Froome Watch, P.S.

Chris's tweet last night: "That was as far as these legs were willing to go this Giro... I won't say it was a pleasure but for sure one of a kind!!" And this morning "Woke up to some very entertaining messages this morning. Cheers guys :) For the real story check out teamsky.com." It had to be something, and it was knee trouble. He'll be back.

End of the Froome Watch

And now I'm worried the lack of posts the past week has something to do with it. Chris did not finish today's monster stage in the Giro, so with just two more stages to go in this very tough go around, after having come all this way and dealt with so much weather, race, and terrain related mayhem, it's curtains for him. No tweet yet, so no explanation from the man himself as of now. Not that we really need one. I mean, anyone who has followed this race will tip his hat to someone who can get this far in a death march like this. But I would not be surprised if he got out today because of some medical reason. After all, last weekend he was more than holding his own and seeing the humor of the horrendous schedule of the race. Here's his tweet from Friday the 21st: "39 hours of racing these last 7 days. One way to get some solid training in before we hit the big climbs coming up...". Then on Sunday the 23rd, the day the peloton had to climb the near ludicrous Zoncolan: "I would almost recommend riding up here for the view. Almost...". And after a very decent job (39th) in the only slightly less crazy time trial to the Plan de Corones last Tuesday, there was this message: "Now for the cable car ride down." Why haven't there been any Froome Watch installments since last week, in spite of all the excitement? It's for the same reason I haven't watched any of the stages live on tv in more than a week. There was work, there were the rides to and from work, and last weekend there was also a little outing in search for the first hilly miles since spring training in Tuscany, last March. While I was leaving Chris and the fans of the Froome Watch to their own devices, I managed to log 268 miles of my own the past seven days. All I can say is I'm sorry.

Froome Watch, VIII

I'm about the last one to complain about work, but it can get in the way of other things you're interested in doing. Yesterday's stage in the Giro would have been fun to watch because it turned things upside down in the overall standings. Chris apparently did not play a major role. He was in the last bus, which came in past the 10% limit but which was granted an extra 2% of the winner's time, or about eight minutes, to make it in. Perhaps the team planned it that way (just hold your peace and save some strength in that last group) because with team leader Bradley Wiggins in the large escape group, Team Sky suddenly is back in contention for the overall, and being a decent climber, Chris may be able to help his leader in the mountains next week. I didn't watch today's stage either, but it made Chris happy, as witness his tweet after the race: "Great day in the sun with the guys today- actually the best so far this Giro...".

Froome Watch, VII

They continue to be eventful stages for Chris Froome and the other Giro riders. Lots of rain and flooded roads yesterday, and today and tomorrow two long stages. Three weeks of racing every day in these hectic and difficult conditions is a long time, and the worst may yet be to come. Before the race started, ten days ago in Amsterdam, everyone talked about how difficult the final week was going to be, thanks to a series of mountain stages. Few expected the first half of this event to be as hard as it turned out to be. Chris's tweet this morning gives an indication on what it looks like from inside the peloton: "230km for today's stage 10 and blue skies for the first time this #giro. Nearly half way. 262km tomorrow". Nearly half way, that's both good and bad news, I think. It didn't keep Chris and his teammates to spend long kilometers at the front of the peloton and provide other services to give their sprinter a chance at the end of the day.

Iran, NATO, and the Role of the West

I wanted to write, of course, about the apparent deal that Turkey and Brazil were able to strike over Iran's nuclear program today, a deal that has eluded the Western powers led by the United States. It is a good way to start pondering how international politics is changing. Another way to get at this is NATO's new strategic concept, a first draft of which was presented to NATO's secretary general today. NATO, chair of the drafting committee Madeleine Albright said, is a regional organization first, and it is not a global policeman. This points in the same direction as the Iran news, namely that the "West" such as it is (think also of the EU's current crisis) is no longer what it used to be in the world. But I just saw Dan Drezner's latest post on his blog, and it articulates just about everything I was going to say about it. So why don't you read that. In the meantime, I'll get ready for the briefing about the NATO paper by the vice-chair of the drafting committee, Dutchman Jeroen van der Veer, this Friday in The Hague-- so that I can report on it all here, of course.

