Dear Charlie....

Hi Charlie,

I must say, I am very impressed with all of the services offered to those of us competing in the 2010 Vineman Aquabike. It would be a pleasure and honor to be a part of your focus group.

A little bit about me: I am a surfer/mountain biker/solar guy who's always been passionate about the extreme and recently have focused my attention on bi/triathlons. If you were a psychologist you might say I'm doing it to avoid thinking about my impending nuptials, but that's neither here nor there. Actually, it's there because the wedding will be in Bodega Bay. Last year I excelled/survived the Might Hapmton Tri but I wasn't engaged it was just something to do after staying up all night.

Anyway, I have developed a unique training program that is specifically designed for me to beat Derek once again. Derek McConnell. Is he in your focus group? He should be, he's a contestant in this race as well and probably my toughest direct competition. Aside from myself, right? We must overcome ourselves before we can overcome Derek.

Oh, I like that. That may be my new motto. Up until now it has been "Beat Derek. Or Die Trying". I'm not sure if I'm willing to die trying, but I'm not ruling it out either. For now I'm awaiting confirmation from Amy if there will be paramedics on race day. That would give me some peace of mind because between you and me I'm not at all conditioned to bike 112 miles, particularly after swimming for 90 minutes.

Will there be prizes or gifts for those of us in the focus group? If I may, in exchange for my time and knowledge I'd love a membership to your Triathlon organization. Is that fair? At a minimum please bring some Gatorade and Clif Bars.

Thanks very much for asking me to be a part of your focus group.

Ted