Rob Morlock RAAM 2010

A Post-Race Conversation with Rob

2010-09-12T11:20:00.017-04:00

(Photo: Joe Murphy)

It took a little longer than planned, but here are some final thoughts from Rob about this year's RAAM experience.

Q: You completed your third Race Across America a couple of months ago. How do you feel? Any long-term effects?
Overall I felt very good during and after this RAAM. I was very surprised how quickly I recovered, and within two weeks after the race I actually had some motivation to go out and ride a little. The one area that did suffer was both my hands, especially my right one. During the last 500 miles of the race I started to experience both a tingling and numbing sensation (in my hands). I knew that I was doing some serious damage, but I only had another 35 hours to ride, so I continued forward and hoped for the best. When I returned home, I immediately went to the doctor, and within a few weeks, and after some therapy, I ended up having a carpal tunnel release surgery. The doctor feared permanent nerve damage. The fingers on my right hand are still numb (but getting better), and I still have trouble with fine motor skills. The doctor is hopeful that I should have a full recovery in 6-8 months.

Q: When will you get back on a bike?
Again, the doctor is hopeful for a full recovery in 6-8 months if I avoid putting further pressure on my hands (from the bike). I am going to follow his advice and stay off the bike, as I am totally committed to getting better. This will be difficult because I love the bike and the training lifestyle.

Q: You improved to your best finish ever - 7th - yet this was your slowest crossing ever. In fact, it seems like everyone was a lot slower than predicted (Jure Robic missed his goal by 24 hours) and there were a lot of people who dropped out. Were this year's course and conditions particularly hard?
In general, the course did not feel any more difficult than any other year. RAAM is always hard. It was 100 degrees in the desert the first day and the major climbs the second day up through Yarnell (AZ), Prescott, Cottonwood, also presented an early challenge. The high climbs of the Rockies on day three were also tough. This year Kansas was wet and cool, while I remember that in 2008 (and from reading reports of the 2009 race), Kansas was almost 100 degree everyday. I'm not sure what is worse, cold/wet, or hot/humid. I think Jure Robic did hit severe thunderstorms and pouring rain all through Colorado. That is a challenging component of this race, you can be a few hours behind (or ahead) of other riders, and experience totally different weather patterns - some in your favor, sometimes not. Regarding the drop rate: every year, and history shows that 50 percent who start RAAM will drop out. So I think the numbers were about the same for this year as well.

Q: If you could change anything about your execution of the race, what would it be?
Tough question. After five attempts at this race I always look back and say: "Did I start too hard or too slow?" I have to say that this year I felt exceptionally fit, and ready to go right from the beginning. With that said, I went out hard and fast. I think that I did 437 miles the first 24 hours, and 605 miles after the first 36 hours (this was also the time of my first sleep break).

When I woke up near Tuba City, AZ, I found myself in 3rd place overall. This was very exciting and motivating news, and I continued to ride hard. My RAAM strategy was always to get as many miles in before your body starts to "decay" rapidly. I continued with a good pace and some of the riders who I "beat" to eastern Colorado started to pass me. One example, the Australian rider, Matthew Warner-Smith and I rode near each other well into Colorado, and when he passed me I never had the "gas" to catch him again. Warner-Smith went on to place 3rd overall, and he seemed to ride conservative in the beginning, and I did not. I remember back in 2000 I rode very slow the first 48 hours in an attempt to save something for later. When later came (2000 miles into the race), I still felt like I was just didn't have the horsepower to make up time that I lost in the beginning. That is the diabolical challenge of RAAM: It's very difficult to nail down the perfect formula for an effective time across the United States.

Q: You talked a little to the RAAM media team about the sleep deprivation-induced hallucinations this year. Were they worse, not as bad or about the same as past RAAMs?
Great subject matter. My hallucinations on RAAM are legendary (at least in my own eyes and brain). Dating back to my very first RAAM in 1996, as sleep deprivation set in, I started to see the vegetation and rock formations along the road take on human-like forms. For example, some of the weeds, or vegetation that grows along the shoulder and onto the pavement takes on a form of a green, leafy, plant-like shoe, or as they were coined in 1996: "elf shoes".

These elf shoes are perfectly lined-up along the white line for miles, and miles. It is not uncommon for me to point them out to the crew as the race wears on. Also, the trees along the sides of the road start to look like big, leafy people, slowly moving towards me on the bike. The funny thing is that for all five of my RAAM's these images have basically remained the same.

Q: Talk about the crew. It seems like they were really on the ball this year.
Yes the crew was awesome. I have been very fortunate to have great support teams for all my ultra races, but this year's crew was very special. There was a bond right from the start out in Oceanside, CA. From the bike it appeared that everyone became very close and friendly with one another. As a result everyone worked well with one another and there was always a good feel when they dealt all the issues that the race can present. There was a great blend of veterans and rookies on the team, and the age range was 18 to 60 years old. Everyone seemed to compliment and respect each other, and we had a million laughs.

Q: You seemed like you really enjoyed the race most of the way. Other than the last day, when all racers are just exhausted, was there any other point in the race that you just hated?
Not really, I felt very motivated and engaged for most of the race. I really tried to just ride my race and not complain too much. It is difficult to whine and cry about the race after I've voluntarily spent the last 15+ years training and preparing to race in RAAM. No one is holding a gun to my head to do this race, and the motivating factors have come from within, so I did not want to put the crew on the spot and complain too much. RAAM is such an awesome event in anyone's life and I truly had a ride of a lifetime. I really felt like the crew enjoyed most of the race as well.

Q: How much of a motivator was the memory of your mom and raising money for the Lance Armstrong Foundation?
This was a huge. Countless, countless times during the race I called on the many great memories that I had with my mother over the years. I am getting choked up now just thinking about her. When times were tough out there, I would think of her, and how she suffered during her last few months as she lost her fight to cancer. My physical issues were minor (and temporary) compared to what she had to deal with. During the race the crew would inform me how folks back home were donating money to such a great cause (the LAF), and his always put a smile on my face. Also, as many of you know, the night before we left for California to start the race, one of my co-workers, Officer. Don Hassiak was hit and killed while riding his bike to work. This really affected me, and I often thought about Donnie and his family during the race.

Q: Some long-time high school friends came out to see you on the course in Colorado and Maryland. Was that a motivator?
It was awesome and very thoughtful that people took the time out their busy lives to come out on the course and visit me. My high school girlfriend drove three hours (each way) to meet me in Trinidad, CO. I remember riding (into Trinidad) at 8:00 AM on a rainy Sunday morning and Julie and her husband were standing there waiting for me. I stopped, brushed my teeth, and changed my shoe covers. I felt bad because the visit only lasted 10 minutes or so, and I wanted to talk a little longer. Another time in Maryland, and on the last night of the race, Robin Gonzales and her husband came out to see me as well. I was tired, it had just rained, and it was a real boost to see some familiar faces. At this same time, my wife Kate, and her sister, Michelle, and the official Team Morlock/RAAM blogger, Bill Baker arrived. What a treat this was to see my wife after a nine-day absence. We could barely hold back the tears of excitement when we embraced in the parking lot of a grocery store time station in Hancock, MD. They leap-frogged me from Maryland to the finish, and even though I complained a lot, they supported me to the end.

Q: The planning, the training, the logistics and the race itself seem just overwhelming. Was this your last RAAM? Will you continue to race in other ultra-distance races?
Wow, isn't that the truth! All those things (training, logistics, the race, etc.) are so so time consuming. Historically, I have always have been very hands-on in all of the race logistics. I am very involved in all the preparations, including the van, RV, flight reservations, crew selections, sponsor liaison, bike and van set-up, and on and on. I have been criticized for being too involved, but I have learned over the years that I really enjoy every facet of the race, and this includes all the events that occur in the background before and after the event.

Of course, I really love the training. Every since Bill Baker introduced me to my first real "racing" bike almost 25 years ago, I have been hooked. No other hobby or activity even comes close to the passion that I have for cycling, and especially ultra-marathon cycling.

I am the type of person that needs a "project" in my life. If it is not RAAM, then it is working around our house, manicuring each and every blade of grass.

So, let me just say this: I love RAAM! I have been having a love affair with this race ever since the mid-80's when I first saw it on ABC's Wide World of Sports. After watching it year to year, I remember telling my mom that one day I want to race in RAAM. Of course, she said "Oh Rob, I think you should." If I am not racing, I have been known to drive to the finish line to get my fix. But, with all that said, this was my last RAAM. The nerve compression that I sustained to my hand this time really has scared me as to the types of serious injuries that sitting on a bike for 10 days can inflict on one's body. I will, however, continue to race in ultra-distance races. In fact, and depending how my hand responds, I have plans to race in the 850 miler RAW (Race Across the West). The RAW starts with RAAM in California and ends in Durango, CO. I am very excited about this one, 850 miles is a good distance (for me) to "race", and still experience all the joys of ultra-distance cycling. I will also continue to race in other 12/24 hour, and 500 mile events. I still feel strong and very motivated to race.

Q: As a three-time RAAM finisher, do you have any advice to an aspiring solo RAAM rider out there?
I have plenty advice that I would love to share. Occasionally I do get emails from young aspiring RAAM hopefuls out there seeking tips, which I love by the way! Anyone out there reading this, and you have any questions about RAAM and/or ultra cycling, please email me at raam542[at]live.com. I would be more than happy to help anyone out. In the meantime, here is some quick advice: train smart and build a good mileage base, get properly fitted on your bicycle, choose your saddles, shoes, and pedals carefully, dial in your nutrition (find a product like Spiz and use it during training and racing), and most of all commit yourself to the sport. There are no shortcuts in ultra-cycling, and it is not for everyone. There is nothing like it in life.

One more important thing, save your money (and/or get some good sponsors), because RAAM is expensive! Enjoy the journey!

Interview with Rob in the Danbury News-Times

2010-07-05T09:01:00.000-04:00

A nice post-race conversation with Rob in today's paper.

We're still planning to post our own Q&A with Rob here, as promised. I'm just waiting for Rob to wake up from his three-week long nap.

Finish Photos

2010-06-21T21:07:00.000-04:00

Team Morlock

Podium Interview

Smoochin' Kate

Just before he threw his bike into the sea

The Danbury PD Contingent

RAAM Tan Man

Finish Video

2010-06-21T20:47:00.000-04:00

A Post Race Post

2010-06-20T21:41:00.005-04:00

I am writing this post on June 14, 2010 at 10:30 PM. Rob is riding through Kansas and looking strong.

I have no idea how, when or if Rob will make it to the finish line. I hope he does, and I think he will, but if he doesn't, so what.

He has already accomplished so much in the preparation and execution of this race. The miles he's ridden in a handful of days are more than most people will ride in a lifetime.

He has raised more than a thousand dollars for a good cause.

He managed to convince 12 smart and busy people with lives and careers and families to drop everything and sit in a van for more than a week and follow him across the country, getting little sleep and eating bad food.

He must be a pretty decent fellow.

This was an important RAAM for Rob and he has acquitted himself well. I'll stack up Rob's character, courage and convictions to do well and do good against most professional athletes in the world today.

Regardless of when you are reading this - June 15, 16, 17 - or soon after Rob crossed the finish line in Annapolis, I'll say again (as I did after the 2008 race) how proud I am to tell - no brag - to anyone who will listen:

"Let me tell you about my best friend and what he did one week in June 2010. It was quite something."

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***June 20, 2010 - 9:30 PM UPDATE***

Of course, since I drafted (but did not publish) that post nearly a week ago, Rob did what he does and finished 7th today - moving up the leader board by one position over his RAAM finishes in '96 and '00.

It was awe-inspiring watching him cross the finish line this afternoon. He bitched about how bad he felt for the last 100 miles (and I am sure he did, in fact, feel awful), but he looked fantastic the whole day.

(And that $1,000+ figure for money raised for the Lance Armstrong Foundation is now $2,815. Who knows - we may yet push it over $3,000!)

This evening, a few of us brought Wendy's take-out back to the room and Rob feasted with abandon - a post-race tradition for him.

If past is prelude, tonight will be a rough night, as his metabolism is still operating as if he were on the bike burning 12,000 calories per day. He will want to sleep, but will wake up every hour or two with crazy hunger pains as his body continues to crave energy.