Froome Watch, VI

Yes indeed, I'm following the Giro d'Italia. I'd pay attention anyway, but I've also met a rider, Chris Froome of the Sky Team, and now I have a little stake in the proceedings. So after a decent bit of work of my own this morning, what do I see when I turn on my television? It's number 175 doing his part (and then some) in a 17-man breakaway on the way to Terminillo. When the break hit the final climb of the day, it broke into pieces, and Chris wasn't among the leaders anymore. But he still managed to finish a little ahead of the likes of Pozzato and also hold off the bus. I think we'll see more of him before this race is over.

Froome Watch, V

Some stage today, not only because of the rain, but also, especially, because of the gravel roads (turned into muddy paths) in the final 30 kilometers. It was Tuscany, and it was pretty, but above all it was filthy and cold. No tweet yet from Chris, the Team Sky rider I met a week ago following his opening time trial in Amsterdam, who is probably still busy getting clean. He finished in a big bus, broken up into several parts, coming in between 24 and 25 minutes behind the winner. Not sure if days like this make the life of a professional cyclist exhilarating or excruciating. If it was just a group ride, it would probably be a great memory (though not necessarily pleasant to do), but this is work--a race, where ultimately only the result counts. In that sense, most guys in the pack probably would rather forget today's stage. We'll soon find out through the great Twitter machine.

More Afghanistan Stuff

Another difference between the U.S. and Diem era of the late '50s and early '60s and the U.S. and Karzai era today: an apparently straightforward military leader. General McCrystal, the U.S. commander for Afghanistan, talked about "progress" yesterday, but he added that as for now, nobody is winning. He made other candid statements in an interview well worth watching in its entirety.

Froome Watch, IV

The world is going so crazy over the Chris Froome watch that even the man himself has now taken note. No close watching yesterday or today, because I was on some longer rides myself that got me to the tv after the daily Giro broadcast ended. Chris lost a little time both days, but a lot less than many others, so now he's climbed in the overall standings. Watch for him to do more of that as the hillier stages develop. On Twitter, Chris has linked to the website of David Kinjah, who through his Safari Simbaz organization seeks to promote competitive cycling in Kenya, especially among kids. It's where Chris got his start (as a mountainbiker, before switching to the road after moving to South Africa). Tomorrow's stage is a long one, and it should be pretty: Tuscany.

Afghanistan Stuff

The Obama administration's relationship with the Karzai regime in Kabul continues to resemble Ike's and JFK's relationship with South Vietnam's Ngo Dhin Diem in the late 1950s and early 1960s, especially today. We know he's no good (corrupt, stubborn, impopular, generally ineffective), but don't see an alternative that's better in the circumstances. Having supported the man and said many nice things about him (primarily under Obama's predecessor, but still), it would damage our own credibility suddenly to declare our dependence on him a mistake. There is one difference, however: negotiations with the enemy, the subject of today's talks at the White House. In 1963, when there were signs that the Diem regime might be open to talks with the communist regime in Hanoi, it may have contributed to the Kennedy administration's willingness to have Diem replaced (what would become the November coup, in which Diem and his brother Nhu--the government's designated point person for contacts with the communists--were killed). Today, the discussion is not about whether talks should be conducted with certain Taliban, but how. They're different situations, but at least today we're recognizing that ultimately all the parties in Afghanistan are Afghans, and that they'll have to work things out together long after Western troops stop playing a major role in their country.
In the Netherlands there have been developments too, as explained last week by The Holland Bureau. The PvdA, the social democrats, now would be willing to support a new Dutch mission in Afghanistan, as long as the emphasis is on police (training) work. The social democrats, of course, were the ones who brought down the government earlier this year because, eh, well that depends on who you talk to. Over here, we've called it cynical, shortsighted, and selfish political opportunism, but more nuanced interpretations can be found also. In any case, only last month the party voted against a proposal by the Greens and the centrist D'66 to consider sending a police mission, on the grounds that so many military might be needed to protect these police people, that the end-result would be a military mission anyway. It was the party's foreign policy spokesman, Martijn van Dam (he of the "let's try unilateral nuclear disarmament again, just like in the 1980s!" idea) setting the tone here. But in response more serious people in the party have begun to weigh in. As Giles over at The Holland Bureau reported, new party leader Job Cohen has recently left the police mission option on the table. And yesterday in an interview in the Volkskrant (no link--only for subscribers) former party leader Ed van Thijn openly criticized the party's pulling the plug on the government last February over Afghanistan. Van Thijn does not, shall we say, find it credible to have been so rigid about the 2007 resolution to end the mission in 2010. There has come a new U.S. president, I'm paraphrasing his words, with a new strategy, and what is the meaning of all this professed support for Obama, what kind of ally this it make us, if you then just ignore all that and leave? Good question.

