Adrenaline Junkies Build BMX Track For The Thrill
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- If it's a rush you are looking for, there is now a place in Minneapolis that will cater to your daredevil side.
The Twin Cities Fantasy Factory in Northeast Minneapolis is a BMX bikers playground. We learned how it got started and the unique way it stays in business on Thursday.
"Just break even and have a place to ride. That's all you know," said Professional BMX Racer Dustin Grice, one of the creators of the Twin Cities Fantasy Factory. "Try some tail-whips, back flips, whatever you want you know?"
His good friend Evan Moyle said the simplest way to put it is you're overcoming fear. The two have biked together for years, so to say it's become a passion would be the ultimate understatement.
"It's very rewarding and we can't get enough of it. I'm 30-years-old and I still love this stuff," Moyle said.
They love it so much they decided to build their own place so they can ride whenever they want. They spent weeks working into the wee hours of the morning, building big ramps that would fit into a small section of a northeast Minneapolis warehouse.
The Twin Cities Fantasy Factory used to be a furniture factory. Now it's become a place where BMX enthusiasts can try tricks they used to dream about.
That's the idea any way. What they didn't realize is who would show up.
"Our youngest guy out here is 11. And we even have two members out here who are 30-year-old women," said Grice.
Carey Lundberg used to just watch. But after sitting in her chair for enough hours, she thought she would have to get a bike and give it a try.
"From the ground it doesn't look that bad. Once you get on top it looks twice as big. It might as well be a cliff. Your heart beats and (laughing)," Lundberg said.
To fund the Twin Cities Fantasy Factory, Grice and Moyle started a show group. They built a portable ramp and are booking shows around the state. What they make goes to pay for operating costs. They said the high hopes they have aren't nearly as important as the heights their members reach.
"We actually had to raise the light over there because Glen was clippin the light on the swing over there," Grice said.
With racing BMX bikes come some nasty spills, but the experts said you can't have any fear. You can't think, you just have to do it.
The bikers said once you nail the first trick, it's in your blood. It's kind of like taking the training wheels off for the first time.
"It's a big rush. A big rush of adrenaline and you feel like you are on top of the world," Bilich said. "So when in Rome, do as the Romans do. Hey, there's nothing to it."
Grice and Moyle also have full-time jobs. But they told us this has become an adrenaline-seeking hobby they can't seem to shake. You can also take lessons at the Twin Cities Fantasy Factory. It costs $100 to be a member.
