Jason Winslow / Splash NewsRussell Crowe gave one paparazzo the ride of his life on Tuesday.
Determined to get the perfect shot of the Oscar winner as he biked through the streets of New York City, J.B. Nicholas hopped on his own two-wheeler and wound up pedaling 7.7 miles from Manhattan to Brooklyn.
"It all started at about 10:30 a.m. when I and five other shutterbugs waited outside a Tribeca hotel where Crowe is staying," Nicholas recalled in a story he wrote for the New York Daily News. "The double front doors of the hotel flew open and Crowe and his bodyguard dramatically shot out on a mountain bike and headed south on Greenwich St."
Nicholas went on to describe how he jumped on his bike and proceeded to pursue Crowe through Battery Park, past the Staten Island Ferry Terminal, under the FDR Drive and onto the Manhattan Bridge.
"I and five other two-wheeling cameramen followed, but most gave up from exhaustion," Nicolas wrote. "There were two of us left and Crowe's bodyguard was trying to block us."
The chase eventually came to an end at the South Williamsburg movie set where Crowe is shooting his upcoming film, Noah.
"You missed the best shot; I just gave you the finger," Crowe playfully said to Nicholas as he made his way into his trailer.
Soon after, Crowe came out and, much to Nicholas' surprise, gave the guy a hug.
Later in the day, Crowe recalled the experience himself, tweeting: "11.6km bike ride to work, meditative peace of the morning ritual decimated by paparazzi ... on bicycles ... Only in NY folks."
But he did note, "ride turned in to a bit of fun, certainly upped the speed, did the 11.6km in 30 mins, only 1 pap stayed on pace, I congratulated him."
Of course, this isn't the first time Crowe has gone pedal-to-pedal. In 2009, the Gladiator star challenged an Australian journalist to accompany him on one of his rides when she questioned the actor's workout regimen after photos appeared of him supplementing his regular 13-mile bike ride with smoke breaks and tacos.