Not everybody is in the privileged position of being able to get the miles in during winter, however, with dark nights and wet, windy and icy conditions hampering opportunities.

But, if planned correctly, a session on the turbo trainer or rollers is a more than adequate alternative, according to Ellingworth.

He says: “Turbo training is a good substitute for those that can’t get out on the road.

“The pros are lucky in that they are full-time, so they don’t need to worry about when they will get chance to get a ride in – they are riding every day.

“But even then, there are some riders who get a lot from it – Ben Swift, for example, was forced to totally rethink his training when he came back from his shoulder injuries. The turbo trainer was necessary for him then.

“When you are planning a turbo training session, you need to replicate what you would want to get out of a road session. Start with a 20-30-minute warm-up and make sure you plan for a warm down too. Straight away there is close to an hour’s session.

“Then it’s important to keep your efforts varied. Put in a few intervals, where you are riding at a higher cadence than normal in short bursts. It is important to keep the efforts varied, and the warm up is an important part of that.

“You want to be finishing the warm up just below the level of intensity you are aiming for in the session and then you are really ready to get going with the big efforts. And, keep it simple.”