# Legal Cycling Supplements ?



## Macilvennon (Jun 22, 2009)

Hi,
What is the best legal cycling supplement for an amateur road race cyclist? Races are 50-80 miles. Please post your suggestions.


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## 32and3cross (Feb 28, 2005)

Macilvennon said:


> Hi,
> What is the best legal cycling supplement for an amateur road race cyclist? Races are 50-80 miles. Please post your suggestions.


Normal healthy diet and ride your bike.


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## Undecided (Apr 2, 2007)

32and3cross said:


> Normal healthy diet and ride your bike.


You forgot the "HTH." 

Anyway, I'm also skeptical about the efficacy of supplements and don't take any. That said, I've been told by a physiologist who consults with pro teams that beta alanine has some beneficial effect on sprinting. Apparently that's also been backed up in studies. I don't really claim to know, but if you're just looking for things to research, check it out.


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## Pablo (Jul 7, 2004)

PB&J and coffee, with beer as a recovery drink.


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## Creakyknees (Sep 21, 2003)

Intervals.


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## re-cyclist (Sep 12, 2008)

Occasionally I take 12-hour Claritin-D for allergies, and with the 120mg of pseudoephedrine I generally am able to swim/run/or bike a bit further and somewhat faster. Is Sudafed legal for sports? I don't know.


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## Sherpa23 (Nov 5, 2001)

You guys forgot to mention hookers and blow. Oh wait. Well hookers anyway.


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## 32and3cross (Feb 28, 2005)

re-cyclist said:


> Occasionally I take 12-hour Claritin-D for allergies, and with the 120mg of pseudoephedrine I generally am able to swim/run/or bike a bit further and somewhat faster. Is Sudafed legal for sports? I don't know.


pseudoephedrine is on the banned list


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## Wookiebiker (Sep 5, 2005)

The reality is Caffiene....lots of it.


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## Zipp0 (Aug 19, 2008)

32and3cross said:


> pseudoephedrine is on the banned list


Yes it is - but no TUE is needed for Level 2 athletes (non-pros) for substances only banned in competition, like pseudoephedrine. If you have a legit medical need (like allergies) it is OK to take.

http://www.usada.org/athletes/tues/determine-if-need-tue.aspx

But to answer the OP, the best supplement is supplemental training.


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## Pablo (Jul 7, 2004)

Creakyknees said:


> Intervals.


Winner!


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## LatvianRider (Sep 14, 2008)

Read the book "Racing Weight" by Matt Fitzgerald. Lots of good info on healthy diet to be lean and get the best power to weight ratio. This plus intervals targeting specific race conditions you plan on encountering.


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## sexybeast (Dec 8, 2009)

god dammit!

******** eat like a healthy human and train smart and hard. anything more in my eyes is too far 

this really pisses me off.


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## fetus19 (Sep 14, 2009)

I've heard that vitamin B is suppose to help energize your body. Don't know if it actualy works though? Take som placebo pills!!!


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## TWB8s (Sep 18, 2003)

fetus19 said:


> I've heard that vitamin B is suppose to help energize your body. Don't know if it actualy works though? !



Only as a suppository in the last 30 minutes of a race.


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## stevesbike (Jun 3, 2002)

sexybeast said:


> god dammit!
> 
> ***** eat like a healthy human and train smart and hard. anything more in my eyes is too far
> 
> this really pisses me off.


what should piss you off is your close mindedness. There's good evidence that athletes who do this are routinely deficient in a number of key micronutrients. This is even true of vitamin D - which is dependent on sun exposure (outdoor athletes are surprisingly deficient) and the current recommendation is supplementation with 1,000-2,000 IU vitamin D3 per day. You won't get that with a 'healthy' diet.


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## JohnStonebarger (Jan 22, 2004)

stevesbike said:


> what should piss you off is your close mindedness. There's good evidence that athletes who do this are routinely deficient in a number of key micronutrients. This is even true of vitamin D - which is dependent on sun exposure (outdoor athletes are surprisingly deficient) and the current recommendation is supplementation with 1,000-2,000 IU vitamin D3 per day. You won't get that with a 'healthy' diet.



Good point. It might also be worth looking at magnesium, iron, and calcium intake. In some cases (magnesium and iron) deficiency can definately cause lackluster performance. In others (calcium) the damage might be more long-term (loss of bone density). In all of these examples, though, supplementation won't help if you aren't truly deficient, and at least in the case of iron supplementation could easily be dangerous.


