I have had 1,400-odd conversations about performance on this podcast, and I can tell you with reasonable confidence that the single most common question I get asked — ahead of FTP, ahead of bike fit, ahead of training volume — is some variation of "what supplements should I be taking?"
The answer is almost always shorter than people want it to be.
The global sports supplement industry is worth north of $50 billion a year. It sustains itself on a simple commercial trick: take a molecule with a shred of laboratory evidence, dose it at a fraction of the effective amount, wrap it in packaging that implies transformation, and sell it for £40 a tub. The gap between what the science says and what the marketing says is where the money lives.
I am not anti-supplement. I take several myself, and I will tell you exactly which ones and why. But I am anti-nonsense, and most of what lines the shelves of your local cycling shop falls squarely into that category. Before you spend another pound on a pill, powder, or proprietary blend, you owe it to yourself to understand the evidence hierarchy — what is strong, what is moderate, what is wishful thinking, and what might actually land you in trouble.
This is the definitive guide. No hedging, no affiliate links, no brand partnerships. Just the research, the doses, and the practical application for cyclists who want to make rational decisions with their money and their bodies.
The supplement pyramid: where most cyclists get it backwards
Think of sports nutrition as a pyramid with three layers.
The base — whole food nutrition. This is 80–90% of the picture — and our cycling nutrition hub covers it in depth. Carbohydrate fuelling on the bike (60–90 g/hour for hard sessions — use the Fuel Planner to dial this in), daily protein intake (1.6–2.2 g/kg spread across meals), adequate fruit, vegetables, and dietary fat. If you are not hitting these numbers consistently, no supplement on earth will compensate. You are building on sand.
The middle — targeted supplementation for deficiencies. Vitamin D if you live above 50° latitude and train indoors through winter. Iron if blood work shows your ferritin is tanking. Omega-3 if your diet is low in oily fish. These are not performance enhancers — they are deficit correctors. They bring you back to baseline so your training can do its job.
The top — ergogenic aids for competition. Caffeine, creatine, beta-alanine, sodium bicarbonate. These are the compounds with genuine, replicated evidence for improving acute performance in trained athletes. They sit at the top because they are the smallest slice of the pie. They offer 1–5% improvements — meaningful if the base and middle are already solid, worthless if they are not.
The commercial supplement industry inverts this pyramid. It sells the top — the flashy ergogenic aids — to people who have not sorted the base. I see it constantly: a cyclist spending £150 a month on supplements who does not know their sweat rate (check with the Hydration Calculator), has never calculated their energy availability, and is fuelling their four-hour Sunday ride with a banana and a gel.
Fix the foundation first. Then we can talk about what goes on top.
Strong evidence tier: the four that actually work
These are the compounds with robust, replicated evidence from meta-analyses and systematic reviews, tested specifically in endurance and high-intensity exercise. If you are going to spend money on supplements, these are where the return on investment lives.
Caffeine — the most reliable ergogenic aid in sport
Caffeine is the single most well-studied performance-enhancing compound in sports science. The evidence base runs to hundreds of studies across decades. It works. The question is not whether — it is how to use it optimally.
The mechanism. Caffeine is an adenosine receptor antagonist. Adenosine accumulates in the brain during waking hours and during exercise, promoting the perception of fatigue. Caffeine blocks those receptors, which reduces perceived exertion — the effort feels the same, but you can sustain a higher power output. Secondary mechanisms include enhanced fat oxidation (sparing glycogen in longer efforts) and improved neuromuscular function (faster motor unit recruitment).
The dose. The effective range is 3–6 mg/kg of body mass, taken 30–60 minutes before the effort you want to enhance. For a 70 kg rider, that is 210–420 mg. A strong espresso contains roughly 80 mg; a caffeine tablet is typically 200 mg. More is not better — doses above 6 mg/kg increase anxiety, jitteriness, and GI distress without additional performance benefit. The research consistently shows diminishing returns above the 6 mg/kg ceiling.
