The nice folks at ProBikeKit contacted me to see whether I would be interested in trying out their MyProtein Recovery drink and a couple of MyProtein bars. Of course you say “yes” to free food!
A few years back, I had thought that sports nutrition products were a waste of time and money. Then, I won some Torq Recovery drink at a race. Not only was it tasty, but it definitely seemed to let me ride harder, get stronger, and recover faster. I was pretty hooked on the stuff. So much so, I started the Tour Divide with 1.5kg of recovery drink powder in order to have some each night.
Recovery drink is intended to be used after particularly intense rides to help refuel your body. In that 20 minutes after you stop, you are most ready to get some energy back in. So a drink that you can prepare and drink right away is really useful. On top of the simple fuelling, various additives can also help the repair/rebuilding process.
I’m no sports scientist, but I do ride a lot and use recovery drink regularly (including the occasional slip where I run out and am reminded of how beneficial it is). So, I’m going to take the concept of having a recovery drinks at all as a given. I’m convinced they work. The best way I can assess the MyProtein drink, is by comparison to the Torq Recovery that I have used in the past.
First up, price: MyProtein Recovery is about 1/2 the cost of Torq Recovery and the recommended use requires less powder per drink.
Taste-wise, the Torq drinks are very milky and thick. I find their milkshake angle very comforting after a long ride, but less gluttonous folks like Emily find them a bit rich. MyProtein Recovery is closer to orange squash in its taste, with a distinct saltiness to it. I note that it claims to have electrolytes, which is actually a good selling point to me as I often end up finishing rides slightly dehydrated. The saltiness in the taste reminds me of what a nurse told me when I asked her about sports drinks compared to the rehydration sachets that you get from the pharmacy. She said that the pleasant taste of sports drinks was a good indicator that they don’t have enough electrolytes to rehydrate as effectively as the nasty-tasting sachets. So, although the My Protein drink tastes a bit odd, maybe that’s because it’s actually doing its job. Having been using it for a while, I quite like it now; and when I shared it around the team at Mountain Mayhem, the feedback on taste was positive.
Performance-wise, I can’t really tell the difference between Torq and MyProtein. Both feel good after a ride. With so many variables and no sports science lab, all I can conclude is that they both work well enough to choose between them on the other factors.
So it seems like My Protein has price and electrolytes on its side, and Torq has milkshakey goodness. It was great to see that there are alternatives out there.
As for the bars, well, I only had a couple and they tasted pretty nice. Again, actual scientific benefit is impossible for one person to measure. The night before the Highland Trail Race, I didn’t actually manage to get any proper dinner (ever tried to buy vegetarian food from Scottish service stations? Impossible!) so I made do with some carbohydratey stuff that I’d bought to eat on the trail and one of these protein bars. The race went pretty well, so I can’t complain.
Thanks to http://www.probikekit.com for sending me stuff!
