For decades, creatine has been associated with weightlifters, rugby players, and gym bros chasing maximal strength. Endurance athletes? Not so much. In fact, for years creatine was seen as a supplement best avoided by cyclists and triathletes — too heavy, too bloating, too irrelevant to aerobic performance. But like many myths in sports science, the tide is now turning. Fast.
At Ride Revolution, we’ve started actively recommending creatine to many of our athletes — from crit racers to Ironman competitors. Why? Because the science has shifted. What was once misunderstood is now emerging as one of the most powerful, versatile, and cost-effective supplements available — not just for performance, but for recovery, brain health, and work productivity around training. Here’s why we believe creatine has a place in nearly every endurance athlete’s toolkit.

A Quick Primer: What is Creatine?

Creatine is a naturally occurring compound stored in the muscles and brain. It helps regenerate ATP — your body’s short-term energy currency — especially during repeated high-intensity efforts. While your body produces some creatine, it’s also found in red meat and fish, and can be topped up with supplementation.
For years, it’s been a staple in strength and power sports. Why? Because creatine boosts peak power output, enhances muscular endurance, and supports faster recovery between explosive efforts. But its benefits don’t stop there. New research continues to uncover roles in bone health, cognitive function, and even hormonal regulation.

Why Cyclists Are Now Using Creatine

So why the sudden shift in the endurance world?
1. Improved Anaerobic Capacity: Crit racing, breakaways, sprint finishes, surges out of corners — all rely on repeatable high-power efforts. Creatine supports the phosphocreatine system, meaning more capacity for explosive efforts and better recovery between them.

2. Increased Lean Mass Without ‘Bloat’: Yes, creatine can increase water retention — but intracellularly, within muscle cells. This isn’t “puffy” water weight, but functional mass that supports power production. For most cyclists, this results in 1–2kg of additional body mass with minimal impact on W/kg — and often a net gain in performance.

3. Enhanced Training Volume and Recovery: Supplemented athletes often report being able to complete harder sessions, recover more quickly, and hold onto strength gains from gym work more effectively. More training volume without added breakdown is a key win in performance development.

4. Cognitive and Neurological Benefits: This is the underreported benefit — and one of the reasons we’re excited about creatine. Studies now show improved cognitive performance, reduced mental fatigue, and even better mood regulation with creatine supplementation. For athletes juggling work, training, and life stress, this is a game-changer.

5. Potential Injury Reduction: Some studies suggest creatine may reduce the incidence of soft tissue injuries and enhance rehab outcomes. This could be due to better cellular hydration, enhanced repair signalling, or support for neuromuscular coordination.

Why It Was Avoided for So Long

Cyclists avoided creatine for years due to a few persistent myths:

• “It makes you heavy.” Yes, weight gain happens — but it’s mostly water stored in the muscle cells, not fat or bloating around the midsection. More importantly, that water contributes to increased muscle function.

• “It’s only for gym work.” Wrong. Cycling isn’t purely aerobic — especially not modern road racing or crits. Those 20-second bursts, VO2 efforts, and breakaway surges? Creatine helps.

• “It messes with hydration.” There’s no solid evidence supporting this. In fact, creatine may enhance heat tolerance and hydration status by improving intracellular fluid balance.

• “It’s untested or unnatural.” Creatine is one of the most heavily researched supplements in sports nutrition history. It’s safe, effective, legal, and naturally occurring in food.

Additionally, the rise of weight-focused performance culture made many athletes hesitant to embrace anything associated with water retention. But this view ignores the functional benefit of better cellular hydration, particularly under load.

Work Productivity and Brain Support

One of the more exciting areas of creatine research is its impact on the brain. Low creatine levels are associated with mental fatigue, poor memory, and slower cognitive processing — especially under stress. Endurance athletes often experience periods of “brain fog,” especially in heavy blocks. Creatine appears to support:

• Better short-term memory and task switching
• Improved mental energy and clarity
• Lower perception of effort during both training and work tasks

This matters more than it might seem. If you train early, work all day, then train again — you’re demanding a lot from your system. Creatine helps keep the cognitive tank topped up.

There’s also early evidence of creatine helping with mood stability, especially under caloric restriction or poor sleep — two common realities for busy, high-performing athletes. If you’re trying to optimise your training in a high-stress context, this edge can be significant.

How We Recommend Using It at Ride Revolution

Our athletes typically use creatine monohydrate — the most studied and effective form. Here’s how we structure usage:

• Loading phase (optional): 20g per day for 5–7 days, split into 4 x 5g doses
• Maintenance phase: 3–5g per day ongoing
• Timing: Anytime, though post-training with a carb-based meal can improve uptake
• Cycling: No need to cycle on/off — creatine is safe for long-term use

We also encourage athletes to increase water intake slightly during the first week and be aware of a small, temporary jump on the scale — which usually levels out once saturation is achieved. For athletes in race weight-sensitive periods, we often phase in creatine outside of taper windows.

It’s also worth noting that vegetarians and vegans, who get little to no creatine from food, may see even greater benefit from supplementation.

Final Thoughts: It’s Time to Rethink Creatine

Creatine isn’t new. But in the world of endurance sport, it’s having a renaissance. What was once dismissed as irrelevant is now being recognised for what it is: a low-cost, well-studied, highly effective tool for power, recovery, cognition, and resilience.
At Ride Revolution, we don’t chase trends. We look at evidence, we test things ourselves, and we see how they perform in the real world with real athletes. Creatine passes all three tests. If you’re training hard, juggling work, or just want more resilience across the board, this is a supplement worth taking seriously.
It’s not about “bulking up.” It’s about buffering your system, protecting your energy, and sharpening the edge — whether that’s on the bike, in the gym, or at your desk. Creatine might just be the simplest performance upgrade most riders still aren’t taking.
And if you’re unsure how to integrate it — you know where to find us.
That’s the Ride Revolution way.