Coffee, Cycling, Glycogen and You

The benefits post ride coffee have been obvious to anyone who been riding for a while. Now we have the scientific proof which helps us all justify ending any ride at a cafe. Studies have shown that adding large quantities of caffeine to your post ride meal will improve your glycogen stores by around 66% against just eating a carbo meal post exercise. If your training or racing a lot your recovery is a vital part of maximising your efforts. However there is evidence to show that a coffee before riding won’t do you much good.

Take with carbs post ride for more muscle glycogen

In recent studies it was found that while caffiene delivered in capsules resulted in a marked improvement in endurance ( up to ten times), taking your caffiene in liquid form at your favourite cafe won’t have the same effect. There are many other compounds in a coffee and it appears that some of these block the performance effects of the caffiene.

Also if you’re in to creatine it seems a pre-ride caffiene  hit will essentially blunt or completely counteract the effects on any creatine supplimentation. It is wise to remember that caffeine is also a diuretic and causes a loss of fluid, which then leads to a dehydrating effect - so be aware if your heading out for a long one that any caffiene pre-ride may need to be offset with more hydration along the way.