It was about nine months ago that New Yorkers were thrilled by the story of the spin class smackdown; now the case has gone to trial, and reading the testimony is like watching a montage of the all the greatest moments. For those of you just joining us, the incident was sparked at an Upper East Side gym when 44-year-old broker Christopher Carter became enraged at the grunting and bellowing from his spin classmate two bikes down, 48-year-old hedge fund manager Stuart Sugarman.
When Sugarman responded to Carter’s command with “Shut the f--- up!” with, “Don’t be such a baby. Make me,” Carter dismounted his bike and slammed Sugarman and his bike into the wall. Though Sugarman was able to finish the class – which, unbelievably, continued – he subsequently spent ten days at Lenox Hill Hospital, undergoing back surgery to treat contusions to six vertebra with metal plates, screws, and cadaver tissue.
Now Carter faces up to a year in jail for the assault. According to the Post, Sugarman testified yesterday that making noise at a spin class is how spinners get in the zone, telling the jury that shouting phrases like “Good burn!” and “You go girl!” would get him “charged up and really come out automatically.” And the instructor that day also testified that Sugarman is the loudest “spinner” he's ever heard in some 1,700 workouts. Obviously Carter was just jealous that Sugarman was #1.
Asked to reconcile his supposed “excruciating pain” with the fact that he got back up and finished the workout, Sugarman told the jury he was “trying to be macho. A football player plays through pain.” Actually, a football player immediately gets attention from the team doctor; it's just these typical macho spin class tough guys who keep going despite their injuries.