Froome Watch, III

I'm watching the team time trial, and just saw Chris Froome hanging on for dear life after about ten miles, not pulling through. The next time they showed the team, they were with only seven (one rider of the nine having fallen behind due to a flat early on), so perhaps he got dropped. The Flemish commentators have noted that the team had the fastest split at the half-way mark. But this may have been without my new friend.
Update: Chris Froome's team, Team Sky, finished second in today's team time trial, and it looks they could live with that. Here's Froome's tweet: "Running 2nd after an effort like that is just not as rewarding as it should be. Spirits high though. 2morrow a new day, a new opportunity!" It wasn't a very spectacular day, but if you looked at the faces of the riders, especially in the final kilometer, you realized how tough a team time trial is. Same with watching guys taking their place at the rear of the rotation after a turn at the front: that is a matter of centimeters, and if you're just a little late, you're gapped and you have to bring all hands on deck just to stay in contact. Problem is, those hands are on deck from mile one, so it can get desperate pretty quickly. In other words, there are still many worthwhile aspects to a day like this that can justify an hour or two in front of the television.

Froome Watch, II

Another hectic stage, which I was only able to watch intermittently on my computer. I never saw Chris, but it looks like he was a victim of the wind and the crashes. Not that he was the only one. He finished in the biggest group of the day, in the company of Petacchi and Pozzato, among many others, about eight minutes behind the winner of the day. As of almost 11pm, Chris hasn't twittered yet. I'm sure that's at least partly because right after the race, everyone had to get on planes to make the move to Italy, where the Giro belongs.
Update: Tweet from the rest day: "As great as the atmosphere was in Holland with such enthusiastic and friendly people, it's a relief to be back in Italy!" And who can blame him after the last two days?

Froome Watch, I

The Giro riders just passed through our town, Nederhorst den Berg, less than ten minutes ago. They were preceded by a four or five man breakaway, which meant that Christopher Froome's Team Sky had to set the pace, in order to defend team leader Bradley Wiggins' pink jersey. And who was at the very head of the peloton, doing his job? Yes indeed. Last night I sent him a warning over Twitter about the bumpy section of road right in front of our house, and it looks he took it to heart.
Update: Not really news for those who watched the stage into Utrecht, but here's Chris's Tweet after finishing 181st, 4.19 minutes behind the winner:
"That was absolute carnage!! Literally bodies EVERYWHERE"
Indeed, lots of ugly crashes. One of these, near the end, put Chris's leader, Wiggins, half a minute behind the lead pack, meaning that the hard work the team did at the head of the peloton all day to defend the pink jersey was for nothing.

