Dehydration (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
15th May 2014 – News, Sponsors News
The facts are there. The science is very clear. When you start feeling thirsty it’s already too late. In fact as soon as you feel thirsty you’ve lost two percent of your body water – and 11 percent of your power output. Then you’ll find yourself in a situation where success isn’t the goal any more. Now it’s all about survival.
The same goes for our riders on Tinkoff-Saxo. Together with making sure that they’re loaded with plenty of carbohydrates and energy during a stage, we focus on keeping them hydrated at all cost. Otherwise the little merciless guy with the hammer will come knocking real soon beating all dreams of a stage win or the GC down the very same climb that together with tough weather conditions caused the dehydration in the first place.
So once again we’ve teamed up with the renowned and science based Osmo Nutrition for the 2014 season. The Osmo products help to bind and retain water in the cells and blood resulting in optimum conditions for the riders to perform at their maximum power level. As we speak, the riders are at the start of the longest stage of the Giro – 247 kilometers in the heat of southern Italy. And with changing weather conditions throughout the versatile Giro d’Italia it’s crucial to remain hydrated. As team captain, Nicolas Roche knows he has to be ready and in top shape on all the stages.
“You can really never let your guards down when you are riding for the general classification. I have to optimize everything I do and that includes keeping my water balance at the right level both in the race and between the stages”, says Roche before the important sixth stage and continues.
“Honestly as a professional rider you get a lot of different products throughout your career, but with Osmo I can tell that it makes a difference. I don’t have to drink insane amounts of water during really hot and long stages because the mix in Osmo helps me retain the water, and without artificial additives it feels natural to take it as a part of my daily routine. And that’s important since we eat a lot of food supplements during a day”.
The proof is in the performance For the technical staff on Tinkoff-Saxo the science is truly important. Our doctors and soigneurs work thoroughly to find the exact combination of minerals and electrolytes that creates the best performance. Together with Dr. Stacy Sims, co-founder of Osmo and nutritional scientist, we’ve worked closely to optimize and improve the formula.
For Dr. Sims over a decade of research have paid of with a superior product such as Osmo PreLoad Hydration, which allows the riders to go into the race with upwards of 20% more body water.
The proof is in the performance
For the technical staff on Tinkoff-Saxo the science is truly important. Our doctors and soigneurs work thoroughly to find the exact combination of minerals and electrolytes that creates the best performance. Together with Dr. Stacy Sims, co-founder of Osmo and nutritional scientist, we’ve worked closely to optimize and improve the formula.
For Dr. Sims over a decade of research have paid of with a superior product such as Osmo PreLoad Hydration, which allows the riders to go into the race with upwards of 20% more body water.
“Staying on top of your hydration needs is essential. In fact, a 2% decrease in body water translates to an 11% decline in power output. Drinking plain water isn’t ideal because you for instance need a small amount of sodium to help the water reach the fluid compartments of the body. The specific ratio and concentration of glucose, sucrose and electrolytes in Osmo Active Hydration results in the fastest fluid absorption possible thanks to a lot of pioneering work and feedback from the athletes”, explains Dr. Sims. The American scientist has been working together with Tinkoff-Saxo and doctor Piet de Moor during the season to improve and innovate the products based on lessons learned the hard way in tough races. Piet has been a solid rock for the riders on the team since Tinkoff-Saxo was founded in 1998. He has been focused on finding products that suit everybody on a team of 30 riders with different needs and tastes.
“Over the years the riders have worked with a lot of different nutrition supplements, but it has always been difficult for us to find a sponsor with a product that suited the taste of all the riders. With Osmo it’s the first time that all our riders are stomachache free all the time. We have experienced Osmo as a very gentle but highly efficient hydration supplement. The riders drink the Osmo Active Hydration, Preload Hydration and Acute Recovery at their own request so I don’t have to force it in them”, concludes Piet de Moor with a smile.
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