The U.S. secretary of state was staring down an intense month of final nuclear program negotiations with Iranian diplomats leading up to an end of June deadline.
So what was the 71-year old John Kerry, a man with such high responsibilities, doing cycling a grueling mountain pass, one that sometimes features in the Tour de France? Some are questioning whether he should have been attempting such a feat. But I must differ.
Yes there’s some danger involved in such peak physical activities, but maybe more government leaders should push themselves as hard as Kerry.
It’s fair to question Kerry’s wisdom now that he’s suffered a broken femur on a leg where he’s already had hip surgery. Now flying back to Boston’s Massachusetts General Hospital, where he underwent bilateral hip replacement surgery in 2009, Kerry is going to miss a Paris meeting designed to coordinate international action against the Islamic State.
A traumatic fracture near the site of a prior hip replacement is a big problem, and even with the best surgical care, the recovery would hobble anyone for a while. Kerry is also facing serious short-term medical risks, including blood clots in the leg, and infection.
We don’t know much about the specific features of his injury, but sometimes fractures in this area of the body come along with injuries to important nerves and blood vessels. Still, Kerry’s likely to do very well precisely because of his high-intensity training regimen.
An avid cyclist throughout his life, he has taken full advantage of the globe-trotting opportunities of the secretary of state’s position by bringing his bike along with him to enjoy some of the world’s great cycling routes. He has traveled to 63 countries in just over two years in office; I have no doubt he’s putting the gearheads at the many of the mom-and-pop bike shops he frequents to shame.
He’s certainly showing up most septuagenarians. “If he raced in his age category, he’d be one of the top riders in the U.S.,” a professional cycling manager who once rode with Kerry told The Wall Street Journal.
So Kerry’s no novice.
Generally, I wouldn’t recommend that Cabinet-level officials start taking up similarly demanding high intensity sports such as mountain climbing at this stage of their careers, especially if they’ve got an important job deadline looming in a month’s time.
But Kerry seems to be doing it right, and taking proper precautions. The Boston Globe reported that “paramedics and a physician were traveling with Kerry’s motorcade at the time of the accident.” He notified local officials of the small French town about his plans before starting his ascent up Col de la Colombière.
Far from criticizing Kerry over the danger he willingly subjected himself to, I would say he’s actually made a responsible choice. Not every decision we make has to be the safest one to be the right one, whether we’re 71 or 21. Having an accident doesn’t always mean it’s worthwhile to find a fault to blame in yourself or someone else.
There’s plenty of research to suggest that vigorous aerobic exercise helps forestall the effects of aging by keeping the cardiovascular system healthy.
Exercise such as cycling may keep the brain healthy too, and in that sense, Kerry’s tumble off his bike may have been a reasonable risk in exchange for our having a secretary of state who’s as mentally fit as he is physically fit. He needs every last synapse while juggling Iran and ISIS.
We want to attract top people to do the top jobs, and such people don’t appreciate cocoons. We shouldn’t be too surprised when we hear one of these folks has injured himself on a famous Alpine cycling route.
As a doctor, I’m not going to tell my patients to shut down every risk. Prevention isn’t the prescription for everything. Sometimes you’ve got to live your life your way and take the bad with the good.
