Of course Red Bull...

None, espresso or a beer after a race are the only acceptable drinks for a cyclist!

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Cycloblog.gr

Neither. Ever.

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Exp001

There is a local hill around my neighborhood that is 2 miles long and my hearth rate goes up to 190 now imagine doing it with coffee on your system. Drinks that are high on caffeine and sugar do not give you that much energy. They will jump start your system but will make you bonk really quick. If you want try espresso and a peanut butter sandwich, and you will cover the stimulant direct as well as the caloric aspect.

Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk 2

Espresso before. Flat Coke as a pick-me-up afterwards.

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2013 Wilier Cento1 SR || 2009 Ridley Crossbow || 2011 Yeti AS-R 5 Carbon

Have a banana

Banana Juice ) really good

+100

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http://ocdlikeme.blogspot.com/

+200

From what I understand, those drinks do more detriment to your body than any kind of fitness you would gain from the energy while you work out. Also - the stuff WILL mess with your heart rate erratically due to the high amount of caffeine. Caffeine crashing is bad enough during the day without pedaling for 80 miles, so unless you want that dirty bonked-out feeling at the end of your ride - neither.

Also as a side note - I have a co-worker who has had some difficulty at work because of heart arrhythmia. He typically drinks a monster or a red bull every day, but that has stopped along with the arrhythmia. I also had a very close college friend who experienced the same exact sensations upon drinking the energy drinks. He quit them after a kid on our campus died from a heart attack at the age of 21. That heart attack victim was also a very addicted Red Bull fanatic. I do not want to say that it was the Red Bull that did it, but I don't want to take chances.

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Cervélo S2 2012 Red
Great minds think alike... sadly, so do the mediocre ones.

The positive ergogenic aid effect of caffeine is quite well documented with significant gains in performance to be had across a 40km ITT. Can dig up the articles if you are interested.
Cheers
I

That's fine, and I'm not saying that there is no performance benefit. I honestly can't remember the last time I did a 40km ITT as a lone event, as I usually swim a mile before and run 10k after 40KM of TT. The crashes from caffeine feel awful for me. Come race day - I like to do without the caffeine and I'm aware that this could be psychological. A typical cup of coffee is somewhere along the 40mg mark (at least the one I brew at home is). The amount in a cup of Red Bull is 76.5mg.

Also, there tends to be a time limit more than a distance associated with me crashing on caffeine. I have noticed that about 3 hours after consuming a large amount of caffeine is when the crash comes. That is not psychological as my body is feeling it severely. So by that point in the race, I would have smoked that 40km TT and should be crashing towards the end of my run. That point in the race blows even without a caffeine crash.

Bottom line is - if you like it then drink it. I'm not necessarily putting down Red Bull. I just don't think a drink that is loaded with sugar and caffeine is all that great or healthy for you. I'd much rather have my black coffee and banana before I ride with water to keep me hydrated.

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Cervélo S2 2012 Red
Great minds think alike... sadly, so do the mediocre ones.

Really?

viewtopic.php?p=882168#p882168" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

doesn't look that way? Not that I condone its use, but it's ok to stick to your guns if you think the stuff is shit.


Illuminate is right, there are studies showing the benefits of caffeine. However none of those had the additional additives (taurine, guarana, etc) and sugar that come with those drinks.


And Bert, the 'caffeine crash' (which I have honestly never heard of) I'm thinking might be more a blood sugar level one. Otherwise have a bidon with some de-carbonated Coke ready for you to pick you back up and smoke the end of the race. If you think a lack of caffine is the cause, find a remedy.
(although I suspect the sugar in the Coke might be as much of a help than the caffeine )

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Baum Ristretto, Baum Mondrian Corretto & the '89 Merckx! | "If you could eat it in one sitting, hold your line." | twitter.com/Tinea_Pedis

Understood how you think I'm putting it down. I'm citing the negative associations I have to the stuff because I think it's foolish to not acknowledge the fact that my friends with heart arrhythmia had direct ties to their consumption of Red Bull. I do know one thing for sure, if your heart arrhythmia isn't stopping, you should be worried. I know people on this forum love the studies and the numbers, but I really don't need a study or statistics to tell myself to stay away. I still think preference is important, and if Red Bull is a part of your pre-race or pre-workout ritual then I wouldn't mess with it either and that's where I'm saying that's fine.

Now - about caffeine crashing. You might not have heard about it, but it happens to me. I have no problems covering my long rides on the weekends without the caffeine. When I do drink a large amount (anything greater than 50mg for me) I experience shakiness in my hands and a couple hours later a bad crash where I start yawning and wanting to stop so I can nap. My heart rates are also all over the place. This happens 100% of the time when I have a dose larger than 50mg. Call it psychological, physiological, or whatever the heck you want, but I know for a fact that the condition that it puts me in certainly is not something I would call "race ready" or even "training ready". Also, it might be worth noting that I have caffeine only 2-3 times a week in small doses (less than 50mg when I do have it). I am not a daily coffee drinker, and I have eliminated all soda from my diet years ago. I know individuals who feel like me as well when they drink too much coffee. I have tried Red Bull several times before and I have the same experience every time I drink that too.

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Cervélo S2 2012 Red
Great minds think alike... sadly, so do the mediocre ones.

Bert, you seemed to have missed the most important parts.

Specifically




and the fact that I'm not saying your anecdotal experience is wrong, rather I have not heard of it. Furthermore suggested strategies to help you with it and get you higher up that results sheet.

Give it another read mate, hopefully something could help you

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Baum Ristretto, Baum Mondrian Corretto & the '89 Merckx! | "If you could eat it in one sitting, hold your line." | twitter.com/Tinea_Pedis

TP, Google Scholar is your friend. The difficulty is sifting through the crap from the good data/studies.

Cheers,
I

http://chua2.fiu.edu/faculty/kalmand/HU ... %2011-2007.

http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=2142927

http://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Abstr ... on.31.aspx

http://ukpmc.ac.uk/abstract/MED/2042440 ... hryxWQhR.0