StephenH

A friend of mine was commenting on riding in France, and mentioned they had a lot more "road furniture" than in the US- that being things like curbs/medians etc., where you didn't necessarily need them. No idea if that was related to the wreck here.

I'm glad to see that he bicycles, I did not realize that.

repechage

NPR reported Kerry flew home on a USAF C-17, must have had a hospital module in its belly. Not your normal medivac.
Hopefully his prior injuries will not interfere too much, but obviously there is some concern, hopefully an abundance of caution.

Must have been pushed to the right.

wrk101

This guy is WAY Funny!

TimmyT 

lol!

RobbieTunes

I may be wrong, but with a broken femur, unset, the chance of marrow getting into the bloodstream is significant. Why they didn't set it in Europe is a good question, and the news said his orthopedic surgeon flew back with him. Does that not mean the surgeon also had to fly over there? or already be over there? That's a big bone, on a 71-year old, and it's very likely beginning to throb a bit. I imagine there are complications. Those casts go all the way up, so it's going to be a major PITA for our current Sec of State. No matter what, a broken femur and a full leg cast is nothing but about 6 weeks, minimum, of very inconvenient.

Let's hope he's up and advertising Serotta and the US cycling culture soon.
I'd prefer he be in US kit, but when folks see Castelli, they'll see it's alive and kicking (saved by an even bigger Euro gear company-Sportful).

Looking at it from a European perspective, as if I can:
1-The US Sec of State is a cyclist, and it's important to him.
2-He rides a US-made Ti bike that is affordable.
3-He likes Castelli kit, or at least the Garmin team.
4-Tubulars.
5-He's like anyone else, re: His bike breaks, he has accidents.
6-He looks just as dorky in a helmet as anyone else.

repechage

Report this AM was he was in surgery. More than a basic set unfortunately.

Actually, his position on the bike is pretty good, rides a high saddle, but not Anquitiel high.

John E

Correction -- she did the full 26.2 mile marathon, not the half.

Ed.

You are correct, I can attest to the fact. An embolism isn't looked upon with favor.

Ugly color bike. And the Spandex...

The sad thing is that he can't even make up a good story, you know, set upon by a gang of (to avoid political ramifications , insert your favorite boogiemen here) as there's too many witnesses.

noglider 

Agreed, and it was what I liked about George W Bush.

It gives me a chuckle that this means that at least some of the Secret Service agents have to be able to ride at least as strongly as their charges. Tough job!

Cyclosaurus

His bike flip-flopped. Kerry was riding for the curb before he was against it.

noglider 

If you're just discovering Bike Snob NYC, I recommend reading it regularly. He is an equal-opportunity bigot, skewering all aspects of bike culture.

crank_addict

I agree and much respect to them. But I would also imagine it puts individuals that are in high position now as an equal but competitive spirit with others. Its all for good mental health, even though physically might be a risk.

Years ago I was at X named race track in FL. Private outing. Between race sets, I was a passenger in a rental minivan, the fellow who organized the event was the driver. Observing the corner lines, radio called in and he thought to have heard the track was clear, so we proceeded to cross the course. I looked out my right window and in a flash moment a CEO of X named corp. t-boned us! Mind you, this was a purpose built X- race car, meaning very low seating. He was cool about and accepted it as no biggie. Surreal to see this, be involved and within a few feet from a near decap. As for the other un-named, had their agents or teams heard of them participating, the contract would be shredded.


Sorry.. back to topic.

PhotoJoe 

No worries, mate. The fact that my note came immediately after your post was coincidental. You had just happened to be the last one to post before I came along to ruin all the fun. It was not directed at you specifically.

Ex Pres 

I read elsewhere, but unconfirmed, that Kerry completed the 111mi first leg of the Pan-Mass Challenge a few years ago at age 67 in just over 5 hours. I don't care how flat, I hope I can be riding like that 10 years from now.

Kactus

As requested by the OP, lets keep politics out of C&V and this thread.

D1andonlyDman

This lady looked so amazing for a 92 year-old who had just completed a marathon in merely 3 times the time of a world class runner 1/4th her age, that I could not help think of Rosie Ruiz after she took the MBTA for the first 25 miles in 1980. I hope it was legit, because if it was, it was remarkable to say the least. I mean, after she crossed the finish line, she did not come close to collapsing - rather, she gave an immediate post-race interview while still standing up, and did not even appear very tired.

PhotoJoe 

Was this not clear enough? Political posts have been deleted. Please feel free to continue any political discussion in the P&R thread. There is a zero tolerance for political discussion anywhere else. Thanks.

Siu Blue Wind

Wilfred Laurier, please leave this thread. Thank you.

kunsunoke 

How does one keep politics out of a thread about a politician? I ask because I'm genuinely curious, and the world is more polarized than ever, so this kind of thread seems like an exercise in futility.

The thing I first wondered was how Sec. Kerry managed to hit the curb in the first place. Did he lose a tire or something? Carbon fiber Zipp rim break on him? Was there some other mechanical failure? Or was he just riding beyond his ability to control the bike and wiped out? Not too many details on the accident out there right now. This could be a teachable moment for everyone.

jimmuller 

Good points. Two additional things come to mind.

Did some other rider, perhaps a Secret Service agent, drift into him? Personally, I dislike riding too close to anyone because I never know what I'm going to do, let alone what the other rider is going to do.

I was browsing the Western Bikeworks website yesterday and found the following:
Note: Some models of carbon fiber wheels have a sharp or inconsistent edge in the bead seat area, which could cause cuts in the casing of delicate Veloflex clinchers, potentially compromising the tires over time. Because they are not able to inspect every rim for such inconsistencies, Veloflex states that these tires are not compatible with carbon rims.

I'm not suggesting this is what happened. Rather, just musing about possibilities. But I am curious, what wheels and what tires does Sec. Kerry usually run?

cb400bill

Talking about the politician, his accident, his bike, his cycling, his tires, etc is fine. Talking about his politics, his party, his rivals party, etc., isn't fine.

Velognome 

Let's limit it to the man himself, since that is the only thing that is C or V about the entire story

jeirvine 

My parents were both in the State Department. Anytime they flew they had to take a US airline, even if there was a much cheaper or direct flight on a non-US carrier. So Kerry riding a US built bike seems about right.

Italuminium

Glad he rides a bike in beautiful Dutch orange. And I hope you guys elect more cycling europhiles next year

(I hope this is still within the lines).

And yeah, I do hope to be able to still like he did until a few days ago in a couple of decades, whilst still working in such a beastly environment.

bikemig 

+ 1.