YOUR AD HERE »

Cytomax: power powder to beat the bonk

Bob Ward
Shelby Lee/The Aspen Times
ALL |

For years I rode bikes and pursued other outdoor adventures with plain old water in my bottle or CamelBak bladder. Nothing wrong with water, right? It’s delicious and we need it to replace what we sweat out.

I still love water, and I’m guzzling it from my Aspen Times water bottle as I type. But nowadays when I’m out in the wild or riding my bike, I spike my water with energy powder. Call it water-plus.For a while I used Gatorade powder, but I found it dried me out. Too salty. I can’t say I really noticed much of a difference in the way my body performed, either. I ended up feeling as though I was drinking heavily seasoned water to no real end.Of course, Gatorade is cheap. If you want more from your energy powder, then you have to pay for it and you won’t find it at the grocery store. If you’re willing to fork out a few bucks for stronger performance and less fatigue, then try Cytomax ($20.95 for 24 ounces at Ute Mountaineer). It’ll make you feel practically invincible.

The stuff’s a mite too sweet for me, but it tastes fine if I dilute the mixture. I sip it periodically during long bike rides or hikes and I marvel at my stamina. I still huff and puff, of course. I slow down on steep ascents and have to push to maintain a chosen pace, but my legs never turn to jelly. I don’t break down or cramp up.I’ve beaten the bonk. Or more to the point, Cytomax has helped me beat the bonk. It feels great.



Now, I’m no chemist, and I don’t claim to know exactly what’s in this stuff. The ingredient list includes a few things I recognize (fructose, ginseng extract, natural and artificial flavors) and even more that I don’t (alpha-L-polylactate, potassium succinate, chromium polynicotinate). For all I know, Cytomax could be full of performance-enhancing chemicals that would get an Olympic athlete busted for doping.So I hope I’m not polluting my body with some evil super-chemical and corroding my innards for a short-term payoff …Nah. I doubt it. Time to shut up and enjoy the ride.

News


See more