The summer has yielded to autumn, marking the end of the cycling season. As the chill of winter slowly descends upon us, it’s the perfect time to reflect upon a splendid cycling season with our esteemed partners. In this post, we will reflect on Team Jumbo-Visma's historic tally of 69 victories and their triumphant conquest of winning the Giro d’Italia, Tour de France, and La Vuelta, serving as a heartwarming testament to our collaborative efforts.
January 18, 2023
On this day, Team Jumbo-Visma and Amacx proudly announced their partnership for the 2023 & 2024 season to the world. Martijn Redegeld, sport nutrition expert at Team Jumbo-Visma, played a pivotal role in the development of this collaboration and optimizing and expanding the Amacx range. He was quoted regarding this announcement on our website: "The sports drinks, gels, and bars were already very good at their core, but they now have the exact composition for our ice skaters and riders. Therefore, they fit perfectly with our overarching race strategies".
However, this announcement was the culmination of a series of crucial talks that took place before the official partnership. Together with Martijn, we delve deeper into the backstory of this partnership. We will start by retracing our initial contact, then follow the course of the process as it unfolded. In addition, Martijn will provide insights about the improvements made to the Amacx products and shed light on the methods that were employed to nourish the athletes in their journey towards the remarkable achievements of Team Jumbo-Visma.
The first conversations
Late 2022 our first conversations started. Initially, these were primarily introductory in nature and focused on product-related matters, such as defining the requirements that Amacx products should ideally meet. As these conversations progressed, our focus shifted towards the early phases of our collaboration. Together, we embarked on a deeper examination of the entire product range, pondering questions like how to ensure seamless compatibility among different products when used in combination, how to simplify athletes' in-game guidance, and opportunities to enhance product instructions, among others. These were incredibly productive and constructive conversations, leading to concrete product innovations.
Product Innovations
“The innovations varied by product”, Martijn explains. “One of the key alterations was harmonizing the composition of all energy products. They now consistently contain approximately 30g of carbohydrates and maintain a uniform 2:1 ratio of glucose to fructose. We also increased the sodium content in select products to ensure greater consistency. This empowered our athletes to seamlessly interchange different products, such as bars, gels, and drinks, without worrying about their specific choice. A gel now mirrors the nutritional content of a bar or a bottle of sports drink. This not only enhances flexibility but also practicality. Furthermore, adopting a consistent sugar ratio (2:1) facilitates high carbohydrate intake, up to 90g per hour, while the increased sodium content contributes to enhanced hydration. In addition to these improvements, we fine-tuned the composition of several products, such as reducing the fat content in the Fast Bar, and introduced new items like Energy Nougats, Turbo Chews, Recovery Bars, and Recovery Shakes”.
Nourishing Method
“Our approach involved comprehensive exploration of Amacx's entire product range, frequently testing early samples to gauge their palatability. Adjustments were driven by invaluable feedback from our riders, leading to the introduction of new or revised products", Martijn explains. "We always introduced these innovations in training scenarios first, especially when launching a completely new product. Our philosophy is rooted in the belief that introducing a new product during a (critical) race is to be avoided, ensuring that everything used during competition remains utterly familiar”.
Remarkable Achievements
Now, 10 months after the announcement, the whole world has witnessed a phenomenal season by Team Jumbo-Visma. Merijn Zeeman, sports director of Team Jumbo-Visma, exclaimed “This is by far the best season this team has ever had”. He continues “We have made cycling history by winning three grand tours in one year and following the recent triumph in China last month, we've achieved the remarkable milestone of 69 victories… we are very proud of it”.
At Amacx, we deeply share this sense of pride and enthusiasm. When we embarked on this adventure alongside Team Jumbo-Visma, we couldn't have imagined the level of success we would achieve together. Being part of these remarkable accomplishments in just one year fills us with a strong sense of excitement for what lies ahead in our partnership. We are looking forward to the upcoming cycling season with great enthusiasm.
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