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.
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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.
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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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