Keep checking back on this blog every now and then for the next week or two. We'll post more videos, photos and a final post race Q&A with Rob so you can hear out of his own mouth how he felt about the race.

Thanks for reading and following Rob on his journey and helping him across the finish line.

The Aftermath

2010-06-20T17:36:00.000-04:00

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The Medal

2010-06-20T17:33:00.000-04:00

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The Gang

2010-06-20T16:14:00.000-04:00

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He's in!

2010-06-20T15:57:00.000-04:00

Done.
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OK NOW on his way

2010-06-20T15:37:00.001-04:00

15 minutes.
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Waiting for escort

2010-06-20T15:25:00.001-04:00

Another 20 Minutes. But Rob has officially finished in 10 days 23 hours 20 minutes
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About 10 minutes

2010-06-20T15:06:00.001-04:00

Standing by...
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We're jumping ahead to the finish.

2010-06-20T14:21:00.001-04:00

We'll be able to smell him when he reaches TS 54.
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Nice tailwind...

2010-06-20T14:18:00.001-04:00

...pushing Rob in.
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"Never Again..."

2010-06-20T13:56:00.001-04:00

...say Rob. This time there were six witnesses, including two law enforcement officers.
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ALMOST HOME!

2010-06-20T13:30:00.001-04:00

About 20 miles
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REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-20-2010 9:00 AM EDT

2010-06-20T09:06:00.002-04:00

Just hung up the phone with "Deputy Crew Chief" Luis Ramos and he says Rob is riding like a man who is motivated to finish a 3,005 bike race. Everyone is in good spirits as they move toward Mt. Airy, MD.

Luis says that Rob appears ready to do whatever it takes to ride straight in without a break today, so they made up a "special breakfast cocktail" of Coca-Cola, No-Doz, chocolate-covered espresso beans, Red Bull, Mountain Dew, automatic transmission fluid and kitty litter. Hey - whatever works.

A word about day crew: Remember a couple of days ago when I had all those nice things to say about night crew? Well, it was total crap to keep them motivated. The REAL heroes are DAY CREW - Mike Perron, Bob Conrad and Luis, who have to put up with traffic and heat. Just ask night crew. They'll be the first to admit that every night on shift is like a walk on a Caribbean beach and that day crew is where the action is.

So day crew, day crew they're our men. If they can't do it, nobody can!

(Happy Mike?)

I'm about to head out onto the course with Kate and Michelle and I'll post some quick updates via the BlackBerry.

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-20-2010 3:00 AM EDT

2010-06-20T03:12:00.000-04:00

Just to elaborate a little more on the previous post: Another friend from high school, Robin Gonzales and her husband Dave, joined me as we drove out to see Rob as he was riding into Hancock, MD. We caught up with him just as he was near the top of the last and worst of four massive climbs in the section of RAAM that race organizers say is the toughest of the entire race.

I simply could not believe how good he looked and how fast he was riding up that hill. It was truly something to see. Dave, who is quite a cyclist in his own right, echoed my sense of awe at how Rob was doing.

At the time station in Hancock, we met up with Rob's wife Kate and her sister Michelle, and visited with Rob for about five minutes before he took a break.

According to night crew driver Mike Desilet, Rob has been dodging weather bullets for the entire race. It happened again tonight. Almost as soon as he went into the motor home, the skies opened up. By the time he was ready to ride again, it was 10 degrees cooler and there was not a cloud in sight. (I think it's his mom running the show up there...)

We had a small fire drill (which Rob will not know about until he reads this): the battery on the pace van was dead. We could not get the van re-started, despite a jump start from my car. Motor home driver Javier Lowe checked the water level in the battery and it was bone-dry. We couldn't find any distilled water at 11:30 at night and AAA was not able to get us a new battery, so we just dumped some Poland Spring into the battery, jumped it again from my car and Rob was back in business.

RAAM is a thousand little fires like that, and this crew is so calm, cool and collected, it's almost eerie. That, or they are just so dog-tired, nothing can get their blood pressure up.

This is night crew's last shift. In a few hours, they will transition and day crew of Mike Perron, Bob Conrad and Luis Ramos will take Rob into Annapolis.

I hope to capture video and post it later Sunday evening. No promises as I am using a borrowed video camera (forgot mine, thanks AGAIN, Dave and Robin.)

Today will be a great day!

UPDATE FROM THE ROAD - 6-19-2010, 11:30 PM EDT

2010-06-20T00:33:00.001-04:00

Live from Hancock, MD, it's Saturday Night Live!

I am typing this on my BlackBerry. Not easy.

Rob ripped through the toughest climbs like it was day 2. It was amazing to watch. A couple of friends joined me out on the course to cheer Rob on. Thank you Robin and Dave!

About 170 miles to go.
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In Hancock, MD

2010-06-19T21:51:00.001-04:00

Heading out to find Rob.
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REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-19-2010 4:20 PM EDT

2010-06-19T16:40:00.001-04:00

Rob reached TS 47, Keyser, WV at 4:10 PM after some brutal climbing in pretty warm and humid conditions. Just spoke with Tom Wendel on the shuttle crew and he is going to take another break and then head toward Cumberland, MD, followed by what is widely regarded (by the race organizers) as the hardest section of the entire RAAM course: the section between Cumberland and Hancock.

According to Tom, Rob still has good snap in his legs (how is this even possible?) when he was going up the last few climbs.

At the last Time station, Szonyi had closed the gap on Rob to about an hour.

I just arrived in Annapolis and will soon be heading in Rob's general direction. If all goes according to plan, I hope to catch up with Rob and the guys on the road between Cumberland and Hancock, some time between now and 10:00 PM.

I think Rob's finish is more likely to be between 3-8 PM tomorrow.

Almost home, Robbie

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-19-2010 8:20 PM EDT

2010-06-19T08:42:00.000-04:00

Remember the fight scenes in the "Rocky" movies when, at some point, Sylvester Stallone and his opponent du jour are basically just standing there, half out of their minds, sort of punching each other whenever they can muster the strength to lift an arm?

Well, that's pretty much what RAAM is like at this stage of the race.

Spoke with the "A Team" (aka day crew) just a few minutes ago and everything is pretty much as it has been for the past 36 hours in that Rob is riding well, punctuated by waves of fatigue. So, he takes a break, recharges, and jumps back on the bike.

Crew chief Mike Perron says that he is, once again, attacking the hills today, and that's good, because he has a few more to climb before it's all over.

When will he finish? At this point, I would predict between 8:00 AM and noon Sunday, but, again, that could go either way depending on what he does today and tonight.

He has another racer about 90 minutes behind him, so that should be a motivating factor.

Can Rob catch Kaiser, the guy ahead of him? It's unlikely unless Kasier has a meltdown because he is about 60 miles ahead of Rob and there is a "10 percent" theory in RAAM that says you can never make up more than 10 percent on the guy in front of you. Rob has about 340 miles to go, which means Kaiser would have to be 30 miles or less in front of Rob for Rob to have a shot at catching him.

So now, it's about maintaining and taking it into the finish.

Speaking of which, I am heading there this morning, so this will be my last blog post for a while. I am going to head out onto the course to see Rob and the guys, and try to blog from my mobile, including photos. Not sure it will work, but check back later this afternoon.

Woo Hoo!

2010-06-18T21:30:00.000-04:00

Photo by Mike Desilet

"Smell the Barn"

2010-06-18T21:19:00.002-04:00

When RAAM racers are in the final day or so, they say they can "smell the barn." It means they're getting close.

Rob smells the barn. (It smells, not surprisingly, a lot like he does right about now.)

I just hung up with night crew cool guy Mike Desilet and he says that they stuck to last night's tactic of giving Rob a bit of a rest right around transition and then sending him on his way for the night.

These next 24 hours can be brutal for Rob and the crew. It's sort of obvious why this is so for Rob, but why the crew?

First, they are pretty tired themselves. Second, sometimes Rob rides like it's day two, other times he can barely get out of his own way. It is these low points that can be agonizing to watch for the crew.

Speaking of the night crew, if I am not mistaken, with the exception of one night when Jeff Sturges swapped out, these guys have gone straight through the race as a single unit. Joe Muprhy, Jeff and Mike are night crew GODS and, if there was any money whatsoever in this silly sport, they could hire out their total crew awesomeness to future RAAM riders. Though I suspect now that they've done it, they will both cherish the experience and want to purge it from their memory.

RAAM is unlike any other race in the world. It dishes out some of the worst punishment imaginable in sports, which brings out the best - in the riders, and the crews. And based on what I've observed from my perch here in Connecticut, this may be Rob's best and smartest crew ever.

I hope they are savoring the smell of that barn.

Video from the Road: Rob Climbs in Ohio

2010-06-18T16:12:00.002-04:00

*REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-18-2010 3:45 PM EDT

2010-06-18T15:46:00.001-04:00

Ridin' down the highway, goin' to a show.
Stop in all the by-ways, playin' rock 'n' roll.
Gettin' ROBbed, gettin' stoned,
Gettin' beat up, broken boned.
Gettin' had, gettin' took.
I tell you folks, it's harder than it looks.
It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock 'n' roll.
- AC/DC

So here we are, nine days into the race, and Rob has completed about 2,545 miles, or 282 miles per day. As we mentioned this year's course with the different climbs in Colorado, combined with the ferocious head winds through that section, has caused every single racer to re-evaluate their plans and expectations. In fact, given the conditions, I think Rob is actually ahead of where we might expect. Were it not for the full day of headwinds, he might be 8-9 hours further up the road, so 282 miles/day is simply fantastic.

But, it's all academic. All these racers are facing the same conditions and you play the cards you are dealt. In fact, I find the whole notion of setting a course record in RAAM to be a very curious thing. Robic's desire to break eight days in a RAAM is laudable, but maybe not all that practical.

Why?

The course changes every few years. Dramatically. Rob has done California to Georgia, Oregon to Florida and now California to Maryland. Entirely different routes.
The distances change. RAAM 1996, Rob's first, was 2,905 miles - 100 miles shorter than this year. At the speeds these guys are averaging, that means this year's race is 6-10 hours longer.
The conditions change: Rain, sleet, wind, heat, you name it.
The competition changes.

Sure, some of these apply to every endurance race, but the Boston Marathon (for example) is always on the same course. At least you have apples-to-apples there.

This is why the RAAM organization actually notes two records: one for speed (Pete Penseyres, in 1986 at 15.4 mph) and one for time (Rob Kish, in 1992, at 8 days, 3 hours, 11 minutes.)

Bottom line: For anyone to ever break either of these records, lots of planets have to line up just perfectly. This was not that year.

But if it was easy, we would all be doing RAAM.
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Note: I will be going AWOL from the blog for a few hours. Back around 9:00 PM.

Word From Sal Dicello: "The Secret Ingredients are 'Ginger' and a Friendly 'Wave'"

2010-06-18T14:46:00.001-04:00

Team Morlock crew member Sal Dicello and I spoke this afternoon. He commented how completely different this year's race has been for Rob compared with 2008 (in a good way, obviously).

In Sal's opinion, motor home crew members Ginger Gagliardo and Wave Smith are two of the many positive factors that have contributed to this year's effort.

Ginger is new to Rob's crew this year. She is a licensed massage therapist and has been providing leg massages every night as Rob goes down to sleep. This has helped in (at least) two ways:

1. Rob gets to sleep faster
2. His legs recover faster and he gets going more quickly when he wakes up and gets back on the bike.

She is quite the hero. She is the only woman among a band of 11 men, all of whom have memorized the most important parts of the "FCC v. Pacifica" Supreme Court decision. These are cops and firefighters and war veterans and college dudes, gentlemen all, but they're guys.

Luckily, Ginger spent a good chunk of time with Wave Smith, who is about a solid a RAAM crew member as there has ever been. Wave has driven the pace van and the bikes out to the start of all five of Rob's RAAMs, and this year decided to take the trip back as part of the crew as well.

Wave is funny, smart and about as easy-going as anyone can be.

Ginger and Wave are a huge part of why Rob is where he is right now.

