Falmouth Bike Ride to Benefit Housing Programs

FALMOUTH – A charitable bike ride benefiting homelessness prevention efforts is coming back to Falmouth for the second straight year.

Funds raised during the Annual Kirwin/Murray Tour de Falmouth Homelessness Prevention Bike Ride will benefit the Falmouth Homeless Prevention Program fund of the Falmouth Housing Corporation.

Organizer Matt Patrick says the money raised will not buy affordable housing or apartments for the people they serve.

“We’re helping people through the tough times, which turns out to be the most efficient way to use money for supplying affordable housing. We want to keep people in their homes and keep kids in their schools. As soon as they lose their home or their house it’s much more difficult to find them another place to live, especially within the community from which they’ve come,” Patrick explained.

Peter Kirwin and Bob Murray were instrumental in developing the affordable housing structure in Falmouth. The two spent their lives contributing to the town in numerous ways. The ride honors and memorializes their efforts.

“I had been thinking about what we could do to get biking more prominently into the Falmouth community. We have the road race, the running race, and we have the marathon. So, we wanted to do something with bikes and then we figured that the Tour de Falmouth would be a great thing to do. Who better to memorialize it to than Peter Kirwin and Bob Murray?” said Patrick.

“They did so much for affordable housing and low-income people that they should be memorialized.”

The ride will start and end at the Ellen T. Mitchell Bath House in Falmouth, located at 56 Surf Drive. Riders have the option of taking either a 29.3 mile or 10 mile route.

A party at Liam Maguire’s Irish Pub in Downtown Falmouth is set for after the after the ride is set for 1:00 p.m. Participants will be given complimentary beer and light refreshments.

Don’t miss the Annual Kirwin/Murray Tour de Falmouth Homelessness Prevention Bike Ride, starting at 8:00 a.m. on October 14.

To register for the ride, log onto falmouthhousingcorp.org/bikeride. Registration is also available on the day of the race.