Qualify for and "be competitive" at the 2023 World Gran Fondo Championships in 2023
Until last year, I was on track to achieve this. I’d gone back to racing, mainly in Master’s events and was having a reasonable level of success. The Hip problem and subsequent operation and recovery put a massive dent in this target and I genuinely do not know if it is still a realistic target for me. For now I am working on the assumption that I can regain and even exceed previous levels of performance but there is a very real chance that this is not possible.
The graphs below show my current levels and my targets. These are not granular yet and as I get closer to them I will be looking at much more specific interval and repeatability measures. For now I just need to build the base and lift the basics of FTP and weight management.
In order to qualify for the Gran Fondo World Championships, I need to come in the top 20% of a UCI qualifying event with the target event for this being the Tour of Cambridgeshire in early June. Hence my targets are to be at my desired levels by end May 2023. If I manage to qualify, I then have 8 weeks before the Worlds to hone the specifics.
Last year, my Coach was trying a different approach with me – of building a (for me) massive aerobic base and then sharpening it for peak performance. I built the base but then the covid and hip injury prevented me seeing the sharpening – so I have no idea if this approach is optimal.
This year I am going back to a more normal approach for me where I aim to build CTL without over-reaching BUT do a lot more racing/VO2 mixed in as I go along.
Assuming I progress okay, I do plan to do some Masters racing pre-June but not tapering etc. for them as this will impact my overall aims.
So key dates for me this year…
Sunday 4th June Tour of Cambridgeshire race
Friday 4th August Gran Fondo World Championships