Tripleshot Cycling

Perhaps not news to some, but a recent VeloNews article looks at some published evidence that caffeine enhances glycogen uptake during recovery:

http://velonews.competitor.com/2008/11/ ... cise_84963

Caveat: the results were found in subjects who were riding 12-15 hours per week and were given the equivalent of 5 cups of joe. That might be Petey after 3 teas on a Friday - but it ain't most of us.

Thanks to Barry for pointing me to the handy general VN index of cycling nutrition columns:

http://velonews.competitor.com/2010/09/ ... mns_140637

"With the ingestion of both caffeine and carbohydrate, the overall amount of glycogen stored in the muscle for the 4-hour period was 60-percent higher than with carbohydrate alone..."

It doesn't say anything about caffeine alone. We'd probably have to have a lot of sugar in our Moka House Americanos for this to apply to us, and that would be bad for our image, as a stylish cyclist should drink his coffee black and unsweetened.

I occasionally eat some carbs with my coffee. Okay, always. (Did you know Clif bars are only $1.25 at the Red Barn Market at Mattick's Farm?)

But surely every one of us has some carbs within four hours of riding, non?

Non.

No wonder you're so stringy.

Non

We have had this discussion before on the forum but I was unaware of the dose used in the quoted study.
Until further studies are done it looks like the ideal coffee consumption is 2 cups pre ride (lots of data on this - "you are crazy if you don't do it" kind of data) and 5 cups after. I'll take mine with a pickle juice chaser.
Eric ( the original Eric #7)

Rolf wrote:a recent VeloNews article looks at some published evidence that caffeine enhances glycogen uptake during recovery

Sigh. This is just another feeble excuse from the coffee world to justify a terrible habit! Anti-oxidants, glycogen uptake, what outlandish claims will they make about the brown death next?

you're treading on dangerous ground saying stuff like that 'round these parts, boy