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-18-2010 1:25 PM EDT

2010-06-18T13:38:00.000-04:00

Rob is on the road to Athens, OH. The guys tell me that these are some rolling hills which, when Rob is out for an easy 200 miler in Connecticut, he would attack at 18-20 mph. Obviously, he is dosing things out to ensure some gas in the tank for West Virginny.

Right now, Mike Perron says that the sun is pretty warm (~85) and that can both tap strength and make Rob sleepy, so they are keeping a close eye on him. On the other hand, Mike says that every time Rob hits one of the uphills, he "attacks" it.

This is how it is going to be through the weekend. I still think a Sunday morning finish is in the cards. The specific time depends on how much "attacking" Rob decides to do between now and then.

I will be heading down to Annapolis for the finish and plan to head out onto the course to see Rob tomorrow night and on into the finish. As a result, there may be some gaps between posts to this blog, as blogging and driving do not mix (or so my wife tells me.)

Also - there have been some more course changes from race HQ in Ohio and into West Virginia, so if it looks like Rob is off the grid, fear not. All is good.

Some Nice Emails to Share

2010-06-18T12:23:00.000-04:00

A couple of emails that came in this morning.

From Julie, who drove from Denver to Trinidad to see Rob last weekend:
"ROB IS A ROCKSTAR! I am so happy that he is in the position to fulfill so many of his goals this RAAM. Give him a big hug for me in Annapolis!

(Note to Julie: Remember how he smelled in Trinidad? Well multiply that by about a bazillion, so there will be very little hugging in Annapolis. Sorry.)

From my mother-in-law, Jane:
Rob is our focus this week, and these last two days particularly. May the muses and the Lord and his mom in the heavens and Kate's love and the devotion of his many friends and admirers give him the physical and mental strength to finish this superhuman event for which he has so arduously trained and carefully prepared. He deserves a grand finale. May he reap it!

An Interesting Aside...

2010-06-18T11:05:00.000-04:00

Jure Robic, from Slovenia, is poised to win RAAM today.

As we speak, the U.S. is losing 2-1 to Slovenia in the World Cup.

Hurry up, Rob.

In case you are wondering...

2010-06-18T10:58:00.002-04:00

...There have been some course changes in this section of Ohio. All is good.

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-18-2010 9:25 AM EDT

2010-06-18T09:50:00.000-04:00

Just spoke with crew chief Mike Perron. It's a bit of a broken record, but Rob is riding steady and feeling good.

He spoke with his wife, Kate, this morning. He called because today is their wedding anniversary. That alone says he's sharp, considering I can't remember when mine is and I had a full night's sleep last night.

Kate also says that "...Rob is very excited at the fact that he has only 500 miles or so left in the race. We talked about the big climbs ahead and I suggested that he just “get mad at it” (to quote Bullhead). One more good sign (I think!?) – he initiated the end of the call so that he could get riding again. So he is back on the bike!"

The next 24 hours will be interesting.

GOOOOOOOOOOOD MORNING OHIO!!!

2010-06-18T08:51:00.000-04:00

Haven't spoken to the pace van yet today, but an overnight email from Mike Desilet on the night crew says that Rob actually passed a relay team rider last night! That's just not right!

His overnight progress was nothing short of spectacular. He reached TS 42, Blanchester, OH, at 6:00 AM and as I type, he is almost halfway to Chillicothe.

Until I speak to the van in a few, enjoy this video, starring Rob, from the RAAM organization. (Thanks to Noah Bessette and the Vermont Fan Club for sending the link.)

One last thing...

2010-06-17T22:48:00.000-04:00

I have collected a lot of the comments to this blog and to the Facebook fan page and sent them to the night crew to read to Rob over the PA. Your words of support will definitely be appreciated and help him though the night. I'll send more tomorrow.

Please note, however, that at this time, Rob is not accepting the following:

- Marriage proposals (actually, he's set on this one for life)
- Invitations to the White House or Buckingham Palace (the whole "U.S. versus BP" thing is a bit dodgy)
- Product endorsement offers (Naked Nuggets excepted)
- Bras thrown at him (they get caught in the spokes)
- Invitations to go for a bike ride when he gets back to Danbury (But we are planning a big "bike burning bonfire" next week in the back yard, after which he takes up lawn bowling.)

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-17-2010 10:00 PM EDT

2010-06-17T22:21:00.002-04:00

Whoops. I read the data wrong. A couple of posts ago, I said that Robic would finish tonight. It looks like he will finish tomorrow (Friday) afternoon some time. Sorry about that.

It is worth mentioning only to point out how truly hard this year's race has been. Robic was looking to break eight days. He is going to miss that by almost 20 hours. That kind of says it all.

Back to Rob: He took a break in Greensburg at TS 40. The crew thought it would be a good idea to recharge his batteries for the night ahead and Rob agreed. It appears Szonyi had the same idea, so he really didn't pick up that much time on Rob.

As previously mentioned, the sleep breaks from here to the finish become a bit of "trial and error" scenario. One long break before the final push? Or dose it out with mini-naps over the next 36 hours.

It will largely depend on how Rob feels and the crew's analysis of his physical and mental performance. These last few hundred miles are about staying on the bike and moving, but not at the expense of safety or not finishing at all. Rob told the crew that he just wants to finish. That's the most important thing to him right now.

I just hung up the phone with night crew mechanic Joe Murphy who says the break at TS 40 did Rob a world of good. There is some tough terrain right now with steep uphills and screaming downhills and Rob is on top of his game.

Mike Perron will rejoin day crew tomorrow for the push into the weekend finish.

It will be exciting to watch.

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-17-2010 6:20 PM EDT

2010-06-17T18:38:00.005-04:00

Well, that wasn't fun. Lots of traffic and a 27 mile gradual climb into time station 40, Greensburg, Indiana, home of... well... other than time station 40, I'm not really sure. From here, Rob has about 3.5 hours to the Ohio border.

The next 36 hours will be critical for Rob. Sleep decisions will be weighed against how he feels and a desire to pick up as many miles as possible. It's a very thin line that only Rob can truly navigate, but his crew will always make sure any decision are made with his safety in mind.

I think it's safe to say that, barring a blow up from Strebel, Kaiser or O'Keefe, Rob will not contend for sixth place. Anything is possible however, and while I would never wish anything bad on any of the other RAAM competitors, racers have had meltdowns in the late stages of RAAM. One of the most famous was a guy name Mark Patten, who in 1999, dropped out at the 2,788 mile mark. His team could not get him back on the bike.

In this race, anything can happen right up until the very end. Rob sure knows this. The best strategy for him is to keep maintaining this steady, solid pace, leave something in the tank for the grinding climbs in West Virginia and Maryland, stay safe and let the chips fall where they may.

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-17-2010 4:00 PM EDT

2010-06-17T16:11:00.000-04:00

I was burned out from exhaustion, buried in the hail
Poisoned in the bushes and blown out on the trail;
Hunted like a crocodile ravaged in the corn,
"Come in," she said, "I'll give you shelter from the storm."
- Bob Dylan

At 3:48 PM EDT, Rob passed through the 2,323 mile mark, giving him an average of 290 miles per day. Cool!

The pace van crew (three Danbury cops today, BTW), tell me that he is focused and is now asking about finishing day and times. I told Luis that I am sticking with Sunday finish, though it's still too soon to pinpoint a time. Could Rob still finish late Saturday night? Sure, but it would take a pretty heroic effort.

As an aside - I am enjoying the current race for 4th, 5th and 6th place between Thomas Strebel, Kevin Kaiser and Tony O'Keefe. At TS 41, they were separated by less than an hour. That'll lead to some motivation (and stress) heading into the last 600 miles!

Also, it looks like Jure Robic has the win locked up and will probably come in some time between 11:00 PM - 2:00 AM tonight.

Rob is currently battling for 7th, with Hungarian rider Ferenc Szonyi about two hours behind him at TS 39. Rob's two RAAM finishes, in '96 and '00, were both 8th place. I know it is motivating him to better that by (at least) one place.

Can you imagine the notion of actually racing after 2,300 miles? Oy!

A Note From the Lance Armstrong Foundation

2010-06-17T15:19:00.000-04:00

I received this email moments ago from the great people at the Lance Armstrong Foundation:

Rob,

Just want you to know that staff at the LIVESTRONG HQ is cheering you on from Austin. This ride and what you are doing is truly amazing and it embodies what LIVESTRONG means! Thanks so much for all that you do and we are grateful for your fundraising efforts, which are a great support in the global fight against cancer.

Colleen O'Farrell
LIVESTRONG Foundation

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-17-2010 1:45 PM EDT

2010-06-17T14:06:00.002-04:00

Rob reached the Bloomington, IN, time station at 1:40 PM EDT. It was a long stretch (67 miles) into Bloomington, with some pretty nasty little climbs and a general uphill profile. The next time station - Greensburg, IN, is also a bit of a slog at 63 miles, with some short, steep hills and a steady uphill for the last 20 miles. Forty-six miles after Greensburg, Rob crosses into Ohio.

Luis Ramos (day crew navigator) says that this last stretch into Bloomington had a lot of traffic, stop lights and stop signs. That can be VERY annoying for a RAAM racer at this stage in the race because it's hard enough to get comfortable on the bike and as soon as he does settle in, he has to change gears, click out of the pedals, stop, put his foot down, lose momentum and then start all over again.

On the other hand, it gives him something to focus on and bitch about, rather than all the other stuff that's annoying him at this point in the race (like the hills, the heat, the food, the crew, the bike, the road, the wind, the saddle sores, the stiff neck, the swollen feet, the inability to shave or bathe, the canker sores, the utter exhaustion, the road kill, the potholes, BP, the North Korean soccer team and Lindsay Lohan.)

So, there's that.

(Who wants to give this a try next year?)

A Word About Dads

2010-06-17T12:26:00.004-04:00

Rob in Illinois, June 16, 2010
(Photo from RAAM web site)

Rob will likely finish on Father's Day. Rob's dad, known to family, friends and business associates alike as "Bullhead" (the name says it all), passed away several years ago. In some ways, Rob could not be more different than his dad, and yet, what else beside "Bullhead" would you call someone who insists on racing a bicycle across the country in 10 days?

My dad died 45 minutes after Father's Day, six years ago. In many ways, my dad and Rob were nothing alike either, in that my father would have rather set himself on fire than ride a bicycle 20 feet or do any kind of substantive exercise (perhaps because he was always slim and trim.)

Yet my father was one of Rob's biggest fans. I remember when we went to see Rob at one of the annual charity hockey games between the Danbury PD and the fire department. We went down to the ice to say "hi" to Rob. At that point, he had played almost every minute, was bleeding in a couple of places and had a broken finger (I think.) Rob greeted my dad with a big smile and hearty handshake before going back onto the ice and knocking some firefighter into the boards.

My dad got a huge kick out of that. Of course he was always impressed with Rob's RAAM exploits. Like Bullhead, my dad never quite understood why Rob did RAAM, but I think both of them got how much it meant to him.

One classic Bullhead moment that some of you have heard many times: In 1988, Rob did an Ironman triathlon on Cape Cod (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run). As Rob was leaving to drive to the race, his dad offers this classic piece of strategic wisdom:

"Robbie - find the guy who is supposed to win, stick with him, and then pass him just before the finish line."

Still the best race advice I have ever heard!

I'll be thinking about my dad and Bullhead as Rob gets closer to a Father's Day finish.

A Blast From the Past

2010-06-17T11:37:00.000-04:00

Let's take a quick trip down memory lane, all the way back to... last Friday. This video was shot by crew chief Mike Perron, who at that point was still moderately coherent and knew how to hold his video camera in the proper orientation. (He just sent this to me overnight, BTW.)

We can see why Rob likes riding out west.

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-17-2010 9:30 AM EDT

2010-06-17T09:53:00.002-04:00

Welcome to Eastern Daylight Time, Rob. Now your watch and your location are back in sync, so you no longer have to try to figure out how to re-set it. We all know how that was driving you nuts for the past 2,200 miles.

So, Rob is sticking to his schedule of sleep every night at about the same time, which seems to be working for him. The crew has done a great job of adjusting both the duration and the time of his sleep breaks to maximum advantage.

At this pace, I am sticking to a finish prediction of some time between midnight and 8:00 AM Sunday morning, which would be great because I am planning on having brunch in Annapolis on Sunday around 11:00 AM and it would be so irritating if he interrupted that.