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## Doc_D (Mar 16, 2006)

I take fish oil, D3 and a multivitamin. For much of the year I'm on a calorie restricted diet as I gain weight like crazy. For this reason I suppliment with whey protein because it can be difficult for me to get enough protein and keep my calories at a reasonable level without it. If you're one of those guys who can sit on the couch eating taco bell and stay under 10% bodyfat then you might as well get your protein the old fashioned way.

I did try optygen and noticed a 10 BPM reduction in my HR at higher output levels. I know it's anecdotal and many people will jump on me for it. I do believe most suppliments are marketing garbage. But I do have to admit that I did see some results with optygen. The difference wasn't night and day and if you weren't near your peak potential you might not even notice it. But for me with horrible genetics and at my peak conditioning it was noticeable. 

I ride on a closed course (a car racing track that my club rents) once a week for the last several years. We do mock times trials. I save the data from my garmin from every time trail over the last several years. I had been riding the same time at the same heart rate for a very long time. To suddenly have a significant drop in time along with a significant drop in average heart rate coincide with using optygen could just be coincidence. But it was enough of an anomoly that I'll probably give another try mid-season this year.


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## locobaylor (Mar 11, 2008)

I take HGH. And steroids.
They don't test in Cat 5....


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## darrensmits (Jan 30, 2010)

there are lots of nutritions are required in our body but if you being with race then you have to eat vitamins B and protein for amateur road race cyclist.It will energize your body so you can not feel body stress early.It will increasing your body stamina.


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## Macilvennon (Jun 22, 2009)

darrensmits said:


> there are lots of nutritions are required in our body but if you being with race then you have to eat vitamins B and protein for amateur road race cyclist.It will energize your body so you can not feel body stress early.It will increasing your body stamina.


Thanks for your advice guys. I have also heard of Vitamin B and have just ordered some. Time will tell if it works.

Thanks.


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## GerryR (Sep 3, 2008)

stevesbike said:


> This is even true of vitamin D - which is dependent on sun exposure


Sorry, but that is not true. One tablespoon of cod liver oil supplies 1360 IU of Vitamin D. It is also found in herring, catfish, salmon, tuna, mackeral, sardines, eel, fish liver oils, beef liver and eggs.


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## stevesbike (Jun 3, 2002)

GerryR said:


> Sorry, but that is not true. One tablespoon of cod liver oil supplies 1360 IU of Vitamin D. It is also found in herring, catfish, salmon, tuna, mackeral, sardines, eel, fish liver oils, beef liver and eggs.


the facts: 1. vitamin D deficiency is high even among people living in warm (sunny climates). 2. Exposure to sun main source of vitamin D for most people (check NIH http://dietary-supplements.info.nih.gov/factsheets/vitamind.asp#h5), 3. RDA/RDI inadequate for athletes (see article below). 4. you would have to eat 6 ounces of salmon a day or 80 eggs to equal 2000 IU for the serum concentration of 25(OH)D of at least 75 or 80 nmol/L.

Willis, Kentz S., Nikki J. Peterson and D. E. Larson-Meyer. "Should we be concerned about the vitamin D status of athletes?." International journal of sport nutrition and exercise metabolism 18.2 (2008):204-224.


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## GerryR (Sep 3, 2008)

Your statement implies that, except for supplements, there is no other way to get vitamin D, other than than sun exposure . There are other sources. With the exception of fish liver oils, they may not be good sources, but they are there. 
I know an endocrinologist and he says that in his experience, probably 90+% of the population is deficient and many people need as much at 4-5,000 IU daily to maintain proper levels. He believes everyone should be taking at least 2,000 IU daily no matter what.


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## the mayor (Jul 8, 2004)

Alright!
1 80 egg omelette coming up!
Do you think Gold Cheetah will say it's ok for me to eat ice cream after that?


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## steve_e_f (Sep 8, 2003)

not ice cream. we've moved on to bowls of chocolate truffles.


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## the mayor (Jul 8, 2004)

steve_e_f said:


> not ice cream. we've moved on to bowls of chocolate truffles.


Instead of gum...chew bacon.