Individual variation matters. The CYP1A2 gene determines how quickly you metabolise caffeine. Fast metabolisers (the AA genotype, roughly half the population) get the full ergogenic benefit. Slow metabolisers (the AC or CC genotype) may see a smaller benefit or, in some cases, a performance decrement — particularly in sustained efforts where the anxiety and cardiovascular stress outweigh the adenosine-blocking advantage. If caffeine makes you jittery and wired rather than alert and focused, you may be a slow metaboliser. A genetic test (widely available through consumer DNA services) can confirm it, but honest self-assessment works nearly as well.
Habituation. Regular caffeine consumers develop tolerance to the adenosine-blocking effect, which blunts the acute ergogenic response. A 2022 meta-analysis in the British Journal of Sports Medicine confirmed that habitual users still benefit from a pre-ride dose, but the effect size is smaller than in caffeine-naive individuals. Two practical approaches exist. First, maintain moderate daily intake (1–2 cups of coffee) and accept the slightly blunted acute effect — it is still meaningful. Second, reduce intake to below 50 mg/day for 7–10 days before a key event to restore sensitivity. I have tried both, and for a target event — a sportive, a TT, a race — the withdrawal-and-reload approach delivers a noticeably sharper response. For routine training, I just drink my normal coffee and top up with a tablet before intervals.
Mid-ride dosing. For events lasting more than three hours, a second dose of 1–2 mg/kg at the halfway point maintains the effect as blood caffeine levels decline. Caffeine gels and cola in the final hour of a long sportive are not just tradition — they are pharmacologically sound.
I wrote a full breakdown of the research, timing protocols, and practical application in the caffeine and cycling performance guide — it goes deeper than I can here on the mechanisms and genetic angle.
Creatine monohydrate — not just for sprinters
Creatine carries baggage in cycling. It is associated with bodybuilders and weight gain, and climbers instinctively recoil from anything that adds mass. But the evidence for creatine in cycling — and specifically in masters-age cycling — is too strong to dismiss on the basis of a 1–2 kg water weight shift.
What it does. Creatine increases the availability of phosphocreatine in muscle cells. Phosphocreatine is the immediate fuel source for efforts lasting roughly 6–30 seconds — think sprint finishes, short hill attacks, closing gaps. More phosphocreatine means faster ATP regeneration, which means higher peak power and better recovery between repeated maximal efforts. If you have ever been on the rivet closing a gap and then had nothing left for the bunch sprint, creatine directly addresses that scenario.
The dose. 3–5 g/day of creatine monohydrate. Every day, regardless of whether you ride. No loading phase is necessary — the old 20 g/day-for-five-days protocol saturates stores faster but causes more GI distress and a bigger initial weight spike. At 3–5 g/day, you reach the same saturation within 3–4 weeks. Monohydrate is the form with the evidence behind it. Creatine HCl, buffered creatine, creatine ethyl ester — none have shown superiority in head-to-head comparisons, and all cost more.
The masters-age case. This is where creatine becomes particularly compelling for our audience. After 40, you lose roughly 1–2% of muscle mass per year (sarcopenia) and bone mineral density declines. Creatine supplementation combined with resistance training slows both of these processes. A 2021 meta-analysis in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition found that creatine augmented the muscle-preserving effects of resistance training in older adults. There is also emerging evidence — still being replicated — for cognitive benefits: improved working memory and reduced mental fatigue, which matters on a five-hour ride when decision-making and concentration degrade.
The weight reality. Creatine causes 1–2 kg of water retention, primarily intramuscular. This is not fat. It is water stored inside muscle cells alongside the creatine and glycogen. The weight stabilises within 2–3 weeks and does not continue to climb. For a 75 kg cyclist, a 1.5 kg gain is a 2% increase in body mass. If the creatine is adding 3–5% to your sprint power and improving your recovery between efforts, the maths favours keeping it in for everything except a pure mountain race — and even then, you can cycle off in the final week.
I ran a 30-day creatine experiment on myself with power data, body weight tracking, and blood work. The results were modest but consistent: a measurable improvement in repeated sprint power, stable FTP, and a weight gain that levelled off at 1.4 kg. Worth reading if you want the first-person data alongside the research.
