Vida and Dan
It seemed to be a consensus among participants in this year's Hope on Wheels that a large part of the special spirit which embodies our event is due to our exceptional volunteers. Our repeat guests realize that each year our key volunteers are repeats as well. It warms our heart that our volunteers gain so much from making this event happen that they repeatedly come out to work for us each year. Over 50 individuals arrive in the wee hours of the morning to work registration, patrol the course, and man the rest stops.
Among this crowd of awesome volunteers, one man stands out, deserving special recognition based on his completely unselfish hours of hard work. As event director, I would like to recognize Dan Belser, for his extraordinary efforts in making Hope on Wheels happen. Dan is one of the key members of the Harpeth Bicycle Club, our largest local cycling club, which also makes a very generous contribution to the HOW100. For the past few years, Dan has given up his entire Friday to assist us in preparing for our big day. For the third year in a row, Dan has hauled over 400 goody bags from the Minnie Pearl Cancer Foundation to the event start, taking special precautions when necessary to keep everything dry and perfect. He begins his event day at 5:30 a.m. when we begin to stock the rest stops, and he shuts the event down as he hauls away a dozen sticky Gatorade coolers that must be washed and bleached prior to their next day in the sun. Dan never pauses until the last rider is in safely, and I've never seen him when he didn't have a smile on his face.
Dan is indeed the Volunteer of the Century, certainly our HOW100 century! Thank you, Dan! You are the greatest!
