The Bestmed Jock Cycle Classique, revered as one of the toughest one-day road races in the country, always test participants’ endurance to the limit.
To help them through their ordeal, sports nutrition company Breakthru will be providing each and every participant with complimentary Jolt sachets.
This home-grown company has been a firm favourite with South Africans for over 26 years and, with their recent “reboot”, the brand’s offering has never been stronger, according to marketing manager Sharon Pyle.
“We sat down and evaluated all our products with the goal of improving them. I think our current range, especially the Jolt, is tops.”
Breakthru offers athletes everything from energy supplements to recovery drinks that can be consumed at different times before, during and after races like the Jock to ensure peak performance throughout.
For pre-race preparation, Pyle, an athlete herself, recommends their Endurance energy drink. Due to its high carbohydrate content and electrolytes, it’s perfect for fuelling training rides.
Caffeine adds a welcome kick for the days when you’re looking for that little bit extra. Pyle recommends taking this twice a day for at least two days before an event.
For riders who do a lot of interval and sprint training, the brand offers Creatine Caps that enable immediate energy release from the muscles. However, Pyle emphasises that this should not be taken during races.
“It’s mostly for power workouts. We don’t recommend trying new things on race day; stick to what you know and what works for you.”
Breakthru’s Protein Shake aids recovery from heavy training sessions. The shake’s star ingredient is L-Glutamine, an amino acid vital to tissue repair.
Although it can be added to either water or milk, the latter is recommended to ramp up the protein ratio in the drink for maximum recovery.
On the day of the Jock, says Pyle, it’s important to eat a healthy meal before you get onto the saddle.
“Riders need a solid foundation of real food on race day; trying to live off energy gels and sports hydration alone can be a recipe for disaster.”
Once the starting pistol fires, riders should ensure that they have at least a few energy gels (like Jolt or Boost) in their pockets.
“One gel every hour on the hour during the race should keep you powered up. Those that prefer liquids can replace the gels with our Endurance drink.”
The format of three stages presents riders with the unique challenge of racing and recovering three times in one day, she says.
“After every stage, ideally within three hours, riders should consume food like bananas and potatoes along with their protein shake.”
Some don’t enjoy shakes and Breakthru has them covered as well, says Pyle. Recoup tablets will help tired legs recover in no time after taking on notable Jock highlights such as Long Tom Pass.
She recommends two tablets as soon as possible after each stage.
For those who are prone to cramping, Breakthru’s Anti-Cramp tablets are a given – especially if the Lowveld dishes up unseasonably hot weather.
These contain true tissue salts, potassium chloride as well as magnesium and iron phosphate that are delivered directly to the muscles to stop cramping in its tracks.
Breakthru products are stocked by Dischem, MediRite and other leading pharmacies.
Issued by:
Full Stop Communications
Coetzee Gouws
082 575 7991
041 368 4992
coetzee@fullstopcom.com
www.fullstopcom.com
On behalf of:
Cyclingnews & ASG Events