Green Fondo NorCal Weekend
Bikes + Sustainability = Awesome
May 16-18, 2025
The 2023 & 2024 events sold out, and 2025 is already filling fast!
About the Ride
THIS two-DAY RIDE OFFERS OPTIONS FOR EVERY LEVEL OF CYCLIST
May 16-18, 2025
Northern California
Join Green Fondo, the weekend bike fest for the planet. This event takes place near the San Francisco Bay Area where cyclists can overnight, enjoy food and drink, live music, and meet new friends. Pedal for the planet and be a part of creating a positive impact for the future.
With three route options each day, there’s a sweet ride for seasoned to novice cyclists. Thanks to Annual Fund donors, the costs of Green Fondo are fully covered so that we can give 100% of donations to grants.
Can’t make it this year?
Event Details
Cool stuff you should know about this ride
- Access for all cycling levels
- Three routes for all abilities and full ride support
- Incredible speakers
- Community cycling environment to create a positive atmosphere – this isn’t a race
- Bike repair workshops with incredible mechanics
- Community Leader Awards providing scholarship spots with priority given to BIPOC, LGBTQI+, and women
- Over 100 awards given
- Financially accessible fundraising amounts
- Tailwinds fund to increase our positive planet impact
Map
the Full Story
It’s Green Fondo time! Green Fondo is our sustainably focused take on the Gran Fondo-style rides. We’re gathering to celebrate the planet while bringing people together to enjoy great cycling. We’ll have a cycling village near the San Francisco Bay Area where you can overnight, enjoy food and drink, entertainment, and meet with new friends and thought leaders. Proceeds benefit organizations dedicated to climate, clean energy, and bike advocacy.
Photo Gallery
Itinerary Overview
Itinerary subject to change
Friday night
5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Event Registration opens
We’ll have snacks and beverages for riders, but be sure to pick up dinner on your way!
Day 1
Saturday
6:00 am – 7:00 am
Registration is open for riders arriving today
GRANDE – 100 mi Option
Breakfast is available for Grande riders at 6 am
MEDIO – 60 mi Option
Breakfast is available at 7 am
PICCOLO – 30 mi Option
Breakfast is open from 7-9 am
12-1:30 pm
Picnic lunch along the route.
Live music!
7 pm
Dinner at the dining hall
Day 2
Sunday
GRANDE – 60 mi Option
Breakfast is available for Grande riders at 6 am
MEDIO – 30 mi Option
Breakfast open from 7-9 am
PICCOLO – 20 mi Option
Breakfast open from 7-9 am
1-2 pm
Lunch for all riders
2 pm
Say farewell until the next ride!
Ready to get started?
Top Fundraiser Prize
To the top fundraiser on Green Fondo 2025, we will reward their efforts with a fully-fundraised spot on a 2026 event! The winner of this prize will be determined on December 1, 2025, and the list of eligible 2026 events will be announced in the Fall of 2025.
Raise $500 two months from the ride
Earn a Climate Ride Green Fondo T-shirt! Comfy for your post-ride hangs. Design may vary.
Raise $1,000 two months from the ride
Earn a 2025 Green Fondo Jersey! New design coming soon! Guaranteed to give you a boost out on the route.
Raise $1,500 over the minimum
Earn a Climate Ride insulated cup! Perfect for your coffee, electrolyte drinks, and adult beverages while chillin’ at Green Fondo. Prize calculated by the fundraising deadline.
Green Fondo FAQ
What’s included! A lot! Accommodations and meals.
What’s included:
- Camping which includes shower facilities.
- Full route support including bike mechanics, water & snack stops, and cheerful leaders!
- Good food: Saturday: breakfast, picnic lunch, dinner, and snacks at aid stations along the routes. Sunday: breakfast and lunch and snacks at aid stations along the route.
- Really awesome people to spend the weekend with!
Not included:
- Cabins: We have indoor accommodations available. If you wish to book a cabin or bunkhouse room there is an extra charge.
- Hotels: If you prefer a hotel, you can book a hotel nearby.
- Alcoholic beverages: We will have beer & wine donated by our supporters, but if you prefer special libations, bring them along!
Want to bring your camper van? Please reach out to make sure we have space to park.
Who Benefits: Fundraisers choose from our Beneficiary List
100% of all funds raised go to grants! Wow! Fundraisers on Green Fondo can choose from the more than 100 incredible beneficiary organizations in the Climate Ride network! One of the things that make Climate Ride such an effective charitable event is that you can select the organization(s) you wish to benefit through the Climate Ride grants program. Our beneficiaries were selected for their work on the environment, justice, conservation, sustainability, climate education, and active transportation advocacy. At the end of the year, Climate Ride grants the proceeds from our events to these hard-working organizations. Learn more about beneficiaries here.
