In the never-ending search for an edge that will add endurance or speed, cyclists have a lot to consider when it comes to supplements. While many have no effect, there are some supplements that are widely believed to be at least somewhat effective.

The International Olympic Committee weighed in with a 2018 consensus statement that includes a list of dietary supplements that have shown strong evidence of providing performance benefits. The IOC named caffeine, creatine, nitrate, beta-alanine and sodium bicarbonate as those that could help cyclists and other athletes.

Pinning down gains

Caffeine pills or caffeine powder are cycling supplements that are likely to provide gains, according to the research, partly by reducing the perception of exertion. It stands to reason that cyclists’ love of coffee could be helping their time trial results if a cup of java works as well as pills. The statement said doses of 100 to 300 mg of caffeine consumed during a time trial could improve performance by 3% to 7%. Not a bad increase.

Larger doses of caffeine were not found to further improve performance.

Creatine supplementation may have a place in interval training. The research indicates that among the most notable benefits of creatine is the ability to perform repeated bouts of high-intensity exercise.

Nitrate users have been seen to experience improvements in time to exhaustion, most notably of up to 4% in time trials lasting under 40 minutes.

Cyclists using beta-alanine could see small but potentially meaningful gains of around 2% to 3%, according to the research.

Sodium bicarbonate, while it has been known to cause stomach upset, has been credited with enhanced performance of around 2% in sprints lasting around 60 seconds. The stomach problems may be lessened if sodium bicarbonate is taken with a small carbohydrate-rich meal or by splitting doses, the research states.

The IOC cautions that many supplements are not subject to regulation by the Food and Drugs Administration in the U.S. And, competitive cyclists should be careful that supplements do not run afoul of anti-doping regulations.