According to the day crew (which, by the way, now includes Javier Lowe, who has moved into the pace van from the motor home, obviously wanting to experience some of the glamor of mixing Spiz and helping Rob go to the bathroom), he gets a bit sleepy again around 7:00 AM every day, but a breakfast that includes some Coca-Cola chases the cobwebs away.

Rob just asked me to crunch some 24-hour split numbers for him and he sounded fully engaged and anxious to crank out some miles (and to get out of Indiana where, unless you are dribbling a basketball while you ride, they don't really care all that much about bicycle racing.)

***EDITOR'S NOTE***
The staff and management of this blog disavow any hostility toward the good citizens of Indiana from the author of this blog post. We are well aware that the greatest bicycling movie EVER - "Breaking Away" - takes place in Indiana. The author of this blog is both misinformed and a geographical snob who thinks that civilization ends at the western bank of the Hudson River.

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-16-2010 8:45 PM EDT

2010-06-16T21:04:00.002-04:00

Lots to report:

Rob is making really good, steady progress. Everyone - day crew, night crew, Kate (via phone) - all say he looks and sounds great.
He seems to have gotten into a great pace/rhythm with regard to sleep breaks and how his rest cycles are affecting his riding. He is steady with solid average speeds. I don't want to say too much here about strategy, but I like the way the numbers are trending.
He is VERY psyched that he has less than 900 miles to go. It seems to be giving him a second wind.
Within the hour, I expect the first relay teams to pass him on the road. These teams go by like a freight train, as I described on this blog during the 2008 race and what happened in RAAM 1996. Great little anecdote about the "community" of ultra-distance racers.
When he hits Indiana tomorrow, he'll be in the eastern time zone.
Mike Desilet (night crew driver extraordinaire) relayed a really nice story that happened earlier today: As you know (because of my constant haranguing), Rob is raising money for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. You may have also noticed in many of the photos that he has been wearing one of the yellow "Livestrong" bracelets, which he says keeps his mom constantly in his thoughts.

The bracelet broke yesterday and Rob was hoping to find another. Shuttle crew superdudes Wave Smith and Mike Perron went looking, but came up empty. Later, they struck up a conversation with a woman at a gas station or a rest stop who was asking about RAAM. They told her the bracelet story and she took off her pink bracelet that she was wearing in memory of a family member and gave it to Wave to give to Rob. So, now he'll be wearing a pink one into Annapolis.

This will likely be the last post for tonight. Another great day for Rob and Team Morlock in RAAM 2010.

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-16-2010 4:45 PM EDT

2010-06-16T16:52:00.000-04:00

Rob's wife Kate spoke with him earlier this afternoon and relayed the gist of the conversation to me by email:

"I just talked w/Rob. He sounds incredibly well! I can’t believe it. I told him he sounds as good as if he were riding up Rt. 22 and only left one hour ago. Unbelievable! We didn’t talk too long but he did say that his eyes were still blue (I assume he meant vs. bloodshot)! Also, he said that he has a couple different layers of hair on his face (unshaven) because the night crew won’t let him shave because it takes too long. I told him that he can shave in Annapolis!

We even talked about how I mowed the lawn and he wanted to know how it went. Just funny stuff and so impressive that he is sooooo alert and “normal”.

And I asked him if he’s been thinking about his Mom a lot and he said an emphatic 'oh yeah'. He said that when he starts to feel poorly (his feet hurt, etc.) he just thinks of how much pain and discomfort his mom was in and he gets moving."

Videos from the Road: Rob at the Half-Way Mark and Crossing the Mississippi

2010-06-16T15:47:00.000-04:00

(Sorry for the sideways things again. The crew gets punchy too.)

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-16-2010 3:30 PM EDT

2010-06-16T15:26:00.002-04:00

You an' me, we sweat an' strain
Body all achin' an' wracked wid pain,
Tote dat barge! Lif' dat bale!
Git a little drunk an' you lands in jail.
-Oscar Hammerstein

Ol' man Rob just crossed Ol' Man River at almost precisely seven days into RAAM 2010. His average daily mileage is now 292, which is really strong. Extrapolate that out to the length of the race (see, I TOLD you there would be math), and we're looking at a 10 day, eight hour RAAM. This could go either way because, of course, he is getting more tired and there are some really tough hills ahead of him in West Virginia and Maryland (yes, Maryland. Go figure.)

In RAAM '96 and '00, Rob left a little something extra in the tank for the final 24 hours, so who knows what will happen. Every race is a totally different experience.

Today was a big day to be sure. So far he has:

reached the 2,000 mile mark,
crossed the Mississippi,
crossed another state border,
surpassed his fundraising goal for the Lance Armstrong Foundation

Compare that to, say, me: I finally took down the storm door and installed the screens for the summer. But I feel really good about it.

Question About Crossing the Mississippi

2010-06-16T13:47:00.000-04:00

Yes, this is RAAM, the world's toughest race, but no, they do not have to strap their bikes to their backs and swim across. Riders are given full access to all bridge and tunnel crossings in the Federal and State Highway System.

Wussies.

Thank you!

2010-06-16T12:13:00.000-04:00

Within a couple of hours of the latest post about raising money for the Lance Armstrong Foundation, we hit $2,000. I'll let Rob know ASAP.

Thanks to all!

(BTW - we can go for even more. ;-)

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-16-2010 10:45 AM EDT

2010-06-16T10:53:00.000-04:00

A quick update:

Rob is riding well and heading toward the Mighty Mississippi. As you can see by the comment from night crew driver Mike Desilet to this morning's update, Rob had a decent sleep break last night and continues to ride at a good, steady pace.

Luis Ramos (day crew navigator) says they are dealing with some more highly traveled roads right now in Missouri, which can be more stressful for the crew than for Rob, since it's harder for the pace van to pull over to the far right to let traffic by than it is for Rob to do so.

I predicted last night that Rob would reach the Mississippi between noon and 4:00 PM. It will be closer to the 4:00 side of that range, depending on any stops he makes in the next couple of hours.

That will be a big lift for Rob as he crosses into another state, and a big lift for me as I will no longer have to type "Mississippi."

Not Trying to Be a Pest...

2010-06-16T09:33:00.017-04:00

...but just a quick reminder: Rob is riding with a heightened sense of purpose in this year's RAAM for a variety of reasons, including the fact that he is raising money for the Lance Armstrong Foundation in memory of his mom, who died last fall after a four-year battle with cancer.

At this point, his stated goal is $2,000 and he is only $780 away from that.

This blog is getting in excess of 1,000 unique visitors a day. If every one of us contributed a dollar, we'd get Rob across that finish line. (For the whole "biking to Annapolis" thing, well, he's on his own with that one.)

Any new visitors here, or long-time friends who are so inclined, click here and you can make a donation by credit card.

(How cool would it be to be able to call Rob before he finishes the race and let him know that we reached his fund raising goal?)

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-16-2010 8:30 EDT

2010-06-16T08:48:00.001-04:00

I managed to call the pace van this morning just as they were in the middle of the transition from night crew to day crew, so they could not chat long.

Rob obviously slept last night after TS 33 in Jefferson City and is now making his way to TS 34 in Washington, MO. This time station and the next one (the Mississippi River) are relatively long distances (76 and 70 miles, respectively), as compared to the past few, which have been in the 35-60 range.

"Why does this matter?" you might ask.

Well, at this stage of the race, every little thing can become a big thing. I remember in the latter stages of past RAAMs Rob asking "How far is the next time station?" over and over again. He just looks for some kind of milepost or mini-goal to pull him along and the time stations are important ones. Also, back in the day, before we had the Internet and any semblance of cell phone service, the time stations were the only way we could get updates on what was happening in the race and where Rob was relative to the other racers. Rob likes to know that information and do the math while he is riding. (Of course, he is so tired, his math is about as reliable as a golden retriever's, but that's what the crew is there for.)

Anyway, I'll talk to the day crew in a bit and get a sense of how the sleep break was last night. I'll also remind them to grab, if possible, a photo or a video when Rob crosses the Mississippi. In addition to it being a time station, it also puts him into a new state, Illinois, and only one state more until the eastern time zone.

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-15-2010 10:30 PM EDT

2010-06-15T22:46:00.000-04:00

A pleasant chat with night crew mechanic Joe Murphy says that all is well. They went through some more heavily trafficked sections on the road into TS 32, Camdenton, MO, which was sort of a distraction, but not necessarily a good one. You can see the area on My Athlete. It is the section through the Lake of the Ozarks, which had a lot of summer vacation traffic. Also, Joe says that this is sort of a rolling section with some shorter, steeper climbs.

Looking at the elevation profiles for the next few time stations, this looks like the norm for the next 150 miles until he gets close to the Mississippi River, where it will head downhill, flatten out at the river and then start the rollers all over again as he moves east, away from the river into Illinois and Indiana.

At this point, Rob is about 175 miles from the Mississippi River time station. Depending on what happens tonight, he should arrive there tomorrow (Wednesday) afternoon, between noon and 4:00 PM. As an FYI, the Mississippi is the second cutoff in the race (the first was Durango.) Any racer that is not there by Thursday at 3:00 PM will be a DNF. Obviously, this is not a concern for Rob.

At that point he will have less than 1,000 miles to go, though the terrain east of the river is not to be taken lightly. Yes, the mammoth climbs of the Rockies are a distant memory, but these are the same legs that had to go up those climbs. Tack on another 1,000 miles of racing between there and here and you get the picture.

But Rob just keeps riding along and who knows what fireworks he has planned for the last few hundred miles.

Here's to a good night's sleep for all of us tonight, and lots of miles for Rob.

Hasta mañana.

Some Good Shots of Rob on the RAAM Blog

2010-06-15T20:34:00.002-04:00

Rob in Kansas today, via the RAAM blog. (I like the second one, except for the whole "mouth breathing" thing.)

Sleep Deprivation Tales

2010-06-15T18:58:00.001-04:00

As we have discussed, RAAM is about riding a bike fast AND it's about managing on the edge of a complete mental breakdown due to sleep deprivation.

I can honestly say that Rob has never totally lost it, but he can be quite amusing in the later stages of the race.

Some examples:

His "main theme", if you will, is elf shoes. He sees them lined up along the shoulder of the road, all the way to the horizon.
Dancing vegetation
Insisting that his niece and nephew were at a time station in Alabama (RAAM 2000). They were actually in Connecticut.
Trying to convince the crew that he had already ridden in this direction, so he was going to turn around and ride in the opposite direction.
Insisting that there were large construction vehicles backing into the road ahead of him, so he needed to swerve to go around them. (This was also RAAM 2000 and was actually dangerous, because he was crossing the center line to the other side of the road. We told him that the shuttle crew was about a mile up the road, clearing out all the trucks, so he didn't have to swerve any more. It worked.)
Arguing with the crew about "Why do YOU guys get to sit in the van and I have to ride the bike all the time??? How about one of YOU get on the bike and I'LL sit in the van!" (We reminded him that the RAAM race officials would probably take a dim view of that particular tactic.)

Good times!

I am sure I am missing many. Past crew members can add their own in the comments.

The Spaniards Have a Different Word for Everything...

2010-06-15T18:27:00.002-04:00

... except "Rob Morlock."

http://www.biciciclismo.com/cas/site/noticias-ficha.asp?id=27456

Sad News: Pattinson Drops Out

2010-06-15T18:03:00.001-04:00

Just saw that Mark Pattinson dropped out. He's a great rider who finished second in 2008, behind Robic, and was Rookie of the Year. We hope he is not injured and wish him well.

RAAM is not just a race; it's also a war of attrition. DNFs (Did Not Finish) are part of the race, as just about any veteran RAAM racer, including Rob, can tell you.

Obviously this moves everyone who was behind him, including Rob, up in the rankings.

And the race rolls on.

