Mark Warren, a retired fire inspector for the Municipality of Anchorage, got quite the surprise. He had already been the beneficiary of a very generous Russian gift. The 66-year-old received the $22,000 Ural Gear Up motorcycle. This awesome donation came just in time for the long awaited summit meeting between President Trump and President Putin.
The unusual turn of events started with a bang on August 13, a mere two days before the start of the summit. And then one day Warren got a phone call from that Russian journalist who told him, “They’ve chosen to give you a bike.” Warren was skeptical at first and even thought the initial offer might be a scam. Except he was sent to an Anchorage hotel for the transfer of the motorcycle.
Though created on August 12, the motorcycle was not awarded to Warren until several days later. He then took the motorcycle for a test spin around a parking lot with two reporters and a member of the Russian consulate joining him on their own vehicles.
A surprised Warren explained just how fast the transaction came together. He added, “I think the obvious thing here is it rolled off your showroom floor and slid into a jet probably within 24 hours. This rapid process makes the importance of this gift, coordinated through the Embassy of the Russian Federation in the United States, even clearer.
As preparation for the upcoming summit, Warren had made quite a splash a week earlier when a Russian television crew interviewed her. His interview was picked up and went viral inside Russia, with mounting public interest in his story. “It just went viral and nuts!” he said. I know how this occurred, because I am a really, really regular dude.
Even though Warren was still loving his new motorcycle, there were a few things that he highlighted as concerns. His largest concern was being caught up in some evil Russian plot. “Expect to receive something from me and you’re going to be sorely disappointed,” he continued. He underscored his intention to remain above any political horse trading.
Even after receiving the motorcycle, Warren has struggled to keep it running because getting parts for it has been difficult. For now, he enjoys putting the Ural Gear Up to use riding around Anchorage. As he pedals along, he thinks about the incredible confluence of events that led to this remarkable present.
