What benefits does bicarbonate have for cyclists?

Bicarbonate is postulated as the latest discovery when it comes to improving the performance of cyclists thanks to its ability to reduce the burning sensation in the legs that we perceive when making efforts at the limit. Some nutrition brands already include this product in their offerings.

Support maximum intensity thanks to bicarbonate

It seems unbelievable that a substance that we commonly find in our kitchens is now being proposed as a useful aid in improving sports performance. We are talking about sodium bicarbonate, a salt traditionally used to combat stomach acidity after heavy meals as well as in baking.

This same ability to neutralize acidity is what provides a sports benefit when it enters the bloodstream, as this substance is also capable of reducing acidity in the muscles caused by excess lactic acid produced during high-intensity efforts, which cyclists often perceive as a burning sensation in the muscles that ends up forcing them to reduce that intensity so that the muscles can recycle that lactic acid and obtain energy from the resulting lactate.

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By reducing muscle acidity with bicarbonate, this burning sensation is reduced so we can maintain those high intensities for a little longer, perhaps enough to withstand that devastating attack or be the ones to break away from the group at a certain moment.

However, using bicarbonate as is has a drawback, the stomach discomfort it causes in the form of gas and other gastric problems that can turn the supposed advantages into torment.

However, nutrition brands have already stepped up to create an effective product. The first of them is Maurten, whose products are used, among other elite athletes, by the cyclists of Jumbo-Visma.

Maurten has created its Bicarb System line in which bicarbonate is encapsulated in a gel similar to their energy gels so that it is released more slowly in the body and passes through the stomach without causing problems.