Confidence that makes a difference

Wessels was a three-year starting guard on the Augustana basketball team, helping the Vikings to back-to-back CCIW championships and NCAA Tournament berths in 2006 and 2007. He was a two-time all-conference selection. His younger brother, Brett, played two seasons at Augustana, finishing his career this spring, and another brother, Peter, will be a sophomore on coach Grey Giovanine's squad in the fall.

It was that confidence in himself that led Wessels, a former all-conference basketball player for the Vikings, to commit to riding a bicycle some 2,700 miles from San Diego to Charleston, S.C., to raise money for cancer research. He and 69-year-old cancer survivor Dan Leonard completed their seven-week journey the second Saturday in June, riding through Charleston with a police escort and dipping their tires in the Atlantic Ocean.

"It was quite a feeling," Wessels said. "When I agreed to go on this trip, I had never biked. My last bike had training wheels. My biggest fear was that I was going to get on the bike and hate it, that I was going to have to suffer through every day. But I loved it. Every single day was a brand new adventure."

A chance encounter on the website Craigslist connected Wessels with Leonard, who twice has fought off cancer. Wessels was job hunting after earning a master's degree in business administration from The Citadel in December, and he was scanning opportunities to get involved in the community. The Bettendorf native had volunteered at hospitals in the past, and his mother was one of the founders of the Race for the Cure in the Quad Cities, so he was intrigued by Leonard's invitation to ride across country. Also, Wessels' grandfather died from cancer in 2006, and Drew always wanted to do something in his honor. Leonard's ride gave him the opportunity.

With bikes donated by Schwinn and a sponsorship from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, among others, the pair set a goal to raise $30,000 for the cause. And they have raised thousands. But the main point, Wessels said, was to raise awareness of the need for early cancer screening.

"Everybody we met on the road has either had cancer or had a very close relative or a friend who has had cancer. Everybody has a connection," Wessels said. "People just came up to us and started talking and gave us money. We met some of the most unbelievable people who had unbelievable stories."

Wessels' ride was chronicled on the website DannysRide.org, where there are updates and photos from the trip. There also is a link to make a donation and more information about Leonard, who was making his second cross-country trek.