1. Have a clear goal of its objectives. In particular, be aware of what will run in the distance. If your maximum say race is 1 hour. This means it is necessary to focus on basic mileage too. If you are wanting to participate Elite Road Racing has to be able to find time for 5-6 hours weekly rides.

2. Divide the year in different sections. The training style should not be the same throughout the year. It is often useful to divide the year in different sections. For example, 3 months of winter training base. From 2 months of training to peak intervals of 2 months of racing in the middle of winter

3. Working out when you want Peak. The top professionals are so focused on wanting to win races. Gone are the days when the likes of Eddy Merckx run throughout the year and win it all. Lance Armstrong is a good example of a cyclist who focused solely on one event in July – the Tour de France. Look for the dates of major national championships and try to concentrate for that.

4. Leave space for rest and recovery. Just as important as training is the ability to rest at the right time. This includes having a rest in winter annual. It also means that the recovery period at its more intense training. It should be noted that recovery may be a good support base training rides from 1 to 2 hours. Do not just build in rest days. Making room for recovery rides where you do nothing intense. Monday is a good day for them.

5. Be flexible. The fact that you have scheduled a very difficult session interval of 20 minutes at 95% does not mean you have to do it even if you're in time. This is much more likely to do more damage than good. It's better than just break sessions, when your body is really prepared and ready.

6. Listen to your body. Related to be flexible is the idea that your training should be tailored to how you feel. It is important to be able to listen to the signs of your body and your statement if you should train more or less.

7. Allow thinning periods. Sharp is very important to be able to peak for a given event. Decreasing means that during 1-2 weeks before an event aimed at reducing the duration of their training. This leaves you fresh and rested for the actual race. Note decreasing does not mean you should reduce the intensity, the main thing is to reduce the time devoted to training.

Richard Pettinger rides for the Sri Chinmoy Cycling Team and lives in Oxford. He rides in UK time trials, finishing 4th in the 2005 100 mile TT championship. He writes on different subjects including cycle training.

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