Photos From the Road

2010-06-15T17:23:00.001-04:00

All of these are courtesy of night crew mechanic Joe Murphy

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-15-2010 3:48 PM EDT

2010-06-15T15:51:00.003-04:00

Ramble On, And now's the time, the time is now, to sing my song.
I'm goin' 'round the world, I got to find my girl, on my way.
I've been this way ten years to the day, Ramble On,
Gotta find the queen of all my dreams.
- Jimmy Page and Robert Plant

"And miles to go before I sleep." - Robert Frost

(Photo by Joe Murphy)

The pace crew has checked in a couple of times today and say that Rob is riding like it's 1999. I estimate that Rob will be at the 1,761 mile mark at exactly six says into the race, at 3:48 PM EDT. The last time Rob rode this far in such a short period of time was RAAM 2000 - ten years to the day (to quote Led Zeppelin). Simply awesome.

This means average daily mileage of about 294. That takes a sub-10 day finish off the table, unless he figures out a way to throw in some 310-plus mile days and that is not likely, but not impossible.

People have asked what day/time he might finish. It is WAY too soon to pinpoint, but if I had to make a wild guess at this point, I would put it at some time between midnight and noon on Sunday, June 20. We'll keep re-evaluating that up or down as the race progresses.

Were I in the pace van talking to Rob over the PA, I would be telling him all of this (he likes to know the numbers) and telling him to shoot for any of these goals:

- Pass all the women (he only has one to go)
- Top three American finisher
- Top five overall finisher
- Top seven overall, which would beat his two previous RAAM finishes, both of which were 8th place overall
- Stretch goal: Finish by midnight Saturday.

In the end, the body is going to do what the body can do, but past RAAM crew members can tell about some, pretty inspired riding in the last 500 miles of previous RAAMs.

Stay tuned...

Video From the Road: Rob Gets Out of Kansas Just Ahead of the Law

2010-06-15T13:03:00.000-04:00

Fun RAAM Humor

2010-06-15T12:39:00.000-04:00

Q: How many Kansans does it take to screw in a light bulb?

A: Who cares? Rob is now in Missouri!

(That one ALWAYS gets Rob, as evidenced by the photo below, courtesy of Mike Perron)

High School Heartbreak

2010-06-15T09:47:00.000-04:00

"What's the matter Cindy?"

"Oh, nothing Tracy. I thought that Danny was going to ask me to the prom today and he went and asked that hussie Mandy."

"What did you wear to school today?

"The usual: my Twilight sweatshirt with the picture of Robert Pattinson. Why?"

"BIG mistake! Robert Pattinson is so three weeks ago. You need to upgrade to Robert Morlock clothing!"

"You're right. If I wear a Team Morlock T-shirt, I bet I'll be prom-bound in no time!"

"That's the spirit, Cindy! Get online and get yourself some Team Morlock crap. You'll be the coolest kid AND all profits go to the Lance Armstrong Foundation to support cancer survivors."

"Thanks, Tracy! You're the ginchiest!"

Rob's Crazy Talk

2010-06-15T09:39:00.000-04:00

For those of you who missed the movie, now read the book: Rob is quoted on Road.cc about his sleep deprivation hallucinations.

Click here.

In a future post, I'll share some of the lack-of-sleep induced wacky moments of past RAAMs.

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-15-2010 7:30 AM EDT

2010-06-15T07:41:00.007-04:00

Just hung up the phone with Rob, on the bike, doing 16 mph, in a steady rain, on his way into TS 29, Yates Corner, KS, and all I can say is "Wow!"

He sounds like the day before the race started when we chatted: Happy, same old Rob, enjoying a nice bike ride. He says that he feels like he still has good power in his legs and he is just dosing it out steadily, in anticipation of those West Virginia climbs in a few days. I remember Rob in '96 and '00 at this point in the race, and while I know that he has his highs and lows along the road in every race, he really did sound exceptionally good this morning.

He was having a breakfast, on the bike while riding, of cold pizza, which he really seemed to be enjoying.

Last night's sleep was slightly extended. He has been having some skin abrasion issues, which night crew driver and paramedic Mike Desilet has been treating. Mike told me this morning that it actually looks like they might be starting to heal, rather than getting worse.

Don't forget that you can track Rob on My Athlete. As he moves toward the east coast, cell phone coverage seems to be good.

Enjoy the ride as he heads into day six of RAAM 2010!

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-14-2010 9:45 PM EDT

2010-06-14T21:46:00.008-04:00

兵者，詭道也。故能而示之不能，用而示之不用，近而示之遠，遠而示之近，
(All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when we are able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must appear inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.)

- Sun Tzu, The Art of War

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Night crew is back on shift and I just had another extended conversation with Mike Desilet. We were discussing different sleep strategies that Morlock crews have used in previous RAAMs and other ultra-races to maximize Rob's efficiency on the bike.

Since there is a good chance that some of Rob's fellow racers' crews might be reading this blog, I don't want to give away too much of our strategy, but I will reveal this to the other crews, in the name of good sportsmanship:

ROB IS PLANNING ON TAKING A 19 HOUR SLEEP BREAK IN THE NEXT TWO MINUTES. IN FACT, HE IS GOING TO FLY HOME SO HE CAN SLEEP IN HIS OWN BED. FEEL FREE TO TELL YOUR RIDER TO DO THE SAME. I'M SURE HE COULD USE THE EXTRA REST. I PROMISE - THIS IS REALLY THE PLAN. SERIOUSLY.

;-)

Other than the usual nicks and bumps that come with sitting on a bike for 1,570 miles, Rob is holding up well. Mike said he was making good speed has he moves along toward TS 28 in Eldorado, KS.

For those of you NOT keeping track at home, Rob has now passed into his third of four time zones. Local time for Rob's group is now the central time zone. Only one more zone to go.

These are the types of little incentives that you try to feed to a racer to keep him motivated: The next time station, the next state, the half-way point, the next time zone, the Mississippi River, the 2,000 mile mark and so on. It breaks the race up into mini-goals that pulls him along.

I get the impression that Rob is enjoying this RAAM, but it is an enjoyment tinged with a sense of purpose and sadness. He is remembering his mom and his fellow, fallen, police officer Don Hassiak, and raising money for the Lance Armstrong Foundation in memory of his mom and thinking about his wife and all of this adds up to a sort of zen-like approach which is "Let's just keep moving - for them, for the crew and for me."

Will this be his last RAAM? Quite possibly. He wants to make sure he takes in every moment as he works steadily to the finish.

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-14-2010 3:48 PM EDT

2010-06-14T15:56:00.002-04:00

I like to dream yes, yes, right between my sound machine
On a cloud of sound I drift in the night
Any place it goes is right
Goes far, flies near, to the stars away from here
- John Kay

I sneaked a peek at what's happening in the standings and I just LOVE what Rob is doing. I figure that at 3:48 PM, he is just past the half-way point of the race at 1522 miles. That's 304 miles/day for 5 days, including all that climbing and weather through Colorado. Awesome.

As indicated in this morning's post, sleep breaks are key. Both Strebel and Warner-Smith look like they took a sleep break heading into TS 26, and yet they are still ahead of Rob. That's absolutely fine for now, but it will have to factor into the Morlock crew's tactical thinking tonight and over the next couple of days.

Generally speaking, there is a point where just about every RAAM rider needs to take a longer sleep break. Instead of two hours, they sleep for four or five. When (or if) that happens for any of the riders will be critical.

Rob has always said that RAAM is half about the ability to ride fast, half about managing sleep deprivation. As the race progresses, I might suggest that the ratio shifts to 70/30 in favor of the lack of sleep.

Keep an eye on those time station stats and enjoy the ride that Rob is giving us. It is genuinely thrilling!

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-14-2010 8:15 AM EDT

2010-06-14T08:14:00.002-04:00

What to make of the current standings?

Rob reached time station 24, Montezuma, KS, at 7:18 EDT this morning. He is now in 8th place - for the time being. He will likely move up again during the day today because there are a few factors affecting Rob's position right now:

- He was slower during the mountains than some of the other guys, so they crept up to Rob, but...

- ...sleep breaks will become an increasing part of any calculus - both for Rob and his competition out on the road, and for us at home trying to make heads or tails.

Rob is now rested (he obviously slept going into TS 24) and ready to ride for the day. Some of the riders around Rob are either sleeping now or are due to sleep. So these standings will continue to be fluid throughout the day.

Make no mistake - Rob has to bear down and put in some miles, but he is right there in the main group. With more than half the race to go, there is so much to play out over the next few days and these standings will change a hundred more times.

I know that Rob does NOT like to be passed. I also know that Rob is a smart RAAM veteran, who knows himself and knows when to be passed and when to do the passing.

I just had a long conversation with night crew driver Mike Desilet and he says Rob is doing well and had some good sleep again last night. His knee was bothering him when he woke up this morning, so it took a little extra time to get going. Also, his butt is pretty torn up, but probably nothing unusual for this point in RAAM. They took a little extra time to address those issues and now Rob is back on the bike and riding at a good clip.

***Note to Rob fans***
While blogging about my best friend is one of my favorite activities, the pay stinks to the point of non-existence. I have an actual job that will take me to Boston for most of the day today, so this will likely be the last road report until this evening. I may try to sneak one in before my return trip this afternoon, but no promises.

Rob's wife Kate is going to try to stay in touch with the pace van and provide updates over on Rob's Facebook fan page and, of course you can check My Athlete and you can keep checking the RAAM standings for position and photo updates. I'll be back here later tonight.

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-13-2010 11:10 PM EDT

2010-06-13T23:11:00.001-04:00

Night crew is on shift as Rob heads into TS 23 in Ulysses, KS. Yes, he is finally out of Colorado.

Mike Desilet is night crew driver, along with Jeff Sturges navigating and Joe Murphy in back. They want to keep Rob on the bike as long as possible tonight to keep peeling away the miles. Pattinson seems to be pulling away a bit and, for the time being, locking in third place. Rob is in a battle for 4-8 with Warner-Smith, Kaiser, Strebel, Payer and Sanz.

It seems to me that these guys found their legs toward the end of the climbs in Colorado and are now all formidable opponents.

The crew says Rob is in great spirits, but don't take their word for it. Here's some primary evidence:

Here's a shot of a welcome site:

Here's a video from the RAAM organization video crew:

And here's a video from crew chief Mike Perron (Warning: There is one expletive. Yes, they very occasionally use salty language on the Morlock crew:)

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-13-2010 3:48 PM EDT

2010-06-13T15:49:00.001-04:00

The mountain is high
The valley is low
And you're confused on which way to go
So I've come here to give you a hand
And lead you into the promised land

- Edgar Winter

Here's a little trivia that you may not have known about the last time station: Trinidad is the sex change capital of the world.

As such, I am happy to report that Rob is now leading the women's race. Once again some quick tactical thinking on the part of Rob's crew.

Actually, Rob is through TS 21, Kim, CO at 3:10 PM EDT, in fifth place. That's about three hours behind third place racer Mark Pattinson and about 90 minutes behind Matthew Warner-Smith in fourth place.

If you look at the elevation profile, these guys are just rolling down, down, down into the plains of Kansas. It must be a relief, both mentally and physically to know that the 20+ mile long climbs are behind them.

Of course, Kansas can bring wind, heat and dust, but let's hope the weather gods are kind to them.

As of this posting at 3:48 PM, Rob will be exactly four days into his race and will have ridden 1,224 miles, or 306 miles per day. Considering the climbing and the headwinds, this is really, really good news as he should be able to log in more miles over the next 36 hours as he heads downhill into Kansas.

They are headed into some lonely country now and cell phone service will be a bit spotty, so the My Athlete tracker may be in and out and it will be tough for me to reach the pace van. I hope to have at least one more update before 10:00 PM tonight.

A quick conversation with Luis Ramos in the pace van just past the Kim time station indicates all is well.

Also - Rob is the featured photo today on the RAAM home page.

More Trinidad Photos

2010-06-13T12:43:00.000-04:00

Comment from Julie in Trinidad

2010-06-13T11:24:00.002-04:00

Email just received from Julie:

"That was absolutely wonderful!! I am so glad we drove down to see Rob. He appears to be in excellent condition, physically and mentally. He stopped to brush his teeth, tighten up his shoes and his crew wiped down the bike. So glad I got to see him!"

"...his crew wiped down the bike." As stated before: Rob likes a clean bike (and apparently minty-fresh breath.)

Thanks Julie and Tom for giving Rob a big lift. Three hours each way is a long way to drive to spend five minutes with a smelly Rob Morlock.

(More photos from the Trinidad time station as you scroll down the blog.)

