Caffeine has permeated the cycling culture forever. Caffeine is the world’s most widely consumed psychoactive ( affecting the mind) substance. Humans have consumed caffeine since the stone age, discovering that chewing the bark or leaves of certain plants had the effects of easing fatigue, stimulating awareness and elevating mood. Much later, people discovered that steeping such plants in hot water made it more palatable. Today, caffeine and cycling go hand-in-hand for many riders for the supposed performance benefits along with the joy of having a cup of coffee.
Caffeine Sourcing
Caffeine is an alkaloid that acts as a stimulant to the central nervous system. Sometimes called guaranine, mateine and theine when found in guarana, mate and tea, caffeine’s primary source for cyclists is beans from the coffee plant. It’s used both as a recreational substance and medically to reduce fatigue and restore vitality.
Dosing and Application
Caffeine is a drug with a high level of popularity among cyclists, and a fair amount of dependency. A standard cup of coffee contains 70 to 180 mg of caffeine depending on the method of preparation. Tea has much less caffeine at 20 to 35 mg per cup, and soda has about 30 to 40 mg. But lets not leave out one of mountain biking’s most popular sponsor’s energy drinks, constantly trying to out-do each other with even higher levels of caffeine. As an example, Red Bull has about 80 mg of caffeine per serving. Monster contains 86 mg, or twice that of Coke. Note that there are many different sizes of drinks though, and each has differing levels of caffeine.
Caffeine and Cycling – Monster Versus Gatorade
A recent study looked at the effects of consuming a caffeinated sports drink on performance. Sixteen highly trained cyclists reported that perceived exertion was lower with caffeinated sports drink than with conventional sports drinks.
Dilation and Heart Rate
But are the benefits to cyclists all in your head? Not exactly. Generally speaking, caffeine is a stimulant that prepares your brain and body for action, but effects also include increased heart rate and dilation of blood vessels to ease blood flow.
Muscle Contraction
Danielle Clay is a former international road cyclist and downhill mountain bike racer who has spent a large part of her life working with world-class athletes. She say’s that there is evidence that caffeine improves muscle contraction. “Caffeine has a glycogen sparing effect.” Says Danielle, “Glycogen is the storage molecule for carbohydrates, and we start to use it up when we exercise. If we don’t replace it, then we have to ingest more carbohydrates.
Fat and Carbs
“But by taking caffeine in, we can stimulate our ability to break down fat instead of glycogen”, Danielle says, “which means there’s more glycogen available for longer compared to if we hadn’t have caffeine. That means when you come to the final stages of a race after having had caffeine, you’re not as glycogen depleted and you’ve still got some sugar from carbohydrates stored in the liver and the muscles ready to be used.”
Drawbacks to Caffeine
As with any drug though, side effects can increase with the intensity of the dosage. Heavy caffeine use can cause or exacerbate problems ranging from headache to insomnia, and it is possible to become physically dependent on the drug. The primary effects are to the nervous and cardiovascular system. They include tremors — who’s not had the coffee jitters — impairments in motor control and coordination, anxiety, high and irregular heart rhythms.
Diuretic or Not
Caffeine is a diuretic, meaning that it increases urine production, which in theory could exacerbate dehydration during exercise. However, recent studies have indicated that exercise negates the effect. Researchers from the University of Connecticut discovered that, “contrary to popular beliefs, caffeine consumption does not result in water-electrolyte imbalances or hyperthermia and reduced exercise-heat tolerance.”
Dependency and Tolerance
Caffeine dependency is where some cyclists fit into the equation. Dependency is characterized by the development of drug tolerance, with a direct reduction in the stimulant effects of caffeine.
Short Versus Long Term
The scientific literature is clear that when used correctly, caffeine helps to improve performance on the bike, especially short-term, high-intensity efforts. The benefits of caffeine and cycling during prolonged endurance exercise is somewhat less clear, but some studies indicate that, in longer events, caffeine delays fatigue by reducing the athlete’s perception of effort. It increases the endorphin concentration during exercise; cyclists love endorphins. They affect mood, reduce perception of pain, and create a sense of well-being. So there you have it. Coffee just makes you feel good.
Caffeine Dosing
Caffeine is commonly used by endurance athletes 30 to 60 minutes before races to enhance competitive performance. The effect of caffeine is dose-dependent. The maximum effect is seen with doses of 5 to 6 milligrams per kilogram of body weight. For a 150-lb runner this translates to roughly 340-400 mg, or the amount of caffeine you’d get in 14 to 17 ounces of drip-brewed coffee.
Daneille’s Suggestions
“Pick a hard training session, like a chain gang session, and ingest the caffeine a couple of hours before. If you drink a lot of caffeine, have three cups and see how you feel. Some people feel nauseous, anxious, or get gastro-intestinal disturbance. Some will find it will disturb their sleep as well.”
Start Slower
“If you’re not used to drinking caffeine, start with one small cup of coffee.” Danielle says. “It’s difficult to tell how much of an effect it’s having because you only have a previous session to measure against, but you should feel slightly stimulated while training. If you’re having negative symptoms, it doesn’t mean that the caffeine is not working, it just means that you’re quite sensitive to it and you need to lower your dose.”
What This All Means to Cyclists
So from all the above, it is clear that moderation is important with caffeine and cycling. If you are serious about using caffeine as an aid rather than an excuse to drink coffee, you need to taper off the regular use of caffeine as much as possible and save its use for prior to and during actual events. If you still want the post-ride coffee, consider going decaf.
Not a Miracle Drug
With caffeine and cycling, caffeine is not going to turn cyclists into pro cyclists, and even supplements are only the beginning of a solid training program. Eating, resting, and living within your own limits is the key. Now, go enjoy some coffee because you just like it.