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## Dopamine (Jun 2, 2009)

Just eat lots of fruits and veggies and sleep a lot after you train a lot. A multi-vitamin probably won't hurt either. Most supplements are snake oil IMHO of course.


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## stevesbike (Jun 3, 2002)

I'm not trying to be argumentative about vitamin D - just using it as an example that 1) some micronutrients are hard to get through a healthy diet, 2) recommended daily intake is based on a minimal amount not to be deficient in a standard population - endurance athletes are outliers and this does not even begin to address issues of optimal performance, long-term health, etc.


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

the mayor said:


> Instead of gum...chew bacon.


Thanks, Dr. Nick! :thumbsup:


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## Zipp0 (Aug 19, 2008)

Macilvennon said:


> Thanks for your advice guys. I have also heard of Vitamin B and have just ordered some. Time will tell if it works.
> 
> Thanks.


I wouldn't go taking a bunch of B vitamins, expecting some big performance benefit. Unless you are deficient (which some are) you will likely see no benefit at all, from B vitamins. 

In the book "Racing Weight" the author is a big proponent of creatine. Many cyclists worry about creatine and weight gain, but the author thinks that this concern is likely overblown. He also covers beta alanine, calcium, and several other supplements.

None of them are anything close to magic.


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## jupiterrn (Sep 22, 2006)

locobaylor said:


> I take HGH. And steroids.
> They don't test in Cat 5....


you should get your money back if you are still a cat 5 and dope


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## FINEMNT (Sep 14, 2009)

About the B-Vitamins and energy. This is true, but only when your body is deficient of them. If you have a healthy diet, you will literally "pee" away your Vit B supplements, they are water soluble.

To the OP: supplements are "extras". Depends on what you are trying to improve. Some work to an extent, but there are no miracle pills. If you want to invest in a supplement, my advice would be a Multivitamin without Iron, unless anemic, whey protein, and maybe some BCAA's to further assist with recovery. Just my 02.


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## vetboy (Oct 11, 2005)

*Beetroot juice*

http://www.foodnavigator.com/Science-Nutrition/Beetroot-juice-may-boost-endurance-Study

Small sample size but interesting - if you can stand the stuff

Joe


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## S_Top_Sign (Dec 9, 2009)

<moved post>


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## stevesbike (Jun 3, 2002)

vetboy said:


> http://www.foodnavigator.com/Science-Nutrition/Beetroot-juice-may-boost-endurance-Study
> 
> Small sample size but interesting - if you can stand the stuff
> 
> Joe


for kicks I looked into it - appears to be only one maker of beet juice, biotta. Costs about $6/bottle (500 ml, the size used in the study). Upside is that it appears to only require 3 days of use so could be tried before an event. Supposed to be good for blood pressure as well.


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## vetboy (Oct 11, 2005)

stevesbike said:


> for kicks I looked into it - appears to be only one maker of beet juice, biotta. Costs about $6/bottle (500 ml, the size used in the study). Upside is that it appears to only require 3 days of use so could be tried before an event. Supposed to be good for blood pressure as well.


You think like me - question everything. It seems there's not much these days that is not a thinly disguised marketing attempt. Having said that, I've got 2 bottles in my fridge right now. Biotta - apparently it works (the marketing I mean - jury's out on the juice)!

Joe


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## den bakker (Nov 13, 2004)

vetboy said:


> You think like me - question everything. It seems there's not much these days that is not a thinly disguised marketing attempt. Having said that, I've got 2 bottles in my fridge right now. Biotta - apparently it works (the marketing I mean - jury's out on the juice)!
> 
> Joe


you'll see the first results of beet juice 12 hours later. Don't bring the sports section you won't be needing it


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## vetboy (Oct 11, 2005)

den bakker said:


> you'll see the first results of beet juice 12 hours later. Don't bring the sports section you won't be needing it


The morning after the first time I drank some I almost made an appointment with my physician. Took me about 5 minutes to remember that the red colouring was nothing pathological.


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## DirtTurtle (Dec 21, 2007)

Macilvennon said:


> Hi,
> What is the best legal cycling supplement for an amateur road race cyclist? Races are 50-80 miles. Please post your suggestions.


If your looking for supplements maybe your not talented enough? Go get back out on the bike and train, if your looking for that now then thats a mentatilty that wont cut it.
Aside from talent, confidence in ones ability goes a long way, confidence in supplements only builds dependance.


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