Beta-alanine — the buffer for 1–4 minute efforts
Beta-alanine occupies a narrower niche than caffeine or creatine, but for cyclists who race in formats that demand repeated maximal efforts of 1–4 minutes — criteriums, hill climb TTs, aggressive group rides with constant attacks — the evidence is solid.
The mechanism. Beta-alanine is a precursor to carnosine, which is stored in skeletal muscle. Carnosine acts as an intracellular buffer, neutralising hydrogen ions (H⁺) that accumulate during high-intensity glycolytic exercise. Those hydrogen ions are a primary driver of the burning sensation and power drop you experience during sustained maximal efforts. More carnosine means a greater buffering capacity, which means you can hold a higher power output for longer before the acid overwhelms your muscles.
The dose. The effective range is 3.2–6.4 g/day, taken in divided doses of 0.8–1.6 g to manage the side effect. Beta-alanine requires a loading period of 4–10 weeks of daily supplementation before muscle carnosine levels reach their peak — this is not an acute, take-it-before-the-race supplement like caffeine. It is a daily commitment.
The tingling. Paraesthesia — a tingling or prickling sensation in the face, neck, and hands — is the signature side effect of beta-alanine. It is harmless, caused by beta-alanine binding to sensory nerve receptors in the skin. It typically lasts 60–90 minutes after ingestion and diminishes with continued use. Splitting the daily dose into 3–4 smaller servings largely eliminates it. Sustained-release formulations also reduce the effect. Some people find it unpleasant; most get used to it within a week.
Who benefits most. The performance improvement is concentrated in efforts lasting 1–4 minutes. Shorter than one minute, and the phosphocreatine system dominates (creatine is more relevant). Longer than four minutes, and the aerobic system takes over, making buffering capacity less of a limiter. The sweet spot is the two-minute hill climb TT, the crit prime sprint that lasts 90 seconds, or the bridge effort to close a 10-second gap on a climb. If your racing or riding involves repeated maximal efforts in that window, beta-alanine has a place. If you are a steady-state time triallist or a long-distance sportive rider, the benefit is marginal.
Sodium bicarbonate — the pre-event buffer with a catch
Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda, essentially) is one of the most effective acute ergogenic aids in the research literature. It is also one of the most unpleasant to use. That tension defines its practical application.
The mechanism. Sodium bicarbonate is an extracellular buffer. Where beta-alanine buffers hydrogen ions inside the muscle cell (via carnosine), sodium bicarbonate raises the pH of the blood, creating a larger gradient for hydrogen ions to move out of the muscle and into the bloodstream. The net effect is the same: you can sustain a higher power output during high-intensity efforts before acidosis forces a power drop.
The dose. The standard acute protocol is 0.3 g/kg of body mass, taken 60–90 minutes before the target effort. For a 70 kg rider, that is 21 g — roughly four teaspoons dissolved in water. The performance benefit is most pronounced in efforts lasting 1–10 minutes at near-maximal intensity: time trials, hill climbs, prologue stages, aggressive racing.
The GI problem. And here is the catch. Sodium bicarbonate in that dose frequently causes nausea, bloating, stomach cramps, and diarrhoea. The reported incidence of GI symptoms varies across studies from 30% to 70% of subjects. That is not a rounding error — it is a coin flip on whether you spend the time trial doubled over rather than drilling it.
The serial loading alternative. A more recent protocol addresses the GI issue. Instead of a single large acute dose, you take 0.5 g/kg/day in divided doses (with meals) for 3–5 days before the event, with no dose on race morning. Research from Edge and colleagues (2006) and more recent work by Durkalec-Michalski (2020) showed that serial loading raises blood bicarbonate concentration to a similar degree as the acute protocol, with dramatically fewer GI symptoms. The trade-off is planning: you need to start 3–5 days out, which requires knowing your race calendar and committing to the protocol in advance.
Practical advice. Never, under any circumstances, try sodium bicarbonate for the first time on race day. Trial it in training — both the acute and serial protocols — and see how your gut responds. Some people tolerate it well; others cannot use it at all. If you are one of the lucky ones, it is a genuine 2–3% improvement in high-intensity output. If your stomach rebels, no amount of willpower makes it viable.
