The Best x The Best
We are excited to announce our research partnership between Ketone-IQ and team Visma Lease-a-Bike, winners of the last two Tours de France and achieving an unprecedented sweep of all three Grand Tours in 2023. The best work with the best.
When H.V.M.N. launched the world’s first ketone drink in 2017, some of the first elite athletes to catch wind of ketones were pro cyclists on the Tour de France, including Team Visma | Lease a Bike (named Team LottoNL-Jumbo at the time).
The Tour de France is arguably the most physically challenging endurance event in all of sports, so it’s the perfect arena for Ketone-IQ to showcase its benefits.
For years, cyclists have been using H.V.M.N. Ketones off the record.
As of January 26, 2024, we’re thrilled to announce our research partnership with Visma-Lease-a-bike, the best of the best, winners of the last two Tours de France. Ketone-IQ’s commitment to excellence finds a perfect match in Visma-Lease-a-bike’s winning history and future ambitions.
Together, we are 100% devoted to stronger, healthier riders and achieving peak performance in the sport.
"Within the Visma | Lease a Bike team, we leave nothing to chance. We want to optimise all the factors that influence our riders' performance. This includes the nutritional strategy", says Martijn Redegeld, the team's performance nutritionist.
"The use of ketones is part of that. We have several years of experience with this supplement, and we are positive about the effects. After taking ketones, riders recover better from a hard training session or race because the body's fuel stores are replenished faster. Sleep quality also improves. In this way, we increase training efficiency."
Background on the Tour
The Tour de France typically covers over 2,000 miles (3,500 km) in 23 days, with just 2 days of rest within that time. Imagine racing 100 miles (161 km) a day against the fastest riders in the world up grueling climbs and blazing fast descents through the Alps.
The winner of the overall tour is the rider with the lowest cumulative time over all 21 stages. The winning team is chosen similarly — taking the time of each squad's top three finishers on every stage. The team with the lowest cumulative time over 21 stages wins.
The point is: every minute counts. Over 23 days riders are pushed to their limits across every dimension: stamina, technical ability, team tactics, recovery, nutrition, and more.
In other words, it’s an ideal condition to put ketones to the test.
In the 2022 and 2023 Tours de France, Team Visma | Lease a Bike (formerly Team Jumbo Visma) won the overall tour, both individually via rider Jonas Vingegaard winning the individual General Classification and the team winning the overall team award.
The Science of Ketones
Ketones help support rider performance and health in several areas:
Ketones and the Brain
- Ketones are a more optimal fuel for your brain. Compared to glucose, the metabolism of ketones generates 28% more ATP per gram—meaning they’re more efficient, and your brain is getting more “bang for its buck” when using ketones.
- Even when glucose is available, ketones can power up to 80% of the brain's energy needs. Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/5926444/
- Ketones significantly improved cognitive performance by 7%. Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34605026/
- Ketone supplements mitigate the loss of function after exhausting exercise, suggesting consuming ketones before exercise will lower fatigue index & help you stay more alert, for longer. Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29944604/
Ketones and Endurance
- Ketones improve endurance time-trial performance in elite cyclists by 2%. Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27475046/
- Taking ketones and bicarbonate together enhances high-intensity performance at the end of an endurance exercise event, without causing gastrointestinal distress. Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32735112/
- Ketone Supplementation increased post-exercise serum EPO concentrations in healthy men. EPO stimulates red blood cell production, and higher levels mean potentially higher Red Blood Cell counts, which can carry more oxygen to muscles and improve performance. Thus, Ketone Supplementation may improve muscle oxygenation, which in turn improves performance. Link: https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/ajpendo.00264.2022
Improve Power
- A new Ketone-IQ research study was recently completed at a top US senior military university (University of North Georgia) — while the data is yet to be published (coming soon March 2023), the findings show supplementation of Ketone-IQ showed significant improvements in performance and decrease in fatigue.
Improve Recovery
- Athletes who drank ketones for recovery and sleep over a 3-week overtraining period saw improved recovery biomarkers and a 15% increase in power output. Link: https://physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1113/JP277831
- Adding ketones to a standard post-exercise recovery beverage enhances the post-exercise activation of mTORC1, which also means protein synthesis. Protein synthesis is essential for recovery and post-exercise adaptation for better performance. Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5440563/
Research Partnership with Team Visma | Lease-a-Bike
Besides providing riders with ample supply of Ketone-IQ to climb the Alps and beyond, a key component of Ketone-IQ’s partnership with Team Visma | Lease a Bike includes conducting studies with an independent university to advance the scientific understanding of ketones in sport.
We'll be looking at a broad set of factors on performance, recovery, and rider health.
We will be sharing more updates soon.
Ketones for All
Ketone-IQ is the world’s most advanced ketone technology.
H.V.M.N. pioneered the world’s first ketone drink in 2017, creating the category of high potency ketone drinks.
Ketone-IQ elevates blood ketones with the speed, magnitude, and duration that is optimal for performance, according to the research we have done and has been observed independently by outside groups.
Our mission with Ketone-IQ is to create the absolute best ketone technology and user experience, across the pharmacokinetics (rate of delivery into the bloodstream for optimal effect), cost, taste, and distribution.
We’re thrilled to be working with Team Visma | Lease a Bike to continue driving innovation and education at the cutting edge of rider performance and health.
We conduct R&D with the world's most elite performers to inspire our ultimate mission at H.V.M.N.: to make ketones universally accessible for all.
—
We look forward to continuing to share updates on this exciting partnership.
-Michael Brandt, CEO & cofounder H.V.M.N.
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