Hawks partial owner biking across the country for charity

ATLANTA — One of the minority owners of the Atlanta Hawks is taking on what some might see as an impossible feat.

Later this month, Jesse Itzler and 10 others will spend 14 days biking from San Diego, California to St. Augustine, Florida. Their goal is to bike 230 miles each day.

“This is a mega high, like danger factor. I mean whether you have the elements, just the regular wind elements and downhill you have cars, people texting, your wild dogs,” he told Channel 2′s Alison Mastrangelo.

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He says this is a goal he set out to do nearly 18 years ago.

“This goal has been on my list since 2005. I made a bucket list of things that I wanted to do, you know, in my lifetime, and everything from write a book, check that off, you know, have a song in a movie, check that off, do an ultra marathon, run 100 miles, I checked that off,” Itzler said.

The group will be fully supported through their once-in-a-lifetime trip with an RV, tents, a chef and a mobile sauna to help them recover from their daily treks.

He is partnering with the Bikes For Kids Foundation, an organization that provides bikes to second and third-graders.

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“100% of the proceeds go towards providing a bike and curriculum on leadership and responsibility to the kids that will get these bikes...and our goal is to raise enough to give 3,000 kids bikes, one bike for every mile of the ride,” he said.

With the Hawks in the playoffs for the third year in a row, Itzler says they plan on making sure they catch some of the games.

“We will have the playoff games on an on the TV in the RV. And listen, if we pedal fast enough, maybe we’ll be able to catch a game or two,” he said.

To donate to Itzler’s ride for the Bikes For Kids Foundation, click here.

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