Descending is an inevitable part of riding your road bike, it's a necessary skill to develop. Many riders are fearful when descending, while others lack the skills to fully take advantage of a good dip in the road. Some riders may just want to further their skills so that during a ride they can take full advantage of any decline.

So as well as developing your skills with my handy tips, I'll aim to build your confidence and turn you into an accomplished descender.

Relaxing Tension in the shoulders and braking into the corners" are the two biggest mistakes in amateurs when descending, and my number one tip to a new road rider is to relax

Get Low Getting low on your bike while descending serves two functions. Firstly, it will reduce your frontal profile which will improve your aerodynamics enabling you to hold speed throughout the descent.

Look ahead How far ahead should you be looking? "You should always be looking at where you want to go, where you want to exit the corner or in a straight line 30 metres up the road.

Push on your outside leg This is a specific skill that you need to practice to the point when it becomes automatic.

On or off the seat? Referring back to the aim of getting your centre of gravity as low as possible, it's best to stay in the seat.

The shortest line The safest and fastest way through a corner is also the shortest.

Descending isn't a time for rest Well, it's a great time to recover but it's not a time to completely stop pedaling and rest. If you were to stop pedaling on a long descent, your legs will fill will lactic acid and end up feeling like cement blocks.

You have two brakes, use them There are two brakes on your bike so use both when descending. This will spread the load through the bike evenly, helping you maintain balance and preventing your weight and centre of gravity from changing too drastically.

Ride on the drops In addition to lowering your centre of gravity, riding on the drops will give you much greater control over the bikes handling thanks to better grip and less chance of your hands slipping if you hit a pothole or bump in the road. Riding on the drops will also give you greater efficiency when using the brakes as you'll have greater leverage than if you stayed on the hoods.

Things to be aware of

• Having your brakes on too long: Constantly having pressure on your brakes will result in the braking surface overheating causing brake fatigue and eventually failure. This is especially the case for carbon braking surfaces. To avoid excessive heat build up, try pulsing the brakes to wash off speed or alternating between the front and rear. 
• Take care in the wet: Braking becomes significantly compromised in the wet. The quality of contact between the braking surfaces is diminished, as a result, it will take you longer to slow you down. On top of that, traction to the road won't be as good, you won't be able to see as far ahead, you may have water sprayed in your face by another rider and it will be harder to grip the bars. As a consequence, take care in the wet, leave yourself enough time to brake appropriately and be extra cautious.
• Descending shouldn't feel like work: It should feel fluid and easy. If you are working too hard or concentrating too much, there's a high likelihood you're not descending as well as you could. Try to let the descent flow and again, practice makes this possible. Pick a descent you know well and practice it over and over to build your confidence to the point where you can get to the bottom safely, at good speed and with minimal effort.

For more top tips on cycling or if you want to improve your fitness and skills head to our website www.apachebrave.co.uk