Is baking soda cycling's new performance enhancer? Jumbo-Visma at the head of new product which is termed 'a game changer'

Jumbo-Visma have enjoyed a scintillating start to the season with a number of high profile wins and the secret to their success may be something you have in your own kitchen... baking soda.

With Primoz Roglic himself one of the men who helped to develop it, Bicarbonate System has been turning heads throughout the peloton during the early course of this year. “It’s a big step. We’ve taken something that people have struggled to consume for decades and removed all the possible negatives from it,” said one of the brains behind the scientific elements to VeloNews, Maurten scientist Joshua Rowe. “I think that’s a game changer, and it looks like athletes do too.”

In short, the key to this new formula is helping athletes to push harder and fatigue slower and the success Jumbo-Visma have had is causing a storm. “If you look at the World Tour level there are dozens of riders from teams we don’t sponsor that are placing orders. We have a fascinating order book,” reveals Maurten representative Herman Reuterswärd.

“This system is opening a new world for some of our riders who weren’t able to use bicarb before. I think it’s really a big change and a big advantage for riders who weren’t able to use it before,” says Jumbo-Visma coach Mathieu Heijboer. "We’ve seen the power outputs for 20 or 30-second sprints is higher with bicarb. The riders cope better with the lactic acid which is produced in those hard efforts."

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