This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Sports

School Fuel's Tour of Novato Cycling, FunFair & 5K Walk

The Tour of Novato is a bicycling and walking fundraising event for the Novato public schools. This year’s event will be held on Saturday, May 5, rain or shine on Sherman Avenue in front of the Novato City Hall. 

Here’s your chance to have a great day with your family, get a little exercise and fundraise to support our schools all at the same time! Last year this event raised more than $100,000 for our schools, and organizers hope this year's  total will be even stronger.

“We are excited to incorporate all of the Novato community into the Tour of Novato,” said Dale Kline, School Fuel president. “The improved event will be a fun day for Novato families that also benefits our schools. We look forward to raising more money year after year for Novato’s children.”

Find out what's happening in Novatowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Some very important things about the event have not changed. Pledges and sponsorships are still tax deductible. Funds go directly to the school (or schools) of the rider’s choice and each school is raising money for pre-determined educational needs at their site.

There have been several improvements in response to the feedback from prior year's particpants. The biggest changes are the new location (previously it was staged at San Marin High School) and the addition of a new 5-kilometer walk as part, giving more supporters (and their pets) an opportunity to get in on the action.

Find out what's happening in Novatowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

This year's Tour of Novato will actually tour NOVATO! Riding routes will be set up so they include as many school sites as is practical. Here is what riders can expect:

  • 70K Suffering for Schools Ride - This route will include several long uninterrupted stretches as well as multiple climbs. This will take riders out to West Marin and back into Novato. 
  • 50K The Novato Landmark Ride This route will pass 13 of our Novato schools and some of our wonderful Novato Landmarks. This route will offer a half way cut off for those who want to enjoy only 25K of our beautiful city. 
  • 12K Family Route. The route now includes a POLICE ESCORT for the first two miles. We've also added an experienced cyclist as route support, who will ride the entire route.

Walking Route

Organizers have added a 5K walking route for non-cyclists down Grant Avenue and up several side streets. As an added benefit, each walker will receive a "passport" to be stamped by particpating businesses along the route. Particpants who collect all of the stamps will be eligible for some great prizes announced during the FunFair. So you'll want to stick around when you are finsihed walking and enjoy the live entertainment and other fun events.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?