BODY WATCH : The Mayor Just Does It : He skates. He roller-blades. He skis. Most of all, though, Richard Riordan relishes a good bike ride--not only for health’s sake but also for the relaxation it provides him.
We were content to wait on the sidelines for an interview with Mayor Richard Riordan after his ice-skating lesson. Then His Honor invited us to take a twirl on the ice. We declined because a pratfall was in the offing. After demurring, we were properly shod and tugged onto the ice, whereupon the mayor and ice-skating instructor Gary C. Visconti escorted us around an endless rink.
Afterward, we settled onto safer ground. At a local coffee shop, the athletic 65-year-old mayor (who started weekly ice-skating lessons in January) talked--between forkfuls of pancakes--about exercise.
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Question: You really take to the ice. Have you always skated?
Answer: I did a little as a kid, but as I took these lessons I learned that I didn’t know anything about ice skating.
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Q: You’ve also been known to do your share of roller-blading.
A: Now and then I do. It’s very dangerous, much more dangerous than ice skating. I suggest that people don’t take up roller-blading unless they’re athletic. And take lessons before you get on roller-blades because the first thing you have to do is learn how to fall.
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Q: Have you had any escapades on the blades?
A: I roller-bladed in Central Park. It took a lot of courage to go down the hills there, I’ll tell you--it was wet. Rudy (New York Mayor Rudolph W. Guiliani) and I were supposed to roller-blade together, and he chickened out. We had this running fun feud about the motto for New York City. [It] says New York City will kick any other city’s ass. So I challenged him to roller-blades.”
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Q: Where do you roller-blade when you’re not kicking ass?
A: I don’t want to do it in [my] neighborhood. First of all I look stupid. Secondly, it’s a little more dangerous because . . . [I’m] not like kids that can jump over curbs and steps. I’ll go down to Venice or sometimes I’ll go over to UCLA.
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Q: You’ve got a bit of the daredevil in you. Do you ski?
A: I’m sort of the daredevil. I like Mammoth a lot. I’m in the slalom races, which is scary--exhilarating pressure being at the gate, looking down the mountain, the speed. Really gets your adrenaline up.
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Q: Bicycling seems to be your favorite exercise, though.
A: I bicycle all the time. If you’re doing a long bike ride, your mind sort of frees yourself and you think creatively.
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Q: What’s a typical outing?
A: Go from my house and ride up into the hills above Palisades, do a big circle from the hills down into the middle of the Palisades and have breakfast at Mort’s and then ride home. So it’s about a 40-minute ride there and a 20-minute ride home.
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Q: Where else do you bike?
A: Now and then I will take a mountain bike all the way up to Mulholland, and I’ve been in every trail in the Santa Monica Mountains. I went up once with Robin Williams. Well, he blew me away. He and Ed Begley Jr. They took off and Robin went straight up this hill literally twice as fast as I did. It was unbelievable. And Ed kept up with him.
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Q: What’s your favorite mayoral outing?
A: The community bike rides we’ve had. I’ll tell you, it’s the most exciting thing--particularly the kids . . . because kids are so natural and likable. I love to ask who is going to be the next mayor, and everybody points to some kid and [I say] “I want you guys to promise that you will not run until I’m through.”
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Q: Do you exercise indoors as well?
A: I have a stationary bike in my office, which Schwarzenegger gave me. And I have a treadmill at home. I’ll watch TV while I’m on the treadmill. If you do the treadmill and not push yourself too hard for like 30 or 40 minutes at a pace that you can stand, then maybe the last five or 10 minutes do a little faster, then you lose weight. And you feel better too. You’re not worn out.
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Q: Do you have to watch what you eat?
A: Pretty much [eat] what I want. Not totally. I stay away from eggs to a great extent because of cholesterol. If I have eggs I will eat mostly the whites and just a little bit of the yolks. If I have meats like bacon, I’ll have it crisp. Lean well-done meats but not a lot.
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Q: What helps you escape the stress of your job?
A: When you talk about getting some exercise, just relieving tension or when you’ve got a real hectic schedule--biking is the feeling of freedom. And you get creative thoughts when you exercise, particularly if you’re not doing it too hard.
I’ll tell you, the absolute most fun is three hours free on a weekend and just riding to bookstores and a knapsack on my back and buy some books and ride to a coffee shop and have a hamburger. To me that’s the most relaxing thing in the world.
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Q: You have a nice, easygoing attitude about working out.
A: I’ve rarely done fitness just for fitness’ sake. I like athletics. I like to be in shape. It’s more to get out and do something that has that healthy result.
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Q: What would you recommend to Angelenos?
A: Use a bike to sightsee in your neighborhoods. It’s fun. Again, don’t make it a big exercise thing. Just have fun.
* Guest Workout runs every other Tuesday in Life & Style.