BikeArkansas

Bicycle rides are enjoyed in many ways and on many different types of bikes. For me, pure bike enjoyment is riding hard, especially in a group and on a "race" type road bike. Currently I ride a Fuji Transonic 1.3. I normally ride a metric century under (barely) three hours. I just consider that pure fun. However, at 66 I am most often the oldest in the group and it gets more that way every day. I can not hold out on a century ride. I fade at the end with finishing times of 5 hours 15 minutes to 5 hours 30 minutes. I watch my diet, cross train and work at it. It is getting harder and harder to stay with the better groups. Therefore, are there any over the counter PEDs that actually help. Just trying to stay with the hard riding groups.

Gerryattrick

Try Viagra!

SloButWide 

Viagra isn't over the counter, and it's also banned.


BikeArkansas - most of what's available over the counter work via the placebo effect. Creatinine has been shown to improve power output, aid lean muscle mass, and has neuro and cardioprotective effects.

Examine.com has a pretty good "performance enhancement" page. I like them because they're no-hype, what does the science say, and not selling anything. You might also read up on testosterone supplements like DHEA, and consider have your T levels tested and treated.

Any OTC supplement is going to be a few percentage points type of thing, not a 20% better sort of thing.

osco53

I maintained a 30 second lead from the entrance to the finish of a 2.5 mile single track on a group of 8 Intermediate or 'B' group riders all in their late 30's to late 40's and all with more than a few years on Mountain bikes...

I am 56,,Zah !
It's better to Burn Out than FFffade away

Rule #5
Velominati, Keepers of the Cog...... This Is what keeps me frosty,,I know I will age and slow but I hope and pray I will blow a gasket and not just pedal to a stand still on some lonely single track.


My wife say's I'll break my neck doing single track, she often right ya know ~

caloso

Caffeine, beta alanine, and creatine are the only ones I know of that are shown to actually have a positive effect and are allowed in competition under USADA/WADA.

Moe Zhoost

Funny - "... for the hard riding groups"

Viking55803

I supplemented with creatine for weight lifting. It did allow me to do more reps before failure. Creatine is one of the only legal supplements that's actually been extensively research and is effecting, but ONLY when lifting. As far as I can determine, it has no effect on endurance performance like cycling. Perhaps you've read something I haven't.

My issue is low hemoglobin - slightly below the normal low, so slightly anemic. However, lots of endurance training increases blood plasma volume and reduces hematocrit levels. My doctor says "Eat more meat" but believes treating mild anemia causes more problems than it solves. In other words, he wouldn't prescribe EPO!

c.miller64

L-Arginine Complete

GlennR

Just don't mix it with "hookers and blow", just ask Lamar.

OldsCOOL

Just because it is legal doesnt mean it is safe, especially when driving the body to the edge of abilities.

I do B-12 along with protein mixes and supps. There is no shortcut. Somedays you ride PR's and somedays you just ride.

caloso

You are correct in that it doesn't do anything for endurance or aerobic conditioning, it works for strength training, which is still an aspect of cycling training, particularly sprinting. Still, the riders I know who take it mostly do so in the off season.

Dudelsack 

What is legal depends on what "legal" is. If you take part in a UCI sanctioned event, then you can go to the WADA web site and they will tell you what is allowed and what isn't.

Testosterone therapy, for example, is perfectly legal if prescribed appropriately, but if you use it you can't race in a UCI sanctioned event.

Common PEDs are caffeine, DHEA, Androgel, and stuff like that. Whether they actually work is hotly debated, but seeing how the UCI banned everything on that list except caffeine, you can draw your own conclusions.

obed7

if you ride for enjoyment on a "race type" bike, what is legal in actual races does not matter...just make sure you check with your doctor about the safety of anything you take. I take a few suppliments, not sure if they actually do anything or not, but just thinking they do seems to help.

Terex

Note that many of the vitamin packs, like Isagenix, may supply an amphetamine-like substance to enhance energy and promote weight loss. "Natural" substances are still drugs, and most of them are unregulated and the potency can vary greatly. This was seen recently with the Lamar Odom "natural viagra" situation.

Coffee (caffein) has always had a very positive effect on me and works wonders mid-ride. You may not respond the same.

ciderguy

Arugula, beets, or other vegetables high in nitrates. They are OTC in the produce section. Don't use an antibacterial mouthwash or you won't benefit. 2-3 hours prior to exercise is ideal. They help to increase the amount of time you can go hard before you are fatigued.

I find that eating an antioxidant rich diet seems to help with recovery times.

BikeArkansas

My post asking about "legal" enhancements was wrong. I do not race in sanctioned events, so "legal" is not an issue. I should have asked about effective and safe (if there is such a thing) PEDs available over the counter. Or maybe, prescription? I am tired of fading so much on the century rides. I am still operating my business and my training is straining my time in the business now, so more training time is not available at this time. Just wondering if something would help.

StanSeven

Do a search for training with short time. There are a number of programs with high intensity and require much less time. The "Time Crunched Cyclist" (or something like that) is one. The downside is they require you work hard every minute on the bike.

Doug64

Better living through chemicals.

revchuck 

Rather than adding chemicals, changing your training might work. Joe Friel recently came out with a book primarily for Master's racers called Fast After 50. Bottom line is that guys our age (I'm 63) need to concentrate on VO2 max work, as that's the system which degenerates most as we age. He also has good points about nutrition and recovery. It's well worth the read.

You're not the only one in our age group who feels the need to supplement to stay fast. The most likely person to pee hot at a USAC race is a Master's racer.

nobodyhere

I don't get it.

You are riding for exercise, improvement, endurance, skills, enjoyment, etc. But you are going to pour "stuff" in your body resulting in a "false reading/measurement" of these items and your progress/whatever, which really does not reflect where you are, only the effectiveness of the PED's? And never knowing the true long-term effect of the stuff you pour into your body?

Just makes no sense to me.

Carbonfiberboy 

I've experimented quite a bit with supplements, as have many others here on BF.

The thing is, training is the hammer. Supplements are like a feather. That said, they do work, but only when combined with training. Lance didn't just shoot up, you know. He shot up and then rode his butt off. He trained more and harder than anyone else.

Why use supplements? Well, there are many different kinds of supplements. Some are just fuel for long or extremely intense rides. Some help with aerobic ability, some help with strength, some help with recovery. I use fueling and recovery supplements year-round and have for many years. Aerobic and strength supplements are just plain for fun. For me, it's more fun to go fast than it is to go slow. If you'd rather go slow, don't train or do supplements. Training is a supplement too, the very best one because it generates decent quantities of free endogenous chemicals like EPO.

I should also mention donating blood plasma. That's usually free and gives a good-sized EPO boost. I used to do it once a month and my hematocrit was always about 45.

Here are some threads describing BF posters' experiences with supplements:

https://www.bikeforums.net/training-n...ement-use.html
https://www.bikeforums.net/training-n...portslegs.html
https://www.bikeforums.net/training-n...real-food.html

fietsbob

If the event is not sanctioned and comes with a paycheck there will be no drug test after you finish .

revchuck 

The OP's not talking about sanctioned events, he just wants to be able to keep up with the local hammerheads.

nobodyhere

OK

Thanks for the info.

MikeWMass

The FDA is coming out with recommendations against testosterone except for men diagnosed with true hypogonadism, not just "low T".
Start smoking, that will raise your hematocrit.