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-13-2010 11:00 AM EDT

2010-06-13T11:03:00.001-04:00

Rob went through TS 20 in Trinidad at 10:20 EDT. The guys said that the visit with Julie and her husband was a nice boost before continuing east toward Kim, CO.

Luis Ramos reports that Rob is feeling fine. He kept the phone line open for a few minutes so I could hear the conversation back and forth over the PA. Lots of laughs and high spirits.

There was a warning earlier about possible hail storms in the vicinity, but a check of radar and forecast shows, at least for now, clear sailing into Kansas, about 150 miles up the road. That is not to say that storms can pop up out of nowhere, but it looks good right now.

Yesterday was tough due to the wind, but overall, Rob's been blessed with some pretty nice weather so far this year.

Not to beat a dead horse, but this bunch of guys at positions 3-10 is really pretty exciting and to have Rob right there in the mix is just great.

Trinidad, CO Photos

2010-06-13T10:37:00.009-04:00

CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE

Rob and high-school friend Julie catch up in Trinidad after 30 years. (Photo by John Browne)

(L-R): Rob (the guy in the bike helmet, brushing his teeth), Julie's husband Tom and Julie:
"What' s better after 1,145 miles Colgate or Crest?"
(Photo by John Browne)

Seriously, Rob. Try to cheer up.
(Photo by Tom T.)

Julie, Tom Wendel, Luis Ramos, Rob

Photo From the Road

2010-06-13T10:16:00.001-04:00

Great shot, from the RAAM web site, of Rob riding through the dust storms yesterday:

Photo by Jake North

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-13-2010 9:25 AM EDT

2010-06-13T09:24:00.001-04:00

Rob is back on the bike and heading toward Trinidad. He should be there by 10:00-10:30 AM EDT.

John Browne tells me that Rob is sleeping better on this RAAM than on any previous race. He got some quality sleep last night and is riding with renewed vigor. He is definitely looking forward to the visit in Trinidad with our high-school friend, Julie and her husband. We'll have photos of that shortly after his stop at the time station. Cool stuff.

There was a shift in last night's night crew, with Javier Lowe stepping into the pace van and Jeff Sturges jumping into the motor home.

Just hung up with Javier and he told a great story of tactical crew thinking:

Yesterday was a BRUTAL day, as previously discussed: Headwinds, dust storms, and lots of climbs. Last night, Rob kept asking the crew "How far to Cuchara Pass?"

They answered by saying it was still a couple of time stations ahead. Rob, being just a wee bit fatigued, didn't realize that he was actually climbing Cuchara Pass at that moment.

The crew wanted to get him up and over Cuchara before he went to sleep so he did not have to wake up and start climbing all over again. It was a brilliant tactical decision and one that will pay dividends today and throughout the remainder of the race.

This is why a Rob calls it "Team Morlock". The crew becomes Rob's eyes, ears and brains and makes sure that every possible advantage is pursued to get him to Annapolis.

First Thoughts of the Morning - 6-13-2010

2010-06-13T08:21:00.004-04:00

I am writing this, unencumbered by the benefit of facts. In other words, I have not spoken to anyone on the crew since my post last night, but here's my take based on looking at the current standings:

Rob needed sleep last night and took it. Based on the My Athlete tracker, he got up and over Cuchara Pass and then went down for a nap.
Anyone who watches the Tour de France knows that on any given stage, the peloton sometimes is bunched up and other times is strung out in a long, thin line. Right now, RAAM has bunched up, except for Robic and Gulewicz, who are sort of in their own titanic death match out front. But the rest of the crowd has come together.
As of this morning, places 3-11, which now make up the "second group", are separated by only eight hours. "Eight hours?" you say. "That's a lot - more than 100 miles." Well, yes. But with 2,000 miles to go, there is a LOT of time for things to change, and change again and again.
Rob is now either in 5th or 6th. The RAAM standings have Georg Payer coming into TS 19 five minutes before Rob, but Rob is still listed ahead of him. I am not sure which is the typo, but they both can't be true. No matter. It looks like Rob, Warner-Smith and Payer are glued at the hip, separated by less than 30 minutes, with Strebel and Kaiser not too far behind.
It will be VERY interesting to see where things stand after the the Trinidad time station. That's because I am sure all of these guys, in addition to Rob, slept. With it bunched so tightly, was there incentive to make it a short sleep break? And if so, what will that cost the rider later today?

I can tell you that having so many people in his vicinity will keep Rob focused and motivated. This is not some casual charity ride across the country. This is the Race Across America, dammit! Rob knows that better than most.

The next few days will be fun to watch.

***Addendum***
Thanks to Mark Longwell, who posted a comment that explains the standings. (I had forgotten about the staggered start this year):

"Rob started "officially" at 3:48 Eastern, and Payer started "officially" at 3:26 Eastern. So Rob started 22 minutes later- and even though Payer came in 5 minutes earlier than Rob, Rob is still ahead by 17 minutes (which is reflected accurately in the overall times).

Thanks, Mark. And my apologies to the RAAM organization for questioning their data!

Final Thoughts for the Night

2010-06-12T22:35:00.001-04:00

We're heading into the meat of RAAM. The adrenaline of the first couple of days are over and now the reality of 2,000 miles-to-go starts to set in.

The good news is that most of the western climbs are behind Rob, with only Cuchara pass to go. He's in the top five and seems to be feeling just fine. His spirits and humor are all where the should be: good old Rob. The less-than-good news is that Rob is heading into unbearable head winds and possibly some violent thunderstorms. The weather so far has been great, but there is balance in the universe and payback can be a bitch.

He's still heading toward La Veta and thunderstorms are predicted through the night. Sounds like a good time to take a sleep break while the rain passes by.

I'll leave you with a video from yesterday with a brief conversation with Rob, around the 7:45 mark. Hard to believe he had ridden 800 miles at this point. He's fresh as a daisy. And I love that when the light turned green, he said "Adios." He's all business.

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-12-2010 8:15 PM EDT

2010-06-12T20:19:00.003-04:00

There's a familiar site for the RAAM crew: Rob's ass in front of you and a McDonald's in the rear-view mirror.

Rob is facing some fierce (30-50 mph) headwinds that are slowing him down to a crawl. Of course, the other riders in his "group" are also facing the same thing.

Rob has made it to TS 18, Alamosa, CO, at 7:00 PM EDT. By all accounts it is a brutal grind out there.

There has been a change in position since the last update. Rob is still in fourth, but Mark Pattinson has put a bit more time on Rob and now leads by about 3.5 hours at TS 18 (it was just under three hours at TS 17).

The interesting thing is that an Austrian rider, Georg Payer, has made a move and is now in fifth place, just 26 minutes behind Rob. This guy is showing really good strength and his move today is impressive. Warner-Smith is now in sixth, a half-hour behind Payer.

Not all is as it seems in RAAM, however. For the remainder of the race, an examination of when riders sleep is important to knowing how they are truly placed.

For example, by looking at the time station log for Payer, I can see that he was riding last night while Rob was sleeping. That means it is likely that he will sleep again before Rob does, so Rob will open up a gap on him. Of course the "X-factor" is nobody knows how long another racer's sleep break will be. One rider could need five hours, while another only needs two. All of this factors in to where riders are on the course and how they plan their strategy. Sleep too much and you lose ground. Sleep too little and you lose your mind. It's quite a chess match - with yourself and with the other racers.

BTW - in case you are wondering how I know when a rider sleeps, you just look at the their time station log. If his average speed has been 13 or 14 mph through most time stations and it drops to 6-8 mph, you know he slept heading into that time station.

Night crew is about to come on shift as Rob faces the second of his three mountain passes today - La Veta Pass, which is not horrible (by comparison). It is about 13 miles, with grades ranging from 2-5%. After the La Veta time station, he faces Chuchara Pass, which is about 17 miles long and gets to 6% in the last four miles.

Not an easy night ahead.

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-12-2010 3:30 PM EDT

2010-06-12T15:28:00.003-04:00

Everyday is a winding road
I get a little bit closer
Everyday is a faded sign
I get a little bit closer to feeling fine
- Sheryl Crow

(CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE)

Climbing up Wolf Creek Pass, 6-12-2010 (Photos by: Mike Perron)

Rob's thinking about buying this land with his RAAM prize money

"Hey Kate! Look at me! I'm on the top of the continent!"

Rob is up and over the Continental divide and through TS 17 (South Fork, CO) at 2:00 PM EDT. Luis Ramos said they stopped at the top of Wolf Creek - not to pee, but to put Rob in some warm clothes for the descent. Rob knows the descent well and has done it at 1:00 in the morning with sleet falling, so he must be grateful for the daylight and the (relatively) warm temperatures.

Speaking of weather - being in first place has its price. There is a video on the RAAM web site of Robic, probably somewhere near Durango, riding in a driving rain. Rob, on the other hand, has been experiencing near-perfect conditions. The temperatures through the desert were fine (never broke 100) and he has not seen a drop of precipitation thus far in the race.

Some important things happening in the next few hours:

- Rob is approaching the three day mark at 3:48 PM EDT. I expect his total miles to be about 1,000 (give or take) for three days. 333 miles/day for the first three days is simply outstanding. There is no other way to describe it and I know he will be pleased when the crew tells him.

- A high school friend of Rob's (an ex-girlfriend, actually) is planning to drive down from her home near Denver to see Rob at the Trinidad time station. (Calm down, everyone. They dated like 30 years ago, when we were all in 10th grade. Plus - I have this theory that she was just using Rob to get to me...) Julie is a great person who is driving down with her husband to support and cheer for an old friend and I know that Rob will be thrilled to see her and for the temporary diversion. He will also be touched that she would do such a thing, especially considering that I expect Rob to be at Trinidad some time between midnight and 3:00 AM, race time, which is 10:00-1:00 local time in Colorado.)

- Crew member John Browne will be getting a ride back to Denver airport with Julie and heading home, his work done. John was originally not able to go on RAAM this year and then, at the last minute was able to commit to going through Trinidad. I know Rob was thrilled to have him for this long, as his experience, calm and sense of humor go a long way to making RAAM a success. Same goes for Sal Dicello who departed earlier today from Durango. Rob said - straight out - he could not do it without these guys.

- Midnight EDT marks the first of three very important cutoff times in RAAM. Any solo rider who has not reached Durango by midnight is out of the race. At this point, I see three riders who are in danger of missing the cutoff.

- Once Rob departs Trinidad, he starts a rolling downward glide through the Comanche National Grasslands of eastern Colorado (this is VERY desolate country) and on into Kansas. At this point, the RAAM course is still identical to '96 and '97, but once he leaves Walsh, CO, he is no longer on those old, familiar courses, which went into the panhandle of Oklahoma for a more southern route to a Savannah, Georgia, finish.

The plains present a whole different terrain challenge and a good part of it is mental: endless miles of Kansas farm fields and roads going straight to the horizon for as far as the eye can see. Combine that with potentially fierce headwinds, broiling temperatures and, of course (just ask Dorothy and Toto) - storms.

But with about 1/3 of the race down, Rob can be proud. It's going by the text book thanks to his courage, training and the support of a great crew.

The Sheer Joy of Cycling, the Heartache of Crewing

2010-06-12T14:00:00.001-04:00

(Image courtesy: http://steel-cut.blogspot.com)

Remember when you were a kid? You'd get home from school, throw your books on the floor, change clothes, grab a snack and head out on your bike to ride with buddies?

I'm talking fourth grade here. Banana-seat Schwinns. Jumping over garbage cans like Evel Knievel. Rockin' out to Helen Reddy.

It was pure joy. The bicycle represented freedom. It was exhilarating.

Well, RAAM is like the Bizarro version of that childhood bliss. It's a lot of pain and suffering and yet, for some reason, Rob does it.

One of the hardest parts of being on the crew is watching him suffer. The crew is there because they have great respect and affection for Rob. But, they have to show tough love, because as he tires, he will look for any reason not to be on the bike. Probably the single best motivator is reminding him that every minute he is not on the bike is one more minute before he gets to see his beautiful wife in Annapolis.

There's only one way to finish RAAM: Get on your bike and head east. The joy comes later.

