Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


An upcoming memorial ride next weekend will honor the life of a local bicyclist who died after being struck by a vehicle while also raising awareness about safety.

The 7th Annual “Do It For Dan” Ride will take place on Sunday, May 4th – hosted by GoLivCo – Horal Family Foundation.

Dan Horal died tragically while cycling in the Island Lake Recreation Area in 2019. He was hit by a distracted driver on April 24th, and died as a result of his injuries two days later. This Saturday marks the anniversary of his death.

After Dan’s passing, Hometown Bicycles in Brighton organized the “Do It for Dan” Memorial Ride that brought together over 500 people to complete the ride Dan was never able to finish. Following the inaugural event, the annual ride was established to remember Dan, promote safe cycling, and create awareness to safely “share the road”.

The Foundation advocates for safe, active mobility solutions in Livingston County. It focuses on streets, roads, and trails that will allow people to safely walk, run, bike, horseback ride, and enjoy non-motorized transportation regardless of age or ability.

Participants will meet at 2:45pm at the JC Penny store in the Green Oak Village Place Mall. The ride starts at 3pm and goes into Island Lake Rec Area, via the Mike Levine Trail connector. People will ride 6 miles to the memorial tree where Dan was hit, share a few words, and then head back to Dodge Park for a community event. A Rolling Stone Wood Fire Pizza truck will be on site, and various tents for partners will be set up, and the Foundation will talk about work being done locally.

Chief Officer Jane Horal was married to Dan for 23 years before his tragic death. She said out of the tragedy, positive things have resulted and GoLivCo – Horal Family Foundation continues to advocate for developing safe, active mobility solutions in Livingston County.

The annual ride serves as a fundraiser, with money going right back into the community. Horal said that includes a Brighton High School Alumni Scholarship as Dan was a 1974 graduate, matching funds to the MDNR for park safety improvements, as well as the League of Michigan Bicyclists.

Horal said they’ve also been working with MDOT to collaborate with municipalities about mobility paths when new roads or roundabouts are being planned to have foresight for non-motorized transportation whether walking, riding, running, or ADA-accessibility. Horal said a lot of kids also can’t ride to school right now so they’ve been doing bicycle audits and presenting information to townships so improvements can hopefully be made long term.

Horal said they’re hoping for a great turnout and appreciate the community, friends, and family coming out to advocate for safe, active mobility solutions in the county. She told WHMI she thinks Dan would be very proud of his community for all of the advocacy work being done to make the county safer.

Horal noted that people don’t have to ride to participate, saying they can ride/walk/run/wheel - adding a lot of people walk so that’s always an option. L.E.T.S. will also be offering a shuttle service back to Dodge Park, for those who initially walk to the Memorial Tree.

Six raffles are also taking place, featuring gift certificates from local bicycle shops and Running Lab. Raffle tickets will be sold at the event, but can also be purchased in advance at participating locations.

Registration is preferred for planning purposes but not required.