Should I take Cycling Supplements?

I take supplements to help before,during the ride and after a ride, and there seems to be a debate going on whether they are worth taking, so I have had a scout around the internet and found this article from Bikerader, I think that the relevant information is in there.

Dietary supplements are big business. You only have to walk into a health food store to see that. However, knowing what to use and when can be a minefield for an experienced athlete, never mind someone stepping up their cycling training. The claims made can be spectacular, almost too good to be true – unfortunately, they generally are.

Below, we go through some of the key supplements that will help you go faster on your bike. Some will enhance your ability to recover
between training sessions. This is key, as the better you recover, the better you can perform.
There are also some supplements that will keep you healthy. If you’re not healthy, you can’t train. If you can’t train, you won’t get faster. Finally, there are supplements that will just make you go faster.
Some will be more relevant for endurance cyclists, while others are suited to sprinters or track cyclists.

Carbohydrate and protein recovery drinks

What are they? These are usually a combination of simple sugars and whey protein.

What are their benefits? In addition to the advantages of the whey protein alone, the carbohydrate helps replace the energy burned during exercise. The whey protein will also help replenish lost energy stores, and the fluid will help rehydration.

When to take them? Immedia
tely after training.

Recovery shakes come in enough flavours to suit every palate

Electrolytes

What are they? Electrolytes are electrically conductive substances that contain free ions. As a sports supplement they're generally solutions of salts containing sodium along with other ions such as potassium, calcium and magnesium.

What are their benefits? The main pluses are for rehydration post-training. During training, the fluid you lose as sweat needs to be replaced to maximise recovery. Electrolytes mixed into fluids help the body retain fluid rather than it passing straight through the body.

When to take them? After training, particularly when the weather is hot and you’ve sweated a lot. They can help during training too.

Multivitamins and minerals

What are they? Supplements that provide a range of vitamins and minerals in one tablet.

What are their benefits? There’s little research to say you need to supplement with a multivitamin. However, you could see it as an insurance policy to ensure you get the nutrients you need each day.

When to take them? If you feel the need to, take one a day. Look for supplements that contain 100 percent or less of an RDA (recommended daily allowance).

Whey protein

What is it? Whey protein is one of two types of milk protein (the other being casein).

What are its benefits? There’s clear evidence that whey protein can help enhance recovery. It aids the muscles in repairing themselves and building themselves up to promote adaption to training. There’s also evidence to suggest that whey protein can help manage weight and body composition.

When to take it? Immediately after hard training sessions.

Fish oils

What are they? These are generally just a supplement that contains fish oils, and in particular omega-3 fatty acids. The latter are the really good ones!

What are their benefits? Fish oils will look after your immune system when you’re training hard.

When to take them? Look to take 500-1,000mg of omega-3 fatty acids per day.

Nitrates

What are they? These are naturally occurring substances that get converted to nitric oxide within the

body. One of their best-known sources is beetroot juice.

What are their benefits? They reduce blood pressure, increase blood flow, decrease the energy cost of exercise and make you go faster. They’re definitely worth a shot.

When to take them? Try one shot of beetroot juice three hours before your race.

Caffeine

What is it? Caffeine goes by the chemical name of trimethyxanthine, and is found in drinks such as coffee and tea.

What are its benefits? Caffeine has been shown to improve performance over a variety of distances and types of cycle race. Its most likely effect is to decrease sensations of pain within the muscle.

When to take it? For shorter races, take a dose of approximately 2mg/kg body weight approximately 60 minutes before the start. For longer events, do the same and then take approximately 50mg per hour of racing.

Creatine

What is it? Creatine is found naturally within the muscle, and provides the initial burst of energy you need to kickstart your training.

What are its benefits? Creatine is particularly useful for strength and power-based work, such as that

completed by a sprinter. It allows you to complete more efforts, such as reps in the gym, and therefore get stronger and faster.

When to take it? Take 2-5g after training, with your recovery shake.

Beta alanine

What is it? Beta alanine is an amino acid that’s one of two precursors to the muscle buffer carnosine.

What are its benefits? Beta alanine supplementation increases muscle carnosine, which allows you to handle acid within your muscle more effectively. This has been shown to improve performance over shorter distances, such as a 4km pursuit, and improve sprinting ability at the end of longer races.

When to take it? Take 2-4g daily, spread between two and four doses per day.