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-12-2010 12:15 PM EDT

2010-06-12T12:12:00.000-04:00

As I type this, Rob is starting the seven mile climb up Wolf Creek Pass. This this is the Continental Divide and the highest point in this year's RAAM.

In '96 and '97, we made a point of stopping Rob at the top so he could take a nature break facing both west and east, so it would flow downhill to the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.

On RAAM, it's the little things (no offense, Rob) that keep you motivated.

Here's a nice photo from the RAAM web site of Rob in Cortez, CO, yesterday:

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-12-2010 10:20 AM EDT

2010-06-12T10:25:00.007-04:00

Your day crew today is the same as yesterday:

- Driver: Bob Conrad
- Navigator: Luis Ramos
- Chef/Mechanic: Mike Perron

According to Luis, with whom I just spoke: "He's doing great. Everything looks good and Rob's in great spirits, riding great."

Rob went through TS 16 at 9:26 EDT, almost exactly three hours after Mark Pattinson. As of this writing, Matthew Warner-Smith has not checked into TS 16, so this may be a day where Rob puts some real estate between himself and fifth place.

Make no mistake - there is some serious climbing ahead today, with which Rob is very familiar.

How so?

This year's RAAM course is slightly different than the 2008 race - Rob's last RAAM. The section of the race that he is riding right now retraces some of the more infamous mountain passes of the 1996 and 1997 RAAM races that Rob did. These include Wolfcreek Pass, La Veta Pass and Cuchara Pass. All of them are really, really long and steep.

Rob and I talked about it a couple of days before the race and he said he was looking forward to "visiting his old stomping grounds."

Even after he was in the hospital for five hours in 1997, he got back on his bike and rode up those climbs as fast as any other competitor in the race.

It will be fun to see how he does today. And believe it or not, after today, the big hills are done. Until West Virginia. (And those are even steeper.)

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-12-2010 9:10 AM EDT

2010-06-12T09:10:00.000-04:00

Spoke with shuttle crew guys Tom Wendel and John Browne this morning. I have not had the chance to speak with the pace van. As you can see from My Athlete, Rob is back on the bike after his sleep break and moving toward Pagosa Springs.

Rob will probably get to Pagosa Springs about 3-4 hours after Mark Pattinson. Unless Matthew Warner-Smith passed Rob in the night while Rob was sleeping, that will keep Rob in fourth place overall in his division. Warner-Smith has been shadowing Rob for the past 24 hours. Rob checked into the Durango time station at 24 past midnight. Warner-Smith went through six minutes later. As of this writing, Warner-Smith has not gone through Pagosa Springs.

They are getting ready to transition from night to day crew. After that, I should be speaking with the pace van and will have an update as to how Rob is feeling and how good his sleep break was last night.

"Workin' on the Night Crew..."

2010-06-12T08:41:00.001-04:00

Night shift is a strange and cool time on RAAM. A lot of it involves helping Rob through some serious low points caused by sheer exhaustion and/or the body's natural desire to NOT be riding a bicycle up the Rocky Mountains at 1:30 in the morning.

If he can, Rob likes to make it to about 2:00 AM and then sleep for 2-3 hours. That way, he is sort of waking up with the sun, in a half-hearted attempt to match natural sleep cycles. Of course, there is nothing natural about RAAM.

Night crew has it both easy and hard. The easy part is that because Rob is sleeping (in the motor home), they can get some shuteye as well. Usually, after Rob goes to sleep, the crew does some tidying up, including cleaning Rob's bikes (he likes a neat bike) and making sure the pace van is squared away. Then, you can catch an hour or so of sleep before it's time to wake Rob and get him back on the bike.

As the race wears on, the act of getting Rob back on the bike in the morning can be quite an ordeal. Rob is exhausted, he has trouble standing on his own and his brain is sort of fuzzy, so it's up to the crew to do at least some of the thinking for him. Once he is back on the bike, the pace is usually pretty slow for the first hour or so while he gets warmed up and back into his normal cycling groove.

So, who are the intrepid travelers who have the honor of night crew this year?

So far, the night crew has been ably manned by veteran Mike Desilet in the driver's seat. New crew members Joe Murphy and Jeff Sturges fill out the navigator and the chef/mechanic position. These guys are doing spectacular work. Some of the toughest moments on RAAM can happen during the night shift, when the rest of us are in R.E.M sleep.

Equally important is the motor home crew. This year, that includes veteran Javier Lowe, accompanied by Ginger Gagliardo, Sal Dicello and Wave Smith.

Ginger is a massage therapist and is absolutely critical to helping Rob recover during his short sleep breaks. She will provide a leg massage each night as he goes to sleep and also help his muscles warm up after he wakes up.

Sal is an EMT who, this year, will get Rob through most of the rough heat and climbing of the west before he departs for home toady. Sal will administer IVs, if necessary and check Rob's vitals. Wave Smith, who has been part of the Team Morlock crew since 1996 and who has been on the motor home crew thus far, will most likely step in to a shuttle or pace van role starting today.

In addition, later today/tonight, when Rob gets to Trinidad, John Browne will be heading back home to Connecticut, which was also part of this year's plan. That will bring the crew compliment to it's normal level of 10: Three day crew, three night crew, two shuttle crew and two motor home crew.

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-11-2010 10:55 PM EDT

2010-06-11T22:54:00.005-04:00

Rob made it to the Cortez time station at 8:20 PM. According to night crew driver Mike Desilet, Rob took about a 20 minute break to change his clothes, use the facilities and gear up for the difficult night ahead, which includes the climbs up to Durango and Pagosa Springs. (If you want to ride from California to Annapolis, you have to haul yourself up and over a few speed bumps called the Rocky Mountains.)

Mike said that Rob dodged some nasty weather, with some violent thunderstorms going through Cortez about an hour before Rob's arrival. A bit of good luck there.

By all accounts, he is riding well, though he is, of course, fatigued which is to be expected given the terrain he's covered in the past two days.

My guess is that he will try to make it through Durango and then at least part of the way to Pagosa Springs before he takes his sleep break for the night.

By the way - remember those mileage numbers I mentioned earlier: ~200 day, ~100 night? Those sort of get adjusted based on terrain. He still has some significant climbs in the next 24 hours before he descends down to the flats of eastern Colorado and on into Kansas, so if his numbers are a little lower over the next day, he'll make it up as he moves down into the plains.

Another great day for Rob.

(Side note: I did a quick 25 mile ride myself tonight and the whole time I was thinking about Rob. While I was trying to haul my sorry a** up over 1/4 mile long hills, Rob was riding up hill for 30 miles into Cortez. He both humbles and inspires.)

The Best Crew on RAAM

2010-06-11T20:37:00.000-04:00

Photos from the road

2010-06-11T20:23:00.001-04:00

A couple of shots, courtesy of Tom Wendel

The brutal climb from Sedona to Flagstaff

What a RAAM racer feels like after day two

Thoughts on Jure Robic

2010-06-11T19:30:00.001-04:00

Last year, RAAM ended with some controversy. Jure Robic dropped out in protest with 54 miles to go. It had to do with race penalties and what Jure contended was an unfair and uneven application of the rules by race officials. Read about it here.

At the time, he said he would never do RAAM again. But here he is and he is going for broke - trying to finish in under eight days. This has never been done before and I'm sure Jure is motivated by glory with a touch of vengeance. I suspect if he does break eight days, he will retire from RAAM and let that record stand for as long as possible.

The questions I have are: Can he do it, or will he burn out trying? And if he gets the sense that eight days will not be possible, will he continue on or drop out before the finish?

I care, but just a little. I thought Jure had some legitimate grievances last year, but quitting was NOT the way to handle it. He should have continued to the finish, in second place, and aired his grievances there.

I know Rob is a Jure fan. Since I have never met Jure, I'll stick to being a Rob fan.

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-11-2010 5:30 PM EDT

2010-06-11T17:28:00.001-04:00

Had a nice chat with Rob while he was riding. He sounds great and is really thrilled at how things are going. He said that he has never slept so well on the first sleep break of RAAM in any of his previous four races.

I told him about being in the Durango Herald and, being the shy, retiring type, Rob was really unhappy about that (not.) Hopefully, it will be in the print edition and the shuttle crew will be able to pick up a copy to show him when they pass through Durango later this evening.

Speaking of the shuttle crew, take a look at the glamor of RAAM crewing. This photo, courtesy of John Browne, shows them hosing down the shuttle van while the night crew sleeps in Cortez, CO. According to John's message: "Cleaning the shuttle in Cortez. Better than fixing it!"

Rob Makes the Dailies

2010-06-11T17:02:00.000-04:00

This is the AP story from last week. Looks like the Durango (CO) Herald picked it up today. Perfect timing as Rob will be passing through Durango overnight tonight. (If only he would smile once in a while...)

Rob on Video

2010-06-11T16:08:00.001-04:00

A quick shot of a "chipper" (that's his nickname, don't ya know) Rob at about the 1:10 mark of the video.

Two Days in the Books. Let the Grinding Commence

2010-06-11T15:47:00.001-04:00

I rolled on as the sky grew dark
I put the pedal down to make some time
There's something good waitin' down this road
I'm pickin' up whatever is mine
- Tom Petty

Rob has been on the bike for 48 hours. His total mileage is 750 - pretty much where I thought he would be in the mid-morning update. As discussed, this is a phenomenally great start, but an unsustainable pace. But it hews to a philosophy of some of the best racers in RAAM history, to wit: "Ride while the ridin's good."

An explanation: Basically, this race will slowly wear these athletes down to nothing, so people try to get in a decent amount of miles while they are still relatively fresh. If you think about it, Rob has been riding for two straight days with only two hours sleep. That can not continue.

A number of things will start to affect Rob (and all the racers) over the next few days:

General fatigue
The body physically breaking down
Sleep deprivation
Acute physical maladies (neck pain, saddle sores, whatever)
Unknown external factors (mainly weather)

The 375 mile days are long-gone. Now, Rob will try to focus on getting in 190-210 miles during the day shift and 80-110 miles at night. If he stays within those ranges, he is set to continue this already fabulous start.

Note: Rob will roll into TS 13 - Montezuma Creek, Utah, at around 4:30 PM EDT. Next stop: Cortez, Colorado, the site of 2008's pace van breakdown. For you elevation junkies, the ride from Montezuma Creek to Cortez is 50 miles, uphill (1,700 feet of elevation), so if Rob seems to be going bit slower for the next few hours, you know why. Chew on that while you are chewing on dinner.

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-11-2010 2:20 PM EDT

2010-06-11T14:23:00.002-04:00

A quick chat with day crew navigator Luis Ramos tells me that all is well. Rob is riding and feeling good as he went through TS 12 in Mexican Hat, Utah, at 2:00 PM EDT.

Rob remains in fourth place. Third place rider Mark Pattinson put an additional 45 minutes on Rob between Kayenta and Mexican Hat. The fifth place rider went through Mexican Hat 13 minutes after Rob, which means he picked up 17 minutes on Rob. It would not surprise me to see these three places - 3,4,5 - change hands several times over the next few days. Nothing to read into there, other than Rob has slowed a bit for the past few hours, but that's just part of the ebb and flow of RAAM.

Some Reminders

2010-06-11T14:00:00.001-04:00

Just some random things in case you are one of the many thousands of new Morlock-heads who join us each day:

When Rob is in cell phone range, you can track him in real time, via satellite, from Team Morlock Sponsor My Athlete. You can zoom in and out on the map, which has a handy pink line that highlights the RAAM route all the way to Annapolis.
The leaderboard is here.
Rob-specific stats are here.
Rob is raising money for the Lance Armstrong Foundation this year, in memory of his mom, who lost her battle with cancer last fall. You can make a direct donation here, or buy some Team Morlock merchandise and all profits will be donated as well.
If all this cycling is making you hungry, go out and get some lean, tasty protein from Rob's title sponsor, Naked Nuggets.

I think that covers the most important stuff.

Oh yeah - Rob is going great.

Cops and Robert

2010-06-11T12:04:00.000-04:00

If we count Rob (and I suppose we should since, you know, he is the one on the bike), Team Morlock includes a total of six Danbury police officers this year.

Veteran crew members John Browne, Javier Lowe and Tom Wendel are joined this year by Bob Conrad and Luis Ramos. By all accounts these guys (like Rob) are a serious, humorless bunch who stick to business and only talk when absolutely necessary.

