Richard Whitworth headed to the Wuzishan Rain Forest Challenge, a UCI Gran Fondo World Series event, with hopes of qualifying for the World Champs in August next year, in Niseko, Japan. He did that yesterday and then some, taking a well deserved 4th place in the process!

As ever with athletes who just miss a podium, there was some disappointment at missing a vital split that saw the front three break clear, but on reflection this is a great result after a year of vary hard work, that Rich diligently applied himself to – and, let us note, next year he will be a spring chicken in the 60-64 category for the 2027 World Champs in France!

We got his FTP up to the 300 watt mark from a starting point of 250, and raised his short power to the point where he is now comfortably holding 400 and even 500 watts for extended periods. According to TrainingPeaks, his fitness is the highest is has been in years and he has reached numbers across the board that he last saw a decade ago!

Helping people to unlock their potential is the most rewarding aspect of coaching – along with becoming friends with the people I coach.

Richard has recently embarked on a coaching career of his own in his home town of Hong Kong, and is also a KOJO Collective Ambassador!

Well done sir, awesome effort!

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