Moderate evidence tier: deficiency correctors, not performance enhancers
These supplements do not enhance performance in athletes who are already replete. They correct deficiencies that impair performance. The distinction matters: if your vitamin D is 90 nmol/L, supplementing more will not make you faster. If it is 30 nmol/L, you are riding with a handbrake on and do not know it.
Vitamin D — the northern latitude blind spot
If you live in the UK, northern Europe, or anywhere above about 50° latitude, and you train indoors for any significant portion of the year, there is a reasonable probability your vitamin D is insufficient. The skin synthesises vitamin D from UVB radiation, and for roughly six months of the year in northern latitudes, the sun angle is too low to trigger meaningful production. Indoor cyclists compound the problem by spending training hours on the turbo rather than outside.
Why it matters for cyclists specifically. Cycling is a non-weight-bearing sport, which means it does not stimulate bone remodelling the way running or team sports do. Cyclists already have lower bone mineral density than the general population — multiple studies have confirmed this, including work by Nichols and Rauh (2011) showing competitive cyclists with bone density comparable to sedentary controls. Vitamin D is critical for calcium absorption and bone health. Combine cycling's lack of skeletal loading with vitamin D insufficiency, and you have a recipe for stress fractures and long-term osteoporotic risk. Beyond bone health, vitamin D supports immune function (relevant for heavy training loads that suppress immunity) and muscle function.
Test before you supplement. A 25-hydroxyvitamin D blood test is the standard measure. Optimal range for athletes is 75–100 nmol/L. Below 50 nmol/L is insufficient; below 25 nmol/L is deficient. Supplementation without testing is guesswork — and while vitamin D toxicity is rare, it is possible at sustained high doses.
The dose. To maintain levels in the 75–100 nmol/L range, most research supports 1,000–4,000 IU/day (25–100 mcg/day), with the higher end appropriate for those starting from a deficit. Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) is preferred over D2 (ergocalciferol) based on superior bioavailability. Take it with a meal containing fat — it is fat-soluble.
Iron — the supplement you must never guess with
Iron is the one on this list where getting it wrong causes real harm, and that needs to be said bluntly. Iron overload (haemochromatosis) damages the liver, heart, and pancreas. It is not a theoretical risk — it is a documented clinical condition that affects roughly 1 in 200 people of northern European descent. Supplementing iron without blood work is reckless.
Why cyclists are at risk of deficiency. Training increases iron requirements through several mechanisms: haemolysis (mechanical destruction of red blood cells, particularly from vibration and impact), iron loss in sweat, increased red blood cell production in response to training load, and — in female cyclists — menstrual losses. Female cyclists are at substantially higher risk of iron deficiency than males, and the performance consequences are severe: iron is essential for haemoglobin synthesis, and haemoglobin carries oxygen to working muscles. Low iron means low oxygen delivery, which means reduced power output, elevated heart rate at submaximal intensities, and disproportionate fatigue.
Symptoms to watch for. Declining performance despite consistent training. Unusually high resting heart rate. Fatigue that sleep does not resolve. Pale nail beds and inner eyelids. These are flags, not diagnoses — they demand blood work, not self-prescription.
The blood work. Request serum ferritin, serum iron, transferrin saturation, and a full blood count. Ferritin below 30 µg/L in an endurance athlete is a concern even if haemoglobin is still in normal range — ferritin drops before haemoglobin does, making it an earlier marker. Your GP may use population reference ranges that are too broad for athletic context; an exercise physiologist or sports medicine doctor will interpret the results with your training load in mind.
If supplementation is indicated. Ferrous sulphate (65 mg elemental iron) every other day, taken on an empty stomach with vitamin C to enhance absorption. Every-other-day dosing has been shown to improve absorption compared to daily dosing (Stoffel et al., 2017). Avoid taking iron with tea, coffee, or calcium — they inhibit absorption. Retest after 8–12 weeks.
Omega-3 fatty acids — modest evidence, low risk
The evidence for omega-3 (EPA and DHA) as an ergogenic aid is modest. It is not going to move your FTP. But the evidence for anti-inflammatory effects, cardiovascular health, and potentially accelerated recovery from exercise-induced muscle damage is plausible enough — and the risk is low enough — that it earns a place in the moderate tier.
