The trouble is, tapering isn’t an exact science. The art of a taper is to lose the fatigue you have built up during training, but not to lose any fitness. If you get that balance right then you’ll be fresh, fit and ready to go.

There are generally three different theories when it comes to tapering for an event: linear, step and exponential.

The linear taper is where you gradually and progressively lower your overall training load in the period running into a major event.

Length of taper

The length of the taper can also vary, again depending on how you respond as an athlete. As a coach, I generally find riders with a diesel-like engine need a shorter taper than riders with an explosive engine but, as a general rule of thumb, I would recommend a taper of between one and two weeks for the biggest event of your season.

Applying the theory – how to taper

Ok, so that’s the theory, but how do you decide which taper model is right for you, and exactly how long that taper should be?

Your past response to training will give you the best insight into how to plan your taper – and if you’ve kept a training diary then this is another occasion when it will really come in handy. I would advise to go back through your diary and pick out a few days where you felt really good on the bike; then you need to analyse what you did in the two weeks prior to these days.

– How to create and use an effective training diary –

For example, if you have previously felt brilliant after two days off the bike, then a short step taper will probably be best for you. However, if you never feel good after a day off the bike then I would suggest going from either a linear or exponential taper.

One of the best ways to apply both an exponential and linear taper is to gradually reduce the overall volume of your training (the amount of time on the bike) but keep the same intensity. It’s also important to keep doing efforts similar in intensity to those you will do on race day as this will help keep your form sharp.

Generally, it’s your top-end power which is lost first when you stop training, so it’s important to keep working at a high intensity in order to not lose your top-end form during the taper. On the other hand, your base endurance tends to last longer without being trained and, as a result, it’s normally OK to reduce those rides.

During a successful taper, as your reduce your levels of fatigue, you should gradually feel better and better on the bike. This may seem obvious, but if you want to quantify it then if you ride with a power meter you should also see an increase in the watts you’re putting out.

A good taper also requires planning. With a month to go before your event you need to identify which taper method you are going to use. With two weeks to go it’s time to plan the taper. Write it down and stick to it. The key with planning a taper is to work backwards from the event; so, for example, if you’ve decided on a two-week linear taper, you know you need to reduce your training by a given amount each week. Aim for a 20 per cent reduction in time on the bike in week one and another 20 per cent in week two. Again, this requires forward planning to get it right.

These two metrics track the difference between the amount of training you have done in the last week compared to your average training over the last six weeks. If you have a score of zero then your training over the last week has been equal in load to your average for the last six weeks. Every athlete has a sweet spot with regards to the balance between fitness and freshness at which they will perform best.

I would suggest that, once again, you go back and have a look at the days where you’ve felt the best over the last year. Have a look at the ‘Form’ or ‘TSB’ on those days – if all is normal they should all be relatively similar and for most riders they will all between -10 and +10.

Now look again at the training you did running up to those days. This will dictate the type of taper to use and the duration of the taper will be dictated in how long it will take you, using your desired taper method, to get from where your ‘TSB’ or ‘Form’ score is now to where it needs to be on race day.