Wake up and smell the coffee...

It may be surprising to hear that up until recently I never drank coffee. The term ‘never’ of course is not entirely true, but can only be discarded due to the first time of consumption, which in truth I found disgusting – a controversial statement for sure. I was always vaguely aware of the benefits of coffee, or more so the high caffeine content of the drink – increased stimulation of the body resulting is higher alertness, concentration etc, but never really believed how such a widely consumed drink could have any impact in sport.

However, under the guidance of a fellow cyclist, whose internet gatherings suggested significant performance gains, I decided recently to give it another chance.

That morning, I was flying. Now, perhaps the placebo effect may provide some explanation, but the way in which my body responded was incredible. The road felt frictionless, as if a constant tail wind was blowing in every direction I turned. This may seem somewhat exaggerated (if not somewhat illegal) but in truth I had never felt like that on a bike before! Perhaps it was just a ‘good day’, but I’m convinced the hit of caffeine was the predominant factor.

The (fairly basic) science behind it:

There is little evidence to suggest caffeine has any effect in short duration exercise, but its effects are far more widely accepted in endurance sports. On a physical level, caffeine has many effects on the body, from its generic wide spread use to stimulate the brain, to its ergogenic uses in sports performance: raising heart rate, blood pressure, and the increased break down and usage of fat as a respiratory substrate (as oppose to glycogen) allows for prolonged periods of exercise before glycogen depletion and therefore exhaustion.

I now use coffee on the morning of races only, so as not to build a tolerance to the caffeine (a debatable topic), and am absolutely convinced of its positive effect on performance. I still don’t like the taste but it’s definitely worth it!