I did some research on caffeine and endurance performance when I was in graduate school for exercise physiology. Basically, drinking about 1-2 cups of coffee before endurance exercise (I was a runner back then) did, in fact, reduce perceived exertion, burn more free fatty acids for fuel, and generally helped one run about 10% longer. I was for that then and I'm for it now. You also have to consider that once you are used to having caffeine, the properties that make you dehydrate more become more muted with tolerance.

Looking at caffeine intake like a regular person.....I like it. I like to drink it. People have been drinking coffee for a long, long time and it doesn't seem to have done them so wrong. So, unless someone says drinking coffee or tea will give you breast cancer or heart disease with a respectable study, I'm gonna keep on drinkin before I ride.