desired, a light lunch.

This volunteer-led, non-profit event is brought to you by the collaborative efforts of a group of approximately 10 SVBC local team members based in Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Palo Alto, and Menlo Park. This event, as part of our organizing for power-building and community improvements, is made possible with support from PeopleForBikes.

For any questions, reach out to [email protected]

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