Il Grande Giro

It has started, this afternoon here in Amsterdam, and I was a part of it--a little. It started this morning at our local bakery, which had prepared special pink Giro d'Italia strawberry cakes in honor of the race, which passes through here early in the second stage on Sunday. I got the last one. Then I rode over to Amsterdam to watch some of the prologue action and hopefully get on camera somewhere in my IS Corp kit so that my friends over in Milwaukee could see me. It was hard to find tv cameras, just like it was hard to find a good spot from where to watch the riders. While it was possible to find room along the guardrail, the crowds were easily big enough to make the good spots inaccessible, certainly by bike. So I rode alongside the course for a little ways, then checked out the start area on the Museum square. It was easy to get close to riders there, as the teams' warm-up areas were right alongside the public walking areas. No way could I get on camera near the start. What I should have done, I realized after watching the last twenty minutes of this prologue back home on t.v., was first to watch a little t.v. at home to see where the cameras were pointed, then ride to the city and find those spots. Oh well, I think I got something better in the end, after also checking out the finishing area, near the old Olympic stadium. It was crowded there too, although I did catch a glimpse of two-time winner Gilberto Simoni going through the final turn. But when I started back, there was a Team Sky rider going the same way, and we ended up riding back to the start area together. It was Chris Froome (I needed to ask) who, he said, had taken it easy on purpose. We got on the topic of the risks of the course as we maneuvered over some not entirely dry and treacherous tram rails. He said these tracks had been covered, mercifully, but that he had just taken a spill in the prologue of the Tour of Romandie due to risk-taking, and once was enough. (His cautious ride today was good for 138th place, 51 seconds out of first place, but one second ahead of former winner Damiano Cunego). We then, thanks to me, got on the subject of Matthew Busche, a member of the Radio Shack team (not here) who only a year ago was still on my old team, IS Corp, winning the Wisconsin state road race (a race I used to do until two years ago, though not in the elite category). Froome didn't know him but then talked about how in his own first season in Europe, on the Barloworld team, he got selected to do a lot of big races, including even the Tour de France. Working for Mauricio Soler he even managed to finish, although now he would not recommend introducing young guys to the peloton in this way. When I asked if we would see Soler again, he said he thought so, because his current team, Caisse d'Epargne, seems to be treating him pretty well. In his first year Froome did Paris-Roubaix too, but dropped out due to a mechanical with 50K to go (that might actually have been this year, I forget). He's in this Giro to help his leader, Bradley Wiggins, who is probably quietly hoping to contend for the overall victory. Looks like he's got his work cut out for him. The last thing we talked about was Froome's teammate, Ian Stannard, who isn't on the team for this race. I just had to tell him how awed I was by Stannard's performance in this year's so-called spring classic, Brussels-Kuurne-Brussels, where the riders, as became especially clear from Stannard's post-race interview on Flemish television, were, in Danny Chew's phrase, "brutally raped by the weather." Froome remembered that, and confirmed that Stannard had needed some time fully to recover. And with that, we had reached the Museum square, the location of the Team Sky team bus. I wished him luck as he turned off, promising to watch him closely the coming three weeks. (I should have warned him about the atrocious stretch of road right in front of our house in Nederhorst den Berg, which the peloton will hit during the first hour of tomorrow's second stage, but we ran out of time). As I'll be following the race closely on Flemish tv, I'll start a Froome watch here, starting tomorrow. Among other things, this will be the perfect excuse to tune in every day. Now all I've left to consider is whether to get on Twitter, so that I can follow Froome's tweets.

Security in the 21st Century

Without my knowing anything about it, there has occurred an international on-line "Security Jam" where experts from a number of organizations brainstormed (or maybe it was a bull session) about the new global security landscape. New York Times article here. Heavily leaning on Western experts, most of the focus was on NATO-EU collaboration. There appear to be fewer specifics on how other large countries such as Russia, China, India, and Brazil (all with a limited commitment to multilateralism) might approach this issue or Western leadership. Speaking of leadership, especially of the political kind, as in: the ability to take effective decisions at the appropriate time (relevant in light of EU dithering during the Greek financial crisis, an economic security threat if there ever was one), the report is remarkably quiet on that. Still, this seems to be a weakness of multilateral organizations such as NATO and the EU, to say nothing of the UN. On the one hand, they're fine mechanisms for consultation and common planning for long-term problems; whether they're good for handling acute crises unfortunately remains to be seen. Perhaps they can be, but it appears that for these organizations to be effective here, it would require political leaders to stand up, put their political capital on the table, and make some tough calls. The report of the Jam can be downloaded here.