Caffeine For Cycling Guide 2.0

Caffeine is the most widely used drug in the world because it’s legal and it works [21]. When it comes to endurance performance, there’s a mountain of evidence suggesting that caffeine may also make you faster on the bike [3, 21].

Precisely how caffeine improves cycling performance is a bit of mystery [2, 4, 5, 7, 8], but in general, caffeine makes cycling feel easier [6].

It’s this reduction in Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) that may be central to caffeine’s ability to add watts to your suitcase of courage.

In this Caffeine for Cycling Guide, I’ll use six specific questions as a backdrop to map out a simple strategy to boost your legs in the next race, fondo, or cycling tour.

How much caffeine do you need to boost performance?

Research suggests you need about 3-6 milligrams of caffeine per kilogram of body weight (3-6 mg/kg) in order to see the best results [2].

In practical terms, a cyclist weighing 70kg (154 lbs) should aim for at least 210mg of caffeine before a ride or race. What does 210mg look like in the context of a supplement or beverage?

The table below lists several different products and their caffeine content. In the chart below, 3 mg/kg is equivalent to about 1 “short” 8oz cup of Starbucks coffee.

Item	Quantity (ml | oz)	Caffeine Content (mg)
Drip Coffee	150 | 5	110-150
Instant Coffee	150 | 5	40-108
Starbucks Tall Coffee	360 | 12	375
Starbucks Short Coffee	240 | 8	250
Ice Tea	360 | 12	22-36
Mountain Dew	355 | 12	55
Coke	355 | 12	46
Pepsi	355 | 12	38
Red Bull	250 | 8	80
Excedrin Pain Reliever	tablet	65
NoDoz Stimulant	tablet	100
Gu Gel w/caffeine	31 | 1	20
SIS Gel w/caffeine	60 | 2	75
Skratch Chews w/caffeine	1.76 oz package	50

Does it matter what product you choose that contains caffeine?

Classic research suggests the biggest performance improvements come from anhydrous (pill or powder form) caffeine [9]. If you’re uncomfortable popping a caffeine pill before a race, coffee seems nearly as effective as straight caffeine [10, 11].

In short, if you’re interested in using caffeine to boost your cycling, make sure you understand the caffeine content in whatever product you’ll be consuming, then test the results in your training.

When should you consume caffeine in relation to your race start time?

Research shows caffeine reaches peak plasma concentration about 45-60 minutes after ingestion [14]. This means you should finish off your caffeinated beverage about 1 hour before your start.

More recent research also suggests you may get a boost from lower (1.5 mg/kg) doses of caffeine later in a ride or race, meaning there’s a likely benefit from consuming your primary dosage of caffeine an hour before the race, then again in advance of different strategic portions of a race [18,19].

The graphic below illustrates one strategy for being strategic in your caffeine timing over a 4+ hour race.

Is there any use backing off caffeine before a big race?

Traditional caffeine research suggested the more frequently you drink coffee, the more desensitized you become to its performance benefits [12]. For years, sports nutritionists have recommended abstaining from caffeine for about 4 days before an important event in order to fully realize caffeine’s performance benefit on race day.

Then came research suggesting no benefit to backing away from caffeine in order to get a better effect [17,20,21].

Most recently a new study found that daily caffeine intake lessened its performance boost on a subsequent running tests when compared to a group who had abstained from caffeine [25].

If you’re following along, here’s the score:

So what does all of this back-and-forth mean in practice?

The best option is to practice tapering your caffeine in training then observe the results for yourself. What do you notice? Are you able to taper caffeine without adverse side effects in your training? Do you notice an extra buzz with caffeine after abstaining for a few days or weeks? If so, it might be worth skipping the caffeinated coffee in the days or weeks before your next race.

Are there any reasons not to consume caffeine?

Caffeine does come with potential side effects. These include anxiety, restlessness, and headaches [4]. Furthermore, while caffeine seems to be effective for most cyclists, some don’t get a performance boost at all [15].

In short, there appears to be a gene that influences how quickly you metabolize caffeine [16]. Fast metabolizers show greater performance gains from caffeine while slow metabolizers might actually get slower after consuming caffeine.

Aside from performance, caffeine can have a significant negative impact on your quality of sleep [23]. A recent study demonstrated that 400mg of caffeine consumed 12 hours before bedtime still had the ability to negatively impact your quality of sleep. The same 400mg dosage of caffeine consumed closer to bedtime has an even greater sleep-wrecking impact (see image below).

A lower dosage of caffeine (around 100mg) seems to not impact your quality of sleep if taken 4 hours before bedtime.

The takeaway? If you’re game to try, caffeine will probably make you faster, but there’s a chance it might actually hurt your performance.

Additionally, be mindful of when you have caffeine, only consuming smaller dosages (or none at all) as you get closer to 4 hours before bedtime. As with every other training intervention or supplement, make sure you test it out and see for yourself.

Are the benefits of caffeine additive alongside other supplements like beet juice, sodium bicarbonate, or beta alanine?

The short answer seems to be no [22]. In other words, if you expect caffeine to give you a 3% boost, and beet juice to give you a 3% boost, these advantages don’t sum out to a 6% total performance increase.

If the effect of supplements don’t seem to be additive, what’s the play?

1. Experiment with, and perfect your race-day caffeine strategy before other supplements.
2. After nailing your caffeine strategy, it might make sense to utilize other supplements (like beet juice, sodium bicarbonate, or beta alanine) to boost your training intensity in the lead-up to an event, relying primarily on caffeine as the cherry-on-top for race day.
3. Alternatively, in situations where you training or racing happens later in the evening, in which caffeine may decrease your sleep quality, other supplements may be a better fit to strike a balance between maximize performance and the recovery benefits of sleep.

TLDR

1. Caffeine (at least one 8 oz cup of Starbucks coffee for a 154 lb cyclist) is likely to boost performance for most cyclists.
2. Make sure your understand the caffeine content of your chosen product then dose accordingly.
3. Consume caffeine about 60 minutes before your start time, and additionally during later portions of your race/ride in desired.
4. Brand new research suggests there may be a benefit to backing off caffeine before an event. Test it out in training first.
5. Don’t waste money trying to stack other supplements on top of caffeine during a race. Use other supplements to fuel periods of greater training intensity, utilizing caffeine as your primary supplement on race day.

References

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