Scott and Ethan Pesch are proving that some dreams don’t have an expiration date. More than 30 years after Scott first pedaled across the country to visit every Major League Baseball stadium, he’s back on the road—this time with his son Ethan—combining a love for baseball, family and cycling with a mission to support St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
(We invite you to listen to the conversation between Jalon Caldwell and Scott and Ethan Pesch in the podcast below).
A Dream Decades in the Making
For Scott Pesch, the idea behind Bike to Ballparks dates back to the early 1990s. Fresh out of college and a few years into his first office job, he found himself longing for adventure.
“I was kind of tired of being in the cubicle and working in an office,” Scott recalled. “I just wanted to go out and be more adventurous and do something… and see the United States, but on our bicycle.”
That dream became reality in 1994 when Scott and three former college track and field teammates embarked on a cross-country cycling adventure to visit every Major League Baseball stadium.
Years later, after raising a family, the memories of that once-in-a-lifetime journey never faded. As his son Ethan approached graduation from the University of Arizona, father and son began talking about recreating the trip together.
The conversations eventually turned into a plan.
Beginning March 26 in Seattle, Scott and Ethan set out on a nearly 10,000-mile bicycle journey that will take them to all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums before concluding in Miami on September 26.
While Scott is reliving a dream decades in the making, Ethan is experiencing it for the first time.
Following in His Father’s Tire Tracks
When Scott first pitched the idea, Ethan admits he questioned whether his dad had lost his mind.
“I thought he was a little crazy,” Ethan said with a laugh. “Who in the right mind is thinking that?”
But years of hearing stories from Scott’s original ride had planted a seed.
“I’d hear the stories and I’d see all the memorabilia they got,” Ethan said. “I was like, ‘Man, I want to do something like this.’”
Planning the logistics took years, but once everything fell into place, excitement mixed with uncertainty.
“It’s one of the hardest things I’ll probably ever do in my life,” Ethan said. “We’re 3,700 miles in and we’ve got about 6,000 more to go.”
Riding between 90 and 100 miles nearly every day demands far more than physical fitness. It requires endurance, adaptability and the willingness to face whatever weather and terrain each new state brings.
More Than Baseball
Although baseball provides the backdrop, both Scott and Ethan say the trip is ultimately about family.
For Ethan, who had spent years away from home while attending college, the six-month adventure has become an unexpected opportunity to reconnect with his father.
“It’s kind of like you’re living at home again,” Ethan said. “It’s been a great experience with him.”
Watching his father tackle such an ambitious challenge just months before turning 60 has also become a source of daily motivation.
“It’s very inspiring and very admirable for him to do this,” Ethan said. “It always wants you to put that pedal down and just keep going—not only for him, but who we’re doing it for, our family and the kids at St. Jude.”
Scott says sharing the experience with his son has made the journey even more meaningful than it was three decades ago.
“I’m doing it with my son,” he said. “I just appreciate things so much more.”
Long hours on the bike have also provided unexpected moments of clarity.
“When you get on that bike and you’re averaging 90 to 100 miles a day, things become very simple,” Scott explained. “Your mind gets clear. You know what’s important to you.”
Being away from his wife and daughters has only reinforced that perspective.
“I miss all of them,” he said. “When I get to finally see them, it’s like, ‘Wow.’ You just don’t realize how important it is until it’s temporarily gone.”
Riding for St. Jude
While the baseball stadiums may draw attention, Scott insists the heart of Bike to Ballparks is raising awareness and support for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
The inspiration came through one of Scott’s college professors, Dr. Stull, whose daughter Camilla battled childhood cancer after being diagnosed at just nine years old.
Scott said St. Jude surrounded the family with care, covering travel, lodging and medical expenses so they could focus solely on Camilla’s treatment. Although she passed away three years later, her story left a lasting impact.
Before launching the ride, Scott, Ethan and Scott’s wife traveled to the St. Jude campus in Memphis to better understand the mission they hoped to support.
Walking through the hospital transformed the fundraiser from an idea into something deeply personal.
“Things got really real when you walk through that children’s hospital,” Scott said. “There’s happy families and there’s sad families.”
The experience strengthened their resolve to use their cycling journey to help children battling cancer and other life-threatening diseases.
“We just thought, what better way to do this and start with the young kids?” Scott said. “Give them an extra day or an extra year or an extra life.”
Battling More Than the Miles
The physical demands of cycling across North America are substantial.
Ethan says climbing into the Rocky Mountains after riding at sea level only weeks earlier was one of the toughest stretches so far. Add unpredictable storms, relentless headwinds and scorching summer temperatures, and every day presents a new challenge.
“The hardest factor is probably weather and the wind,” Ethan said.
Scott believes the greatest obstacle isn’t physical at all.
“The mental aspect of this is probably more important than some of the physical aspects,” he said.
He compares the daily routine to the movie Groundhog Day—waking up each morning to another 90 to 100 miles of riding.
Even on difficult days, the mission keeps them moving.
“It does help with St. Jude,” Scott said. “You’re doing it for a bigger reason.”
Ethan agrees.
“It’s a story within a story,” he said. “There’s the baseball aspect of this, us as a father and son, the cycling, and then the kids at St. Jude.”
An Open Invitation
One unique feature of Bike to Ballparks is that cyclists are welcome to join portions of the ride.
So far, most participants have been family members and friends, but Scott says anyone interested is welcome.
“The door is still open for anybody,” he said.
As they continue eastward, Scott and Ethan are especially looking forward to reaching Wrigley Field in Chicago, where family members plan to meet them during a scheduled break in the journey.
By that point, they expect to have completed roughly two-thirds of the ride’s total mileage while reaching the halfway mark in stadium visits.
Leaving a Lasting Legacy
When the journey concludes in Miami, Scott and Ethan hope people remember more than the impressive mileage or the baseball stadium checklist.
For Ethan, the goal is simple.
“I just hope we can shine a light on St. Jude and everything that they’re doing,” he said. “Give some people hope.”
Scott hopes the trip also encourages others to pursue dreams that may seem impossible.
“If you really set your mind to it,” he said, “you can do what you want. You just have to plan for it.”
Despite the uncertainty, financial concerns and physical demands, Scott says the biggest step was simply deciding to begin.
“There are all these variables that you can be scared of,” he said. “But we prepared ourselves the best we could.”
As father and son continue their journey toward Miami, every mile serves as another reminder that meaningful adventures are often measured not by the distance traveled, but by the lives touched along the way.