Naturally on longer rides you’re likely to encounter elements of flats and hills. Whilst you can still use these circuits in a similar fashion to a regular mixed terrain ride also consider that with the extra distance you may need to back off the pace a touch.

As your fitness builds throughout the season try tagging on an extra loop or hour in the saddle that will increase the overall length of your ride whilst also keeping you relatively close to home.

As you venture further afield, check in advance where you’ll be able to fill bottles and replenish stores so that you don’t have to take everything with you.

Long rides are excellent for building your endurance and base fitness as well as seeing how your body copes with fluid and food intake after several hours.

Frequently incorporating long rides into your training schedule will help to improve your efficiency, meaning you’ll not only be faster for the same effort but you’ll find that you’re body starts to become more effective at utilising your fuel and you’ll be able to ride further without feeling as hungry.

Remember that it’s often better to focus on time in the saddle rather than distance, so build your long rides up slowly over a period of weeks and months.

This will gradually put the building blocks in place and give you confidence at being in the saddle for the same amount of time that you estimate your biggest event to be.

If possible try to find a training partner or teammate of similar ability to ride your longest routes with. Not only will you be able to help each other by sharing the workload but a good conversation and catch up is a brilliant way to pass the time as well.