The dose. 2–4 g/day of combined EPA and DHA. This typically requires a dedicated fish oil or algal oil supplement — you cannot reliably get this amount from diet alone unless you eat oily fish (salmon, mackerel, sardines) four or more times per week. Most capsules contain 300–500 mg of combined EPA+DHA, so you need 4–8 capsules per day from standard products, or 1–2 from concentrated formulations.
Quality matters. Fish oil oxidises. Rancid fish oil is pro-inflammatory rather than anti-inflammatory — the opposite of what you are paying for. Look for products with IFOS (International Fish Oil Standards) certification, which tests for oxidation levels, heavy metal contamination, and EPA/DHA content accuracy. Store in the fridge. If your capsules taste strongly of fish when you bite one open, they have likely oxidised.
The vegetarian/vegan option. Algal oil provides DHA and, in some formulations, EPA directly. It bypasses the fish entirely — the fish get their omega-3 from algae in the first place. Bioavailability is comparable to fish oil in head-to-head comparisons.
Weak or no evidence tier: save your money
This is the section the supplement industry does not want written. These products sell well, advertise aggressively, and have either no meaningful evidence or evidence so weak that it cannot justify the cost. I am not saying they are harmful (most are not). I am saying that if you are spending money on these, that money is being wasted.
BCAAs — a solution looking for a problem
Branched-chain amino acids — leucine, isoleucine, and valine — were the darling of the supplement world for about fifteen years. The pitch was that they reduced muscle breakdown during exercise and accelerated recovery. The reality, established by a thorough body of research summarised by Morton et al. (2018), is that BCAAs are redundant when total daily protein intake is adequate.
If you are eating 1.6–2.2 g/kg of protein per day from quality sources — whey, eggs, chicken, fish, dairy, legumes — you are already consuming more than enough BCAAs. Leucine, the key trigger for muscle protein synthesis, is present at roughly 10% by weight in whey protein. A 30 g whey shake delivers 3 g of leucine — the threshold dose for maximal MPS stimulation. An additional 5 g BCAA supplement on top of that does nothing measurable.
The one scenario where BCAAs might have a role is in fasted training — riding before breakfast with no protein in the system. Even then, a small protein serving or a glass of milk before the ride achieves the same outcome at a fraction of the cost.
Glutamine — the immune supplement that is not
Glutamine was heavily marketed through the 2000s as an immune-support supplement for athletes under heavy training loads. The theory was that intense exercise depleted plasma glutamine, compromising immune function and increasing upper respiratory tract infection risk.
The evidence never materialised. Gleeson (2008) and subsequent reviews concluded that glutamine supplementation does not reduce infection rates in well-nourished athletes. Plasma glutamine does drop after intense exercise, but the body has substantial reserves and replenishes them rapidly through diet and endogenous production. If you are eating enough protein and total calories, glutamine supplementation is a non-event.
"Cycling-specific" proprietary blends — the red flag shelf
You know the products. Sleek packaging, cycling imagery, names that imply speed or power, a "proprietary blend" on the back panel. That phrase — proprietary blend — is the single biggest red flag in sports supplementation.
A proprietary blend lists the ingredients but not the individual amounts. A label might read "Performance Matrix 3,500 mg: beta-alanine, caffeine, L-citrulline, taurine, B-vitamins." You know the total weight of the blend is 3,500 mg, but you do not know how much of each ingredient is in there. The effective dose of beta-alanine alone is 3,200 mg. If the entire blend weighs 3,500 mg and contains five ingredients, you can be mathematically certain that at least some — probably most — are under-dosed.
This is not accidental. Under-dosing behind a proprietary label is a deliberate commercial strategy. It lets companies list impressive-sounding ingredients without spending the money required to include them at effective doses. If a product does not list the exact milligram amount of each active ingredient, walk away. No exceptions.
Collagen — emerging but unproven
Collagen supplementation for tendon and joint health has generated recent interest, driven partly by the work of Keith Baar at UC Davis on collagen synthesis and tendon remodelling. The hypothesis is that collagen peptides (typically 10–15 g) taken with vitamin C 30–60 minutes before targeted tendon loading can increase collagen synthesis rates.
