Gym Rat Gets Worked Over During Workout

A spin class member at an Upper East Side gym became so enraged at the vocal exercise style of a nearby man that he got off his bike and threw the man against a wall earlier this month. Stuart Sugarman was the victim and the New York Post reports that the 48-year-old hedge fund manager admits that he was probably the noisiest guy at his gym. "He grunted a lot, admittedly. He war-whooped. He hollered, 'Great song!' and 'You go, girl.'" All of which became apparently too much for 44-year-old Christopher Carter. The Manhattan broker "snapped" and threw Sugarman and his stationary bike against a wall, causing a concussion and spinal injuries.

As the Post tells it, Carter and Sugarman were working out in a spin class at the Equinox gym on East 85th St. earlier this month. As per usual, Sugarman was exhorting himself on to peak fitness, which was bothering his classmate. Sugarman's lawyer Samuel Davis describes the escalation:

First, the furious broker demanded the hedge-fund manager please stop making so much noise. "Then it escalates to 'Shut up!' and "Shut the f--- up!"

The broker complained to the instructor, who "basically shrugs," Davis said.

The broker then allegedly issued the final ultimatum - "If you don't shut the f--- up, I'm getting off my bike." The hedge-fund manager said: "Stop being a baby."

Finally, the ballistic broker dismounts and "charges my client's bike like Leonard Marshall of the New York Giants hitting a practice sled," Davis said.

Sugarman says his injuries necessitated surgery and that six spinal discs in his neck required cadaver material to be repaired. Christopher Carter's lawyer, Dan Ollen, describes Sugarman as "a piece of work." Ollen says that the first thing Sugarman did after Carter pushed him off his bike was to get right back on and continue to work out for another 40 minutes. "The second thing he does is hire a personal-injury lawyer and the third thing he does is alert the media." A lawsuit is imminent of course, although we think it's fortunate for Sugarman that his altercation with Carter did not occur in the free weights area of the gym.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Dave Hogarty in News on August 25, 2007 10:45 AM

Comments [rss]

Wendy

Shocking article! I believe that gym workout environment and brutality or violence are so incompatible. Instead of improve your health and body strength, you may lose it forever.

metaphorman

#39, Right on! FWIW, Spinning classes are incredible cardio workouts, and yes, I do cycle outdoors most of the time - Central Park, to Nyack, Prospect Park, you name it. I also run marathons. For all the bigots who've commented: y'all are due for a classic Brooklyn beatdown by a gay, jewish, spinning instructor. This is New York City for crying out loud! Antisemitic homophobes need not apply.

guest

"Spinning Class" ? What the hell is that ! Posted by; "Still Not Amused"

guest

Lol, I think the guy was trying to irk Mr. Carter and finally got what was coming to him ! It's one thing if Ur using a technique to enhance Ur workout, It's another to use those types of tactics to annoy others around you all because you have nothing else better to do with Ur time at the Gym ! Seems to me Sugarmen was trying to do just that over a period of time and most likely noticed it was pissing this guy off and thought in his mind that it was funny and enjoyed rattling him !

guest

You know what's really really gay? Being gay.

Equinox isn't so bad, but #39 has an awesome point: brutal battle royale!

guest

Geez. Why can't people just be normal?!!

Maybe nice even?!!

....sigh....

qwerty

He hollered "you go girl"? Um, dude deserved everything he got.

jeremoss

i love this story. maybe nyc's salvation will come when all the brokers, traders, hedgefunders, and the rest of the soulless start brutalizing each other.

royinhell

This guy sounds like a total jerk - I probably would have knocked him off his bike, too. I think you bear some responsibility when you are bothering others, are politely asked to stop, and it sounds like he escalated his noises... he had it comin'.

guest

Not me, I'm spreading my bitterness like room temperature peanut butter.

Why would I want to bike in the Hudson Valley when Central Park is considered Manhattan's backyard?

I just want a training ride, not a sight seeing trip along the hudson going up to woodstock.

oh, see you guys in Hell.

guest

I know a lot of people are trolling, but this place is really ignorant.

And don't get me started on the bitterness...!

"Shouldn't you all be out on a ledge somewhere?"

guest

What exactly is middle-class in NYC anyways? I think a household income of at least 6 figures constitutes middle class nowadays, at least in the "respectable" parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn..

angry_pickle

Spinning is gay because you could do the same thing riding your bicycle in Central Park

And riding your bicycle in Central Park is gay because you could do the same riding your bicycle up the Hudson River valley.

Daniel Trudel

and riding your bicycle up the hudson river valley is gay cause you could do the same in a spin class

guest

The obnoxious hedge-fund guy was actually Jewish? NO WAY!!

guest

Brokers, hedge fund managers, trust funders. All these Neo New Yorkers chasing all the more colorful people away.

Mike D

I briefly worked as a massage therapist at this Equinox. It had the most privileged, entitled, horrible clients I have ever worked with and was what finally convinced me to quit doing massage. I'm not happy about what happened here, but I'm also not surprised.

I once saw two (presumably) upper middle class women get into a fight about who was in line first for spin class at NYSC Cobble Hill and one threatened to give the other a proper "Brooklyn Beatdown." They had to call in a manager every day to do crowd control from then until they reinstated their reservation policy. They lost a number of members during this time and two of their best instructors.

People take spinning way too seriously.

guest

Spinning is gay because you could do the same thing riding your bicycle in Central Park. I would venture to guess a training ride in Central Park (or Prospect Park, sorry I've only ridden in these two parks) is more of a workout than this "spinning class". Who the hell invented "spinning" anyway?

guest

It's official, this site blows! The comments related to this story in general are some of the stupidest I have ever seen on this site. Spinning = gay? If a guy does not lift weights at a gym, does that mean he's gay? So, I guess yoga = gay. Also, if you use the machines and not free weights, are you gay?

guest

NYC is full of rich pricks who think that their wealth buys them complete carte blanche to disregard the interests of other human beings. I would definitely be applauding.

New Yorkers are assholes in general. Everyone seems to think the First Amendment allows them to talk to the screen at movie theaters. I felt like throwing food at some lower middle class white spinsters at a movie at the Loews at the 84th and Broadway.