BTW - there has been a crew change today. Pace van day crew is now Bob Conrad and Luis Ramos up front and crew chief Mike Perron remaining in the back. John Browne and Tom Wendel are now in charge of the shuttle van.

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-11-2010 11:30 AM EDT

2010-06-11T11:31:00.004-04:00

Welcome to Kayenta, AZ.

For those of you not familiar, Kayenta is part of the Navajo Nation and is a gateway to Monument Valley. Rob will be entering Utah soon. The good news is that temperatures are likely to be reasonable today, in the mid-80s. The troubling news is that the direction he's heading (into the high Rockies of Colorado) is getting some pretty nasty thunderstorms, with hail. Also, it could drop into the high 30's-low 40's overnight.

But, that's for later. Here's where things stand from the road:

Day crew is now on shift and took Rob into the Kayenta time station (#11) at about 11:15 AM EDT. That puts him in fourth place, about an hour behind Mark Pattinson.

John Browne says he doing well, nothing out of the ordinary to report. It's a relatively short (44 miles) trip, and downhill profile to TS 12 in Mexican Hat, UT. Rob will enjoy the break.

For those of you new to following RAAM, you are probably just getting a sense of how tortuous it can be to be watching from afar. We don't know what's happening on a minute-to-minute, hour-to-hour basis and sometimes it seems like it takes an eternity for Rob to arrive at the next time station. Well, if he's on a 30 mile climb, into that time station, then it will take a bit longer.

RAAM is chaos played out at 15 mph. No single thing matters all that much, but a thousand little things add up to the whole of the race.

My only advice is get used to it. A week from now, we're likely to still be here. Don't read anything good or bad into the raw data, except this: average speed and miles per day are king.

As of right now, I am predicting a 48 hour mileage total of approx 750 miles. That's 375 miles per day, or 15.6 mph, which is both fantastic and unsustainable.

ROBBIE/RAAM FUN FACT #33

2010-06-11T09:41:00.000-04:00

"Hey Mikey! How about a cold Spiz and a small motor for my rear wheel?"

In 2000, Rob finished RAAM in just under 10.5 days. That's 252 hours or 15,120 minutes. If you figure Rob's average pedal speed is 80 RPMs, and allowing for coasting down hills, he probably turned his pedals 1.2 million times during the course of the race.

As of this point in in RAAM 2010, he has turned his pedals about 172,000 times.

Only 1,028,000 pedals strokes to go!

And this is what he does for fun.

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-11-2010 8:30 AM EDT

2010-06-11T08:33:00.007-04:00

Rob approaching Kayenta, AZ, 5:30 AM PDT, 6-11-2010 (Photo by Mike Desilet)

(Click on photos to enlarge)

Night crew driver Mile Desilet tells me that after a tough night of climbing, Rob decided to sleep at about 2:15 AM. And sleep he did. According to Mike, "...it took about 20 minutes and Rob fell right to sleep. And he slept two solid hours."

That is why, as mentioned in last night's final post, you see his average speed coming way down.

Rob is back on his bike now and still trying to ramp his speed back up for the day, but Mike says he is looking good and is in good spirits.

Some random observations, courtesy of Mike:

Rob is starting to develop a sore throat, but otherwise feels fine.
This morning he faces a long, very gradual 30 mile climb that rises about 2,000 feet over 30 miles.
As the sun comes up in Arizona, the temperature is actually dropping. Mike says that when Rob got back on his bike, it was 70 degrees. As I was talking to him, it had dropped to 55, so they had to stop and give Rob more clothes.
Mike was part of night crew in 2008 and he said by this point in the race two years ago, Rob was already having trouble standing on his own. This year, he says, Rob is totally himself and self-sufficient.
We think that Mark Pattinson also took a sleep break as well, but are not sure. Things will become clearer over the next 12 hours or so.
As predicted, Jure Robic is a machine and today will probably pass all of the women riders who left 24 hours before him. (More on Jure in a later post today.)

Ah, the ebb and flow of RAAM. Nothing happens fast. The standings change and play out like a football (or, in honor of the World Cup, soccer) game in slow motion.

All in all, a good start to day three of RAAM.

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-10-2010 9:50 PM EDT

2010-06-10T21:47:00.004-04:00

Just hung up the phone with the pace van. We had time for a quick update before they went out of cell phone coverage range again. Day crew navigator Tom Wendel said: "He's going like a machine. All is good."

Rob's feeling good in third place, about one hour, 15 minutes behind second and 30 minutes ahead of fourth. You can't ask for much better than that.

We discussed sleep again and it is still an open question. Rob is tired and he is, as we speak, going up some horrifically brutal climbs between Sedona and Flagstaff. (Side note: My wife and I vacationed last fall in the southwest and we drove this exact route. I said to her "My God. I could not imagine riding a bike up this." It was only after I told Rob where we were that he told me "Yeah - THAT'S the RAAM course.")

Anyway, this climb may tire him to the point where he does decide to sleep. So, if you log on on tomorrow morning and notice a dramatic slowdown in his time between time stations, you'll know why.

A good first 30 hours, to be sure. We'll see you back here on Friday. Until then, here are some great Rob shots from the RAAM web site.

Rob gets ready to saddle up at the start.

Rob and Jure Robic looking relaxed before the start.

Rob's and (I assume) Kate's foot at the start.

Rob's quadriceps (they're rented.)

Rob and crew chief Mike Perron during a leap frog bottle exchange.

A Quick Show of Hands...

2010-06-10T20:12:00.006-04:00

How many people reading this blog have ridden a bicycle 500 miles in 30 hours (or 30 days, for that matter?)

C'mon. Don't be shy.

Thought so.

My point? Rob is awesome. He's just riding along, doing his thing and having a great start. There's an entire continent between him and the finish line, but just doing what he's done so far is simply great.

I'll be talking to the pace van just before the transition from day to night crew and I'll have a report later this evening on how he's feeling and any other interesting events of the day.

A couple of people have emailed me, asking if Rob will sleep tonight. It's a good question. Yesterday, when I spoke with Rob before the start, I asked him the same thing. In 2008 he tried to sleep in Flagstaff and he said that he ended up staring at the ceiling of the motor home for two hours. Wasted time.

So, this year, he's going to listen to his body. If he thinks he can sleep at about 2:00 AM local time tonight, he'll try. If not, he'll keep riding. Then, he might take a catnap some time during the day tomorrow and then get on his regular sleep cycle of trying to sleep from about 2-4 AM every day.

Just a Reminder: The Two Most Important RAAM Web Site Pages

2010-06-10T17:34:00.005-04:00

To find out where Rob is relative to the competition, as well as the last time station he went through, click here.

To see Rob-specific stats, including ETA at upcoming time stations, click here.

Note that these estimates are based on the rider's average speed as of the last time station. It does not take into account if the rider decides to stop. Each time a rider checks into a time station, all estimated arrival times for future time stations are updated based on the performance to the current time station.

To illustrate my point, the current estimate for Rob to finish in Annapolis is Wednesday, June 16 at 12:30 PM. While I count myself as one of Rob's biggest fans, that would mean a 7-day crossing. Not likely. Keep in mind that no one has ever broken eight days.

This estimate, of course, is based on Rob's current average speed of 18+ miles per hour. The fastest RAAM ever was an average speed of 15.4, by Pete Penseyres in 1984.

Got it? (This will be on the final exam.)

Rob Morlock RAAM 2010

A Post-Race Conversation with Rob

Interview with Rob in the Danbury News-Times

Finish Photos

Finish Video

A Post Race Post

The Aftermath

The Medal

The Gang

He's in!

OK NOW on his way

Waiting for escort

About 10 minutes

We're jumping ahead to the finish.

Nice tailwind...

"Never Again..."

ALMOST HOME!

*REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-20-2010 9:00 AM EDT*

*REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-20-2010 3:00 AM EDT*

*UPDATE FROM THE ROAD - 6-19-2010, 11:30 PM EDT*

In Hancock, MD

*REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-19-2010 4:20 PM EDT*

*REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-19-2010 8:20 PM EDT*

Woo Hoo!

"Smell the Barn"

Video from the Road: Rob Climbs in Ohio

*REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-18-2010 3:45 PM EDT

Word From Sal Dicello: "The Secret Ingredients are 'Ginger' and a Friendly 'Wave'"

*REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-18-2010 1:25 PM EDT*

Some Nice Emails to Share

An Interesting Aside...

In case you are wondering...

*REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-18-2010 9:25 AM EDT*

GOOOOOOOOOOOD MORNING OHIO!!!

One last thing...

*REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-17-2010 10:00 PM EDT*

*REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-17-2010 6:20 PM EDT*

*REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-17-2010 4:00 PM EDT*

A Note From the Lance Armstrong Foundation

*REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-17-2010 1:45 PM EDT*

A Word About Dads

A Blast From the Past

*REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-17-2010 9:30 AM EDT*

*REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-16-2010 8:45 PM EDT*

*REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-16-2010 4:45 PM EDT*

Videos from the Road: Rob at the Half-Way Mark and Crossing the Mississippi

*REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-16-2010 3:30 PM EDT*

Question About Crossing the Mississippi

Thank you!

*REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-16-2010 10:45 AM EDT*

Not Trying to Be a Pest...

*REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-16-2010 8:30 EDT*

*REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-15-2010 10:30 PM EDT*

Some Good Shots of Rob on the RAAM Blog

Sleep Deprivation Tales

The Spaniards Have a Different Word for Everything...

Sad News: Pattinson Drops Out

Photos From the Road

*REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-15-2010 3:48 PM EDT*

Video From the Road: Rob Gets Out of Kansas Just Ahead of the Law

Fun RAAM Humor

High School Heartbreak

Rob's Crazy Talk

*REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-15-2010 7:30 AM EDT*

*REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-14-2010 9:45 PM EDT*

*REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-14-2010 3:48 PM EDT*

*REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-14-2010 8:15 AM EDT*

*REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-13-2010 11:10 PM EDT*

*REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-13-2010 3:48 PM EDT*

More Trinidad Photos

Comment from Julie in Trinidad

*REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-13-2010 11:00 AM EDT*

Trinidad, CO Photos

Photo From the Road

*REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-13-2010 9:25 AM EDT*

First Thoughts of the Morning - 6-13-2010

Final Thoughts for the Night

*REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-12-2010 8:15 PM EDT*

*REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-12-2010 3:30 PM EDT*

The Sheer Joy of Cycling, the Heartache of Crewing

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-20-2010 9:00 AM EDT

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-20-2010 3:00 AM EDT

UPDATE FROM THE ROAD - 6-19-2010, 11:30 PM EDT

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-19-2010 4:20 PM EDT

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-19-2010 8:20 PM EDT

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-18-2010 1:25 PM EDT

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-18-2010 9:25 AM EDT

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-17-2010 10:00 PM EDT

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-17-2010 6:20 PM EDT

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-17-2010 4:00 PM EDT

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-17-2010 1:45 PM EDT

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-17-2010 9:30 AM EDT

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-16-2010 8:45 PM EDT

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-16-2010 4:45 PM EDT

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-16-2010 3:30 PM EDT

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-16-2010 10:45 AM EDT

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-16-2010 8:30 EDT

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-15-2010 10:30 PM EDT

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-15-2010 3:48 PM EDT

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-15-2010 7:30 AM EDT

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-14-2010 9:45 PM EDT

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-14-2010 3:48 PM EDT

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-14-2010 8:15 AM EDT

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-13-2010 11:10 PM EDT

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-13-2010 3:48 PM EDT

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-13-2010 11:00 AM EDT

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-13-2010 9:25 AM EDT

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-12-2010 8:15 PM EDT

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-12-2010 3:30 PM EDT

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-12-2010 12:15 PM EDT

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-12-2010 10:20 AM EDT

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-12-2010 9:10 AM EDT

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-11-2010 10:55 PM EDT

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-11-2010 5:30 PM EDT

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-11-2010 2:20 PM EDT

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-11-2010 11:30 AM EDT

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-11-2010 8:30 AM EDT

REPORT FROM THE ROAD: 6-10-2010 9:50 PM EDT