An acid-tongued reporter got more than she bargained for when Russell Crowe challenged her to a bicycle-based duel after criticising the film actor.
Crowe was pictured – and mocked by columnist Annette Sharp – in Australia’s Daily Telegraph for puffing on a cigarette while cycling in Sydney. After the paper was published Crowe called the paper and asked Sharp to test the American Gangster-star’s fitness in a bike ride around the city.
Sharp duly accepted and rode with Crowe around Sydney covering 20.3km (12.6 miles) at an average speed of 15km per hour (9.3 mph).
Sharp reported: “Crowe was waiting at the end of the wharf wearing a South Sydney vest. He offered me one before asking: ‘You can ride a bike, right?’
“Within moments the actor had launched himself from the footpath and into the early morning traffic. By the time I’d waited for the traffic to clear, Crowe was out of sight. The game was to be cat and mouse and it seemed we’d be jumping kerbs.”
Crowe told the journo: "This is actually not a workout. This is just something I love doing in Sydney and LA."
The Australia Daily Telegraph site has a video of the journo and film star putting each other through their paces here.