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

                                               


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

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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.