Graham Potts has asked Simon about getting in breakaways and whether this could be a tactic he could use to gain an advantage in a race such as Paris-Nice.

Getting in breakaways is definitely not a gift. Like sprinting or climbing, it’s something that you need to train to be good at. From early on in my cycling career I realised that I was a bit of an all rounder. There are many better climbers and many better sprinters in the peloton than myself so I figured that the best chance I had of winning races was from a breakaway, so that’s what I worked on.

You do need to be able to read a break well. There’s no point if the wrong combination of riders are trying to get away as the bunch will always bring them back.

Leigh De Luca has asked Simon how he mentally handles tough situations on the bike and what he tells himself to get his heart rate and breathing back under control.

In this situation I try to focus on the things I can control and don’t get preoccupied with other riders or anything out of my control. I stay focused on specific points in the race coming up and try to create small goals for instance, get over the next climb, get to the front for the next cross wind section etc. The better you are prepared for the race the easier this is.

A good example of this was during stage 15 at the 2008 Tour de France. I knew heading into the final climb that I was not the strongest in the group and that I would need to be on top of my game in order to give it my best shot at winning the stage.

Liz Swinton has asked Simon about his favourite food energy source whilst training and racing. 

Hi Liz. This differs depending on whether I’m racing, training short or training long.

My favourite training food without question is my Mum’s homemade Christmas cake. Unfortunately this only gets baked once a year, so I make the most of it for the couple of weeks following Christmas when I’m training in Australia.

When I’m in Europe and Mum’s chrissy cake isn’t around, I prefer real food like madeleines, cakes, sandwiches etc. However, when I’m racing I stick to energy bars and gels.

Simon.