Creatine for Cyclists: Does It Actually Help Endurance Riders Over 40?
Why creatine even belongs in an endurance conversation
Mention creatine and most cyclists picture gym bros with shakers, not a rider clipping in for a winter base ride. But here’s the reality: Creatine is one of the most researched, safest, and most effective supplements for athletes — endurance athletes included.
For masters cyclists, it’s not about bulking up; it’s about preserving muscle, maintaining power, and recovering faster from strength and bike sessions.
What creatine actually does
Creatine phosphate is part of your muscle’s rapid-energy system — the one used for short, high-power efforts: sprints, accelerations, steep climbs, or standing starts.
By increasing your muscles’ creatine stores, you:
Produce more power for a few seconds longer.
Recover faster between repeated efforts.
Support lean muscle maintenance (critical after 40).
That last point matters. From around age 35–40 years, we naturally lose ~1% of muscle mass per year. Less muscle means less glycogen storage and lower absolute power. Creatine helps slow that slide.
Endurance riders: what the research shows
A growing number of studies show endurance athletes — not just sprinters — benefit too. Key findings:
Repeated-sprint ability: Cyclists supplementing with creatine maintain power output deeper into intervals.
Lean mass retention: Older athletes using creatine plus resistance training retain significantly more muscle.
Thermoregulation and recovery: Creatine helps preserve muscle glycogen and reduces perceived effort in heat.
Brain and cognitive function: Several trials show improved short-term memory and reduced fatigue perception — both relevant on long rides.
Creatine doesn’t directly improve your FTP or VO₂max. What it does is improve your ability to train harder, recover better, and maintain muscle quality — which indirectly supports every endurance metric that matters.
The myths that still linger
Myth 1: “Creatine causes water weight or bloating.”
Not in any meaningful sense. Creatine increases intramuscular water, not subcutaneous. That means your muscles are hydrated, not puffy. For most cyclists, it’s a 0.5–1 kg change at most — and it helps performance, not hurts it.
Myth 2: “It’s not for endurance athletes.”
Wrong. It’s for anyone who relies on muscle contraction, repeated effort, and recovery — which is every cyclist.
Myth 3: “You need a loading phase.”
You don’t. A steady 3–5 g per day saturates stores over 3–4 weeks. A loading phase only speeds that up.
How to use creatine properly
Dose: 3–5 g daily (creatine monohydrate is the gold standard).
Timing: With carbs or protein — post-ride or post-strength session works best.
Hydration: Drink enough water (3–4 L/day typical for active riders).
Cycle or not? You don’t need to. Creatine can be taken continuously.
If you take a rest week or travel, you can skip a few days — your muscles retain elevated levels for several weeks.
Bonus: creatine + strength training synergy
If you’re doing squats, presses, or single-leg work this winter, creatine amplifies those strength gains. The evidence is clear: older athletes combining resistance training + creatine see greater improvements in cycling-relevant power outputs — from short sprints to longer efforts. That doesn’t mean you’ll bulk up. It means you’ll better preserve the muscle you already earned.
Any downsides?
Creatine’s safety profile is excellent. Thousands of long-term studies show no harm to kidney or liver health when used at standard doses. The only real caution: if you’ve had diagnosed kidney issues, talk to your GP first. And while a few people experience mild stomach upset early on, that usually settles within days.
The bottom line
Creatine isn’t a bodybuilder’s trick — it’s a performance and recovery tool for cyclists, especially masters riders. It supports muscle integrity, sprint power, and recovery capacity — the things that fade fastest with age.
When you combine creatine with structured strength and smart fuelling, you’re not chasing marginal gains — you’re protecting the foundation of performance.
👉 To see how nutrition, strength, and recovery fit together week-to-week, download The 6 Pillars of Masters Performance.
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