Sodium bicarbonate

What is it? Sodium bicarbonate is just simple old baking powder.

What are its benefits? The research is quite clear – supplementing with sodium bicarbonate improves high intensity performance. However, this only applies to events and races that last between one and 10 minutes. Any less or longer and it will be ineffective. There can also be considerable side effects to sodium bicarbonate, as it can cause diarrhoea. This is definitely one to try in moderation, in training, first.

When to take it? 0.2-0.3g/kg of body weight about 90 minutes before exercise.

Cycling in Sardinia

The second largest island in the Mediterranean Sardinia has always been considered an isolated land. Its people and culture maintain a separate identity from the Mainland. Sardinia as a cycling destination offers something quite different from anywhere else in Italy. not least being its superbly maintained and lightly trafficked roads. You also have its fabulous food, spectacular beaches and archaeological treasures, an isolated, rugged interior of intense natural beauty and people renowned for their graciousness and hospitality. Its hard to find a reason not to head off and start pedalling all you need is to learn to love hills.

We offer both Training Camps and Cycling tours on Sardinia. We have two Training Camps at the moment, Training Camp Villasimus in South Eastern Sardinia, and Training Camp Ogliastra, both lasting 6 days, all of the information is on our website www.velotravel.co.uk 

We also have an 8 day cycling tour of Sardinia, Tour Ogliastra. Departing from the historic town of Barisardo, and ends 7 days later in Arbatax where we can arrange transfers for you back to the airport.

Flights are either into Cagliari or Olbia, and are served by many charter companies and low cost carriers.

Cycling for Weightloss

I have been watching the obesity crisis that we are on the verge of here in the UK, and to many extents the World. I have been running for years, but had to but back with knee problems so that had to be knocked on the head. I found Cycling just by chance, I bought a really cheap Road bike that had been stuck in the garage for years, and one day just decided to get on and go for a short ride. I must say at this time, I was smoking 40+ cigarettes a day, and drinking quite a lot so the weight had piled on.

I started by doing just half an hour on the bike, then eventually I increased the time bit by bit, and my target was to one day ride 50 miles, which at that time seemed impossible. After becoming an addict, I ride to nearly 200 miles per week, I am totally obsessed with cycling, and I have seen my weight drop from 14 to 11 stone, my waistline decrease from 35" to a healthy 32" and of course I quit the cigarettes. I had to make a choice, cycling or smoking, and cycling won hands down. There is no better feeling than getting to 40mph downhill, the wind rushing past your ears. There are such lovely rides around here, and I bet that you can find some around you if you look close enough. British Cycling are doing a great job promoting the health  benefits of cycling, and how 'low impact' it is, but the amount of calories burnt during a ride far outweigh the odd hour at the gym. 

Here are some of the facts

What are the benefits of cycling?

• You will lose fat and burn calories by increasing heart rate, helping to achieve your weight loss goals
• Cheap and pollution free, cycling burns calories, and you’ll lose weight.
• Cycling improves health.
• All round fitness, along with strength and endurance are increased as cycling exercises the major muscle groups in the legs: the quadriceps, glutei, hamstrings and calves.
• Pedal power is low impact and takes the weight of the body, so for many people who cannot do high impact sports because of the pressure it puts on their joints, such as running, cycling is a great alternative.
• You need any special training! If a sport is complicated, you may not take it up. Most of us can already ride a bike - and as the saying goes, once learnt you never forget!

How will cycling improve my health?

• When cycling for health, exercise can be maintained for a long period of time without your leg muscles getting too tired, although you may feel the burn!  Your heart and lungs get a solid workout which is excellent for improving your cardiovascular fitness levels.
• As your heart and lungs get stronger you will be able to more efficiently transport oxygen around the body which is the key to a high level of fitness. Your resting pulse rate will decrease as will your blood fat levels and blood pressure. All of these combined will reduce your risk of heart disease.
• Cycling for 30 minutes just 2-3 times a week will help with all other aerobic exercises too and reduce the chances of you having to stop your activity to get your breath back, and again improve your weight loss.

Before you know it a 10 mile bike ride will be a great hour out of the house rather than a chore to lose weight.

An interesting statistic… If one third of all short car journeys were made by bike, national heart disease rates would fall by between 5 and 10 percent (Bikes not Fumes, CTC, 1992). Info from BikeBiz.

So go on, get on a bike, you'll never look back!!! I haven't.