How to set your training priorities for the year ahead

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Now is the perfect time to focus your attention on the year ahead. Take the test below to assess your capabilities and the priorities you need to set yourself over the coming months to make 2017 the best year yet on the bike.

• How to keep a training diary
• How to measure changes in your cycling fitness

1. Choose your star qualities

Take a few minutes to write a list of the key qualities you believe elite cyclists have in your type of riding, whether it is a physiological quality such as 'pushing big gears' if you're a time-trial rider, a psychological quality such as 'having no fear' if you're a downhill mountain biker or a tactical quality such as 'reading the breaks' if you're a road racer. 

Everyone has slightly different opinions on the key qualities. Don't look for textbook answers, use your intuition and your own labels for each quality, because it's really important for you to feel personally connected to the list. 

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Keep going until you have over 10 qualities (try to summarise a few if you're still going at 25).

2. Rate the importance of each quality

Score each of the qualities according to their importance with regard to performing brilliantly in your chosen discipline. If the quality is vital, give it a score of 10; if it's not important at all, give it a 1. Most qualities will fall somewhere in between. 

For instance, if you're a road racer who thinks 'getting up climbs quickly' is a key quality for most of the races you intend to do, you might give it a score of 8.

3. Score your own performance

4. Do your sums

Making the test useful

• Rank the qualities by their total score.
• Select the four highest-scoring qualities.
• For each, give yourself two specific actions you'll take over the next three months to improve your score on that quality. Be specific: 'ride more miles' is no good. Instead try something like setting a specific weekly mileage target for the next 12 weeks.
• For each quality, set yourself a target 'how good am I' score for one month's time, and three months' time.
• Recalculate the test every month and review your progress against the specific actions you said you would complete, and the target scores.

You can read more at BikeRadar.com

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