NutritionAnswer

DOES BEETROOT JUICE IMPROVE CYCLING PERFORMANCE?

By Anthony WalshRoadman CyclingUpdated 20 June 2026

ANSWER

Beetroot juice can produce a small but real improvement in cycling performance because it's rich in dietary nitrate, which the body converts to nitric oxide — a molecule that widens blood vessels and improves how efficiently your muscles use oxygen. The effect is modest, most reliable in recreational and well-trained-but-not-elite riders, and strongest in endurance and time-trial efforts. It's not a transformation, but for the cost it's one of the better-supported legal supplements. Take a concentrated nitrate dose around two to three hours before a hard effort.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Beetroot works because it's high in dietary nitrate, which the body turns into nitric oxide and which improves oxygen efficiency.
The effect is real but modest — think a small percentage, not a transformation.
Benefits are most reliable for recreational and sub-elite riders; highly trained athletes often respond less.
It helps most in endurance and time-trial efforts where efficiency matters.
Timing matters: take a concentrated dose around two to three hours before the effort.

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WHO THIS IS FOR

IS THIS YOU?

The time-trial or sportive rider

You're chasing every legal, evidence-backed edge for a sustained effort and want to know whether beetroot is worth it.

The supplement-sceptical amateur

You want to know which supplements actually have science behind them before spending money or stomach space.

THE ROADMAN VIEW

Beetroot juice is one of the few supplements that survives a sceptic's scrutiny, which is exactly why it's worth understanding properly rather than dismissing or overselling. The mechanism is genuine: beetroot is loaded with dietary nitrate, your body converts that to nitric oxide, and nitric oxide makes your blood vessels dilate and your muscles use oxygen a little more economically. That can translate into holding a given power for marginally less cost, or pushing slightly higher before you blow.

The honest framing is that the effect is small and conditional. It shows up most clearly in recreational and well-trained-but-not-elite riders; the closer you get to the very top, the more your body already produces nitric oxide efficiently and the less an external dose adds. It also favours sustained, efficiency-limited efforts — a long climb or a time trial — over a flat-out sprint. So it's a real tool for the right rider on the right day, not a miracle for everyone.

Our line on supplements is simple: get the training, sleep and fuelling right first, because they dwarf anything in a bottle. But once the basics are handled, beetroot is one of a very short list — alongside caffeine and creatine — with enough evidence to be worth a place. Treat it as a small, situational edge for your key efforts, not a daily essential.

EXPERT EVIDENCE

WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY

Sports-nutrition research consensusDietary-nitrate literature (Jeukendrup, Burke and colleagues)
The performance benefit of dietary nitrate from beetroot is one of the better-supported findings in sports nutrition: a modest improvement in oxygen efficiency and endurance, most pronounced in non-elite athletes and in sustained efforts. The Roadman approach follows the established consensus rather than the marketing — real, small, and situational.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

DO THIS WEEK

Use a concentrated shot
A small concentrated beetroot 'shot' delivers a reliable nitrate dose without litres of juice. Check the label gives a nitrate amount, since juices vary widely.
Time it two to three hours out
Nitrate levels in the blood peak a couple of hours after intake, so take your dose roughly two to three hours before the key effort rather than at the start line.
Save it for efforts that matter
Reserve it for time trials, hard sportives and long climbs where efficiency is the limiter — not every easy ride. And test it in training first to be sure your gut is happy with it.

COMMON MISTAKES

WHAT CYCLISTS GET WRONG

MISTAKEExpecting a dramatic boost.
FIXThe effect is small. It's a marginal, legal edge for the right effort, not a transformation — and it won't rescue under-training or poor fuelling.
MISTAKETaking it on the start line.
FIXBlood nitrate peaks a couple of hours after intake. Take your dose two to three hours before the effort so it's working when you need it.

FAQ

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How does beetroot juice improve performance?

Beetroot is rich in dietary nitrate, which the body converts to nitric oxide. Nitric oxide widens blood vessels and improves the efficiency with which muscles use oxygen, so you can hold a given effort for slightly less metabolic cost. The benefit is modest but mechanistically real.

How much beetroot juice should I take and when?

A concentrated beetroot shot providing a standardised nitrate dose, taken around two to three hours before a hard effort, is the typical protocol. Blood nitrate peaks a couple of hours after intake, so timing it ahead of the effort matters more than taking it immediately before.

Does beetroot work for everyone?

Not equally. The benefit is most reliable in recreational and well-trained-but-not-elite riders; highly trained athletes tend to respond less because their bodies already produce nitric oxide efficiently. It also helps endurance and time-trial efforts more than short sprints.

Is beetroot juice a banned substance?

No. Dietary nitrate from beetroot is a normal food component and is not prohibited. It sits alongside caffeine and creatine as one of the few supplements with genuine evidence behind it, though the training basics matter far more.

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