A lot of the time the emphasis is put on the climbs with little consideration for anything else, but descending safely and efficiently is a skill in itself.

Correctly positioning your body on the bike, lowering your centre of gravity, will give you extra stability and confidence to build up your speed and confidence.

Learning unknown descents in advance will be a huge benefit come the big day as you’ll know exactly what’s around the next corner, how sharp a bend is or if there are any particular nasty patches of tarmac to look out for.

If you are fortunate enough to be riding on closed roads then of course this will be an added safety bonus, however this may not be the case so don’t make the mistake of using the whole road unless you are allowed to – it could be very costly indeed.

Remember to consider that there may be several riders around you come the day of the event so you may need to adjust your line on a descent accordingly. Practice moderating your speed in advance of the bend so that you can roll through the apex and carry more speed on exit.

Keep your inside knee up to avoid catching a pedal as you lean over and apply pressure to your outside leg through the pedal to maintain stability.

The most important thing when descending is to relax. Work with the bike and let it flow, don’t push your limits and use the time to try and recover in preparation for the next climb.