This year every dollar raised by participants will go directly to their selected beneficiaries!
Funds raised from participants who signed up for the Pay in Full option will directly support Climate Ride and its programs, including our Environmental Justice Grants and Community Leader Award scholarships. Pay in Full participants will not have the option to choose other organizations from our Beneficiary List. If you want to be able to fundraise for an organization other than Climate Ride, you will need to register as a Fundraiser.
Participants on Green Fondo events will be able to fundraise until June 30, 2025. Funds raised on all Green Fondos will be sent out through our Grants program in July. This special disbursement of grants will allow Climate Ride Beneficiaries to access the funds raised from these events shortly after they are completed.
100% of every dollar raised goes to grants?! Wow, that’s incredible! How do you make it happen?
It’s no small feat to run an event where every dollar raised goes straight to grants. A huge thank-you goes to our Annual Fund donors and participants in our Funders Trips, whose support helps cover the costs of running Green Fondo. It’s a big lift, but they always step up!
Our goal is to make Green Fondo a high-quality event, with great rider support, expert speakers, entertainment, and healthy food and snacks along the way. That said, you may have experienced for-profit events with extras like gourmet cheese tastings or kombucha stations—those kinds of perks come with high costs. If there are special treats or essentials that will make your weekend even better, we encourage you to bring them along or connect us to a sponsor!
Scholarships: Community Leader Awards for diversity and inclusion
Climate Ride is committed to building an inclusive environmental movement, led by people with varied backgrounds and perspectives. Since 2016, we have given awards to active transportation and climate advocates. These awards are given to individuals as well as bike coalitions and eligible organizations so that their Climate Ride teams can better represent the diversity in their communities and widen the conversation on sustainability. Awards are also directly given by Climate Ride to eligible candidates. We prioritize these awards for individuals who identify as Black, Indigenous and/or People of Color, low-income, young women, and LGBTQ+.
On last year’s Green Fondos we gave out over 20 scholarships.
If you would like to apply to receive a Community Leader Award, you can do so here!
The ride start and end
The ride starts and ends at Walker Creek Ranch in Petaluma, CA.
Where can I find the GPS routes?
Our chosen routes depend on a lot of factors, including what we’re able to obtain permits for, weather complications, difficulty, variety of terrain, and overall experience. Due to this variability, we are often still finalizing routes in the weeks leading up to a ride, and thus cannot share GPS routes for them. As soon as routes have been confirmed — usually a week or two before the ride — we will share that info with all participants via email.
Are the roads open to the public?
All of the routes are held through roads that are open to the public (there are no roads closures for Green Fondo). In order to minimize additional drivers on the roads, please do not invite your friends or family to drive the routes.
Getting your bike to/from the event & bike rental
If you wish to ship your bike to the event, we will recommend a local bike shop where you can ship your bike and have it re-built. And, the end of the ride, your bike can be packaged and shipped home. We recommend using Bike Flights for shipping.
We will soon recommend a local bike shop for bike rentals. Stay tuned!
Can I bring my friends/family/pets?
Due to limits on parking, camping, cabins, and bunkhouses, we can’t have companions or visitors to this Green Fondo. However, if you want to reach out to inquire after the ride is full, we can check if there is any additional space.
Anyone showing up at the event without registering or prior approval will be turned away.
Fundraising and transfer deadlines
All registrations fees and donations are non-refundable.
Fundraising Deadlines:
$250 | 5/5/2025 |
$125 | 3/17/2025 |
Transfer Deadline: | 3/17/2025 |
Getting to the event
Looking for a carpool to the ride? Be sure to check out the event Facebook group after you register.
There are also great options to get there by train if you’re willing to do a little bike packing for the final stretch.
Cancellations and Transfer Policy
If you cannot attend the Green Fondo event, you may request to transfer your fundraising to a future event. Donations cannot be transferred to another participant in the year you are registered or future years. Participants may transfer to another event within the same calendar year, or to an event in the next calendar year. Climate Ride requires that participants who transfer fundraise to meet or surpass the new event’s fundraising minimum.
Participants who cancel their registration after the Transfer Deadline, 3 weeks prior to the event, are NOT eligible for a transfer. If you withdraw from the ride within three weeks of the event or don’t participate without notifying us, any fundraising you’ve received will go to support programs of Climate Ride.
More questions? Interested in volunteering? Media inquiry?
Email us at [email protected]!