3000 meter pursuit

Hello... I am returning to competitive cycling after a many year hiatus. I competed road & track in the mid 80s, and now that I can compete in masters I am thinking about the track again. I was wondering what times would make someone like myself competitive in the 3000 meter time trial (or pursuit), since I consider this a great guage for other events as well.

Also, during the 80s, one had to qualify (in the US) at district championships in order to go on to Nationals. I understand that there are no longer district championships. How would somebody go about getting a start at the Masters' National championships?

For master nationals it is now just enter and ride (there might be some category requirements for certain events, but definitely not the pursuit).

As for what sort of time you need to be competitive, that will of course vary with the age-group, but www.veloresults.com has the data for the past few years. Keep in mind that there can be significant track-to-track differences in interpreting those results, though, and also that this year master nationals are at altitude (Colorado Springs).