1:37They've covered nearly 7,000 miles so far in their quest to unite three passions in their lives -- cycling, youth mentoring and the national pastime -- but for the four-member crew of the nonprofit group Biking For Baseball, the first mile was among the toughest.
"I took a spill, like, within the first mile," said team member Chase Higgins. "It was just a little joy ride around Seattle."
That was in mid-April. In the past three months, Biking For Baseball members have had bikes stolen, had their support vehicle break down, biked through 20 inches of rain in a two-day span as well as 108-degree heat. They have also seen 15 MLB parks and conducted baseball clinics with various youth-based organizations in every city.
"The kids love high-fives," said Adam Kremers, another crew member. "And we love high-fives, too."
They arrived in Minneapolis earlier this week and on Thursday are slated to host another clinic and make Target Field No. 16 on their ballpark list. The Twin Cities also serve as a nice resting base, since Higgins lives here and they can all crash at his place. The group of four, all in their mid-20s, has otherwise been relying on friends, family, the kindness of strangers or their burgeoning camping skills for shelter.
The idea for the organization and this trip was hatched here a few years back. Higgins and Kremers were at Huberts near the Metrodome before watching the Twins' regular-season home finale in their final year at the Dome when inspiration struck. Years of planning followed before the excursion -- which they are funding by a combination of donations and their own money -- became a reality. They assumed seeing all the ballparks would be the best part, but they've found the youth clinics have often stolen the show.
"The feeling of getting to share this with the kids is really cool," said Rex Roberts, another crew member.
The baseball isn't bad, either. Steve Lunn, the fourth member of the crew, said he particularly enjoyed AT&T Park in San Francisco. Other favorites have emerged along the way. Of course, there is no perfect route when cycling to all 30 MLB parks in one year. The map of their journey (that and more can be found at www.bikingforbaseball.org) is anything but a direct route. They started out in the West, came down the coast, came all the way back up to Colorado, dipped down to Texas, went across to Florida and worked their way back through Kansas City before arriving here. On Friday, they depart for Chicago before backtracking to Milwaukee. The plan is to end with a game in Fenway Park on Sept. 21.
