Seven years ago, the former pro cyclist turned manager Jonathan Vaughters accompanied then-Sen. John Kerry for a bike ride in Colorado. Vaughters, who oversees the current Cannondale-Garmin Pro Tour team, expected the pedal with the politician to be a “dawdle.”

It proved to be anything but.

“A lot of times, you go on rides with executives or dignitaries or VIPs and it’s a very, very casually paced ride,” Vaughters said Sunday. “But Kerry is the real deal—fit, fast, confident. If he raced in his age category, he’d be one of the top riders in the U.S.”

On Sunday, the 71-year-old Kerry, now the U.S. Secretary of State, sustained a broken right femur during a cycling accident while riding near the Swiss border in Scionzier, France. Kerry had been in Switzerland trying to finalize a nuclear agreement with Iran; a spokesman said he would stay in the hospital overnight for observation and fly home Monday.

Kerry’s dedication to cycling is well-known—over his time in public office, he has been spotted riding countless times, and he has talked rhapsodically in the past about cycling adventures including rides up hallowed Tour de France climbs like Alpe d’Huez and Mont Ventoux, the latter ascent known for its rocky, moonscape summit.