Once upon a time the serious cyclist would record his every training session in a diary, fastidiously noting down pertinent details such as his time, speed, riding conditions and how he felt.

It was an essential ‘tool’ in the cyclist’s training, a log of progress, seeing fitness increase steadily over a period of time.

These days few of us barely pick up a pen let alone contemplate investing time in manually writing down the details of our every ride. But that’s no bad thing, as there are now, thanks to the wonders of modern technology, far easier ways of recording training.

And, with the growth of applications (or apps) available for the growing number of smart phones, you can now entertain the serious prospect of using your mobile phone as a training diary and, in some cases, even as a cycle computer. With most smart phones boasting GPS tracking, such data as speed and duration can be automatically logged, taking the pain out of recording your workouts.

So, here are our six top ways of recording your training.