The research is in early stages. Some studies show increases in collagen biomarkers after supplementation, but whether this translates to reduced injury risk or faster tendon healing in real-world athletes remains unconfirmed. It is not harmful, and the cost is modest. But I cannot, in good conscience, tell you it is proven. File it under "plausible, watching the data, not a priority."
Contamination risk: when supplements become career-ending
This is the section that should concern every cyclist who has ever pinned on a number. Even at amateur masters level.
In 2004, the IOC-accredited laboratory LGC (formerly HFL) tested 634 supplements purchased from 13 countries and found that 15% contained anabolic steroids or prohormones not declared on the label. Fifteen percent. That is not a contamination rate — that is a systemic failure of manufacturing quality.
More recent surveys have not improved the picture materially. A 2020 study in Drug Testing and Analysis found undeclared substances in 12% of tested products, including SARMs (selective androgen receptor modulators), stimulants, and anabolic agents. These are not fringe products from dark web vendors. They are commercially available supplements sold in mainstream retail outlets.
How does this happen? Most supplement manufacturers produce multiple products on shared production lines. A company that makes a testosterone booster (legal to sell, containing prohormone precursors) on the same equipment it uses to make a protein powder can inadvertently cross-contaminate. "Inadvertently" is doing heavy lifting in that sentence — some contamination is likely deliberate, as spiking a product with a small amount of an anabolic agent makes it "work better" and drives repeat purchases.
Why it matters for amateur cyclists. WADA anti-doping rules apply to all licensed competitors, including masters category racers. British Cycling, UCI, and national anti-doping organisations do test age-group athletes — less frequently than professionals, but it happens. The standard is strict liability: you are responsible for what enters your body, regardless of intent. "I did not know my creatine was contaminated" is not a defence. A positive test carries a standard four-year ban for a first offence.
The solution: batch-tested certification. Two programmes provide meaningful protection.
Informed Sport (run by LGC) tests every single batch of a certified product for over 250 substances prohibited by WADA. Products carry the Informed Sport logo only if they pass batch testing — not just a one-off audit. This is the gold standard.
NSF Certified for Sport follows a similar model with regular batch testing and facility audits. Both programmes maintain searchable databases on their websites where you can verify that a specific product is currently certified.
If a supplement does not carry one of these certifications, it has not been independently verified. That does not mean it is contaminated. It means you are rolling the dice. For recreational riders who never race, the risk is health-related rather than regulatory. For anyone who pins on a number at any level, the risk is existential.
Every supplement I take personally carries either an Informed Sport or NSF Certified for Sport logo. No exceptions.
The cost-benefit framework: spending your money rationally
Supplements are not free, and the monthly cost adds up faster than most people realise. Before you build a stack, understand what you are paying for and what you are getting.
| Supplement | Monthly cost (approx.) | Evidence strength | Best for | |---|---|---|---| | Caffeine (tablets) | £3–5 | Strong | All cyclists, pre-hard efforts | | Creatine monohydrate | £8–12 | Strong | Sprint power, masters cyclists, repeated efforts | | Beta-alanine | £12–18 | Strong (narrow application) | Crit racers, hill climb TTs, 1–4 min efforts | | Sodium bicarbonate | £2–4 | Strong (with GI caveats) | Time triallists, hill climbers | | Vitamin D3 | £4–8 | Moderate (if deficient) | Northern latitude cyclists, winter trainers | | Iron | £3–6 | Moderate (if deficient) | Female cyclists, heavy trainers (blood work first) | | Omega-3 (quality) | £15–25 | Moderate | Recovery, general health | | BCAAs | £15–25 | Weak/none | Nobody who eats enough protein | | Glutamine | £10–15 | Weak/none | Nobody | | Collagen | £15–20 | Emerging/weak | Possibly tendon health, unproven | | Proprietary blends | £25–40 | Unknown (undisclosed doses) | The manufacturer's profit margin |
The total monthly cost of the strong-evidence tier — caffeine tablets, creatine, beta-alanine, and sodium bicarbonate — is roughly £25–40. The total monthly cost of a typical "kitchen sink" supplement stack including BCAAs, glutamine, a proprietary blend, and a collagen product is £80–120. The first group has evidence. The second group has marketing.
