| Do It for Dan Memorial Ride: Sunday, September 27 Daniel (Dan) Horal was born on October 8, 1956; the day Don Larsen pitched a perfect game and the only no-hitter in World Series History. Dan’s father, Paul, was watching the game the day that he was born. While remembering the birth dates of his 10 children was not easy, Paul never forgot Dan’s. With five older siblings and four younger, Dan was the easy-going middle child. Quick-witted and even-tempered, Dan had a love for all things outdoors. A Brighton High School and Eastern Michigan University graduate, Dan began his career in 1980 at the University of Michigan as a specialized cost accountant. Dan married Jane Warren in 1996 and they had two children, Meghan and Patrick. Dan enjoyed spending time with his family more than anything. Dan retired in December 2018 so that he could focus on enjoying his “Pure Michigan” lifestyle of skiing, fishing, hunting, kayaking, throwing darts, golfing, and biking with his family and friends. Tragically, while Dan was biking at Island Lake Recreation Park in Brighton, Michigan on April 24, 2019, he was hit by a distracted driver. He died just days later, and in an instant, Dan’s family and friends’ lives were forever changed. The Daniel J. Horal Family Foundation After Dan’s passing on April 26, 2019, Hometown Bicycles, Dan’s beloved bike shop in Brighton, MI, organized a “Do It For Dan” (DIFD) Memorial Ride. The inaugural event was held on May 5, 2019, bringing together over 500 people to complete the ride that Dan was never able to finish. The event focused on creating awareness to share the road between motorists and bicyclists and provide education about distracted driving. It also promoted cycling safety and advocacy. If we can save one life it is well worth it, not only for the cyclist but for everyone affected by these preventable tragedies. Dan was a great believer in giving back and as a great outdoorsman, he would be thrilled to see good come from this tragedy. The recently established Daniel J. Horal Family Foundation will raise funds through and after the September 27, 2020 Do It For Dan ride. The funds will be distributed to several groups, with the purpose of improving awareness and safety for cyclists and prevention of distracted driving. Additional information on the Daniel J. Horal Family Foundation and the annual Do It For Dan Ride is available HERE. We welcome volunteers to join our efforts in Dan’s memory. Please reach out via Facebook or email doitfordanride@gmail.com. Donations can be made directly through the Facebook page in the coming days. The planned beneficiaries for 2020 are: – Dan Horal Scholarship – BHS – Friends of Island Lake – Michigan Department of Natural Resources – League of Michigan Bicyclists A message from Louise Horal… “FYI we are still riding! Due to COVID restrictions, the ride was postponed from May until September 27th. While the restrictions continue to make gathering as a group difficult, we WILL pedal on! We will keep Dan’s memory alive and the progress we are making with safe cycling and distracted driving moving forward. Please join in riding on Sunday, September 27th at 3 PM. We cannot officially gather as a large group send-off, so enter Island Lake Recreation Area whichever way works best for you and begin your ride. Some will park at JC Penney and enter on the path, some at the east (green dumpster) lot, some at the west parking lot –others will depart Hometown Bicycles and enter from Academy Drive. Please feel free to stop at “the tree” for a visit. The family will have a yellow ribbon tied to our handlebars and would love for you to do the same. There will be a box of ribbons at “the tree” or you can pick one up from Hometown prior to the ride. Don’t put your bicycle away yet! Let’s DO IT FOR DAN!!” |
| Hometown will be closing early on Sunday for this important event. Please stop in between 10 AM – 2 PM for your cycling needs and then join us for Dan’s ride.  |
Filed under: Hometown Bicycles | Leave a comment »
