By Claudia Loucks
Correspondent

The upcoming “Ride for Our Troops” with 6x UFC World Champion Randy Couture and USMC Veteran Ryan Garza will be much more than a “ride.”

In addition to participating in the ride, the two celebrities will be guest bartending in the area on Friday, July 22, at the Ridge at 4750 Utica Ridge Rd, #100, in Davenport from 5 to 6:30 p.m. and at The Whiskey Stop at 726 15th Ave., East Moline, from 9 to 10:30 p.m.

The actual motorcycle ride is Saturday, July 23, with registration from 9 to 10:30 a.m. at The Whiskey Stop and “kickstands up at 11 a.m. Cost is $25 per bike to participate with all proceeds to benefit the Xtreme Couture GI Foundation, which is dedicated to helping injured veterans of America’s Armed Forces.

The auction and raffle will begin at about 5 p.m. at The Whiskey Stop at 726 15th Ave., East Moline. There will be live music at Runner’s Park, located next to The Whiskey Stop. The music is sponsored by The Whiskey Stop and Palace tavern.

The July ride includes stops at The Ridge, Davenport; The Tangled Wood, Bettendorf; Geneseo Brewing Company in downtown Geneseo; Parkside Grill & Lounge, Moline; The Whiskey Stop and Palace Tavern in East Moline. Special guests Mindy Robinson, actress and politician; and UFC World Champion Tim Sylvia will accompany the riders.

For more information, to donate or to be a sponsor of the ride, contact Mark (Bam) Pustelnik at utwrestling01@yahoo.com or by calling 309-314-1281.

ABOUT RANDY COUTURE AND HIS PATH TO GREATNESS:

Randy Couture has his own chain of gyms, Xtreme Couture MMA, and a clothing line, Xtreme Couture Clothing. He also founded and runs the Xtreme Couture GI Foundation, which raises awareness and financially supports wounded veterans.

Couture is a 6x UFC Champion who wrestled at the World Championships in Greco-Roman in 1991, 1993, 1995 and 1997 and became a three-time Olympian team alternate in 1988, 1992 and 1996; a semifinalist at 2000Olyumpic Trials, a three-time NCAA Division 1 All-American and a two-time NAA Division runner-up in 1991 and 1992 at Oklahoma State University.

By December of 1997, at the age of 33, Couture made his debut into the world of professional fighting claiming victory in the Heavyweight Division of his first appearance in the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) and earning the nickname of “Randy ‘The Natural’ Couture.”

He has fought in 16 title fights and has six UFC title reigns in the Lightweight and Heavyweight divisions. He also became the fourth pro fighter to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.

His career as an accredited actor includes the hit films “The Expendables” and “The Expendables 2.” Opposite Sylvester Stallone and Bruce Willis, and he reopened his role as Toll Road in “The Expendables 3.” Couture also will be featured in The Expendables 4 with an opening date to be announced.

He also played a recurring character on CBS’, “The Unit,” in a role written for him. More recently, he has appeared in Spike’s “Lip Sync Battle,” HBO’s “Ballers”, “Whose Line is It Anyway: “Dancing with the Stars,” “Impractical Jokers,” and multiple episodes of “Hawaii Five O.”

Couture served six years in the United States Army, from 1982-1988, attaining the rank of Sergeant in the 101st Airborne

In 2009 he started his foundation, the Xtreme Couture GI Foundation which is dedicated to helping injured veterans of America’s Armed Forces.

Couture also has teamed with Jay Glazier of Fox Sports and Green Beret and NFL player Nate Boyer to create Merging Vets and Players (MVP) which is a program designed to address challenges that many combat veterans and professional athletes face when transitioning their service /professional life toward a new mission in civilian life.

FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN COUTURE AND MARK PUSTELNIK (Athletic director at United Township High School in East Moline)

Pustelnik and Couture first met in 1991 when they both won the US Open National Championships in wrestling held in Las Vegas.

Pustelnik said they became friends when they attended the same international wrestling tournaments including the Pan American Games wherew they both won silver medals in 1991.

“After that, we maintained our friendship over the course of the last 30 years,” Pustelnik said. “We have been there for each other and continue to support one another. I became involved in Randy’s foundation when I attended a fundraiser in Vegas about five years ago, and I thought to myself, ‘we can do a similar event in the Quad Cities because we have such a great MMA following, an incredible veteran community and people that love to ride their Harleys’. So, I thought it was a perfect trifecta, and that’s when I began dedicating my time to helping that foundation.”

“After our first event four years ago in the QC, when we raised $35,000 for Randy’s Foundation, I had the opportunity to fly to Washington, DC, with Randy to distribute checks to the veterans who were selected by his Foundation. To be able to witness the tears of enjoyment and appreciation from those veterans who were awarded the checks was such an incredible, emotional experience for me.” It was at that time I was hooked and knew I needed to do more.”

The upcoming 2022 ride is the fourth time for the event to be held in the QC and surrounding areas, and Pustelnik said, “This year I have had incredible support from Gregg and Nicole Hempel, Bettendorf; as well as from The Ridge, and basically the owners of the five stops where we will be during the ride on July 23. I want to give special thanks to 5 Star Home Improvement, Coralville, Iowa; for their generous $10,000 donation for this year’s ride.