If budget is a factor — and it should be, because rational spending is part of serious athletics — invest in the strong tier, get blood work to determine whether you need the moderate tier, and redirect the money you would have spent on the weak tier towards better food, a bike fit, or a power meter. All three will do more for your cycling than any supplement in existence.
What delivers 10× the return of any supplement stack
I come back to this point in almost every nutrition conversation on the podcast, and I will keep coming back to it because it remains true and people keep ignoring it: the basics outperform supplements by an order of magnitude.
Carbohydrate fuelling on the bike. If you are not consuming 60–90 g of carbohydrate per hour during hard rides over 90 minutes, you are leaving more performance on the table than every supplement on this list combined. Your muscles run on glycogen, glycogen comes from carbohydrate, and no amount of caffeine or creatine compensates for depleted fuel stores. Use the Fuel Planner to build a fuelling protocol specific to your ride duration and intensity. This is non-negotiable.
Protein across the day. 1.6–2.2 g/kg of body weight, distributed across 3–5 meals and snacks containing at least 20–30 g each. This is what supports muscle repair, adaptation, and — for masters cyclists — preservation of lean mass. It also renders BCAAs, glutamine, and most "recovery" supplements redundant. Track it for one week with a food diary and you will probably find you are under-eating protein at breakfast and lunch and over-eating it at dinner. Redistributing is free and effective.
Sleep. Seven to nine hours per night, with consistent timing. Sleep is when growth hormone peaks, when muscle protein synthesis is maximised, when glycogen stores are replenished, when memory consolidation occurs (including the motor learning that makes you a better bike handler). No supplement replicates what sleep does. If you are getting six hours a night and taking a stack of recovery supplements, you are solving the wrong problem.
Hydration. Dehydration of just 2% of body mass impairs endurance performance by 4–6%. That is a larger effect than any single supplement on this list. Know your sweat rate (the Hydration Calculator walks you through the calculation), build a drinking plan, and include electrolytes — primarily sodium — if you are a heavy or salty sweater. This is well-covered ground but perpetually under-practised.
Energy availability. If you are under-fuelling chronically — and many masters cyclists are, particularly those trying to lose weight while maintaining training volume — your performance will decline regardless of supplementation. Low energy availability suppresses hormonal function, impairs recovery, weakens bones, and degrades immune function. Use the Energy Availability Calculator to check whether your calorie intake supports your training load. I have written about the risks of RED-S in cyclists at length, and it remains one of the most under-recognised performance limiters in the amateur peloton.
Body composition. If weight management is part of your goal set, approach it through data rather than restriction. The Body Composition Calculator gives you a starting framework, and the Fuelling Screen helps you identify whether you are eating enough to support adaptation. Supplements marketed for weight loss — fat burners, carb blockers, thermogenics — have no credible evidence in endurance athletes and often contain stimulants that interact unpredictably with caffeine and training.
Where to go from here
If you have read this far, you now know more about cycling supplements than 95% of the peloton. That is not because this information is hidden — it is because the supplement industry spends more on marketing than the sports science community spends on research, and the marketing is louder.
The rational approach is simple. Fix the base: fuel on the bike, protein across the day, sleep, hydration. Get blood work: check vitamin D, iron, and anything else your GP or sports medicine doctor flags. Then — and only then — consider the strong-evidence tier supplements that match your type of riding. Caffeine for everyone. Creatine if you want sprint power or you are over 40. Beta-alanine if you race crits or do hill climb TTs. Sodium bicarbonate if your gut can tolerate it and you are targeting short, maximal events.
Everything else is optional, unproven, or actively wasteful.
We discuss supplement protocols, blood work interpretation, fuelling strategies, and evidence-based training constantly in the Roadman Cycling community. If you want to ask questions about your specific situation, compare notes with other serious amateurs, or just avoid spending money on products that do not work — that is where the conversation continues.