NorCal Cycling News – Cycling and Racing in Northern California

After interviewing Dr. Stacy Sims about her research and drink mix i dipped into my NorCal fund, and bought some. The package showed up in a non-descript package like a kilo of coke from Miami Vice.  Because the mix showed up in a normal package vs. a huge plastic container in a huge cardboard box, it was hard for me to gauge what my $38.00 actually bought me.  For comparison sake a 4.8 lb container of Cytomax drink mix costs $40.00 while the secretdrinkmix.com package was 2 lbs.

A few years ago i thoroughly tested a bunch of different drink mixes while trying to find the fight match.  I eventually settled on Cytomax after doing the rounds of Gatorade, Powerbar, Accelerade, Nuun, and a bunch of other products. Ultimately i think taste drove my decision, but calories and anti-cramping properties were also considerations.  While i had heard lore from cyclists like Dr. George Smith and newly crowned masters world champion James Mattis that sodium was one of the few methods of resolving cramping, there was never much scientific evidence to support their theories until Dr. Sims came a long.

After a few trial runs with the secretdrinkmix I tried going back to Cytomax.  All of a sudden i found Cytomax was a little bit too much link drinking baby asprin.  I liked the lighter approach that secretdrinkmix had developed.  On the effectiveness side I’m a big believer that I can’t really get enough sodium in my system given how it seemed to clear up my cramping issues when I started to pay attention to it.  Unconsciously I started drinking secretdrinkmix for every ride, when normally I would make a Cytomax bottle 2/3 times.  The light taste, manageable calorie count, 80 calories per scoop, and effectiveness.   I admit, my perception of effectiveness on the energy/calorie/hydration side could be placebo affect, but I’ve been doing this long enough that I feel like when i find something that works for my body, like a magic food for example (ex. ripe cantaloupe), I’m smart enough to adopt it weather it is perceived or placebo… i’ll take what every i can get that is legal!

Ultimately this price might be cost prohibitive for some, as I have been hesitating to re-up my stash given it is almost twice as much as your normal swill.  It means I am going to have to device a priority strategy for when to break out the good stuff (like five hour rides and A races) and keep the normal drinks on tap for every day duties.

To learn more about the science behind the formula check out Dr. Sims with Allen Lim at Interbike this week.

“Hydration Science and Practice – Secrets from the Pro Peloton w/ Dr. Stacy Sims and Dr. Allen Lim.”

Wednesday, September 14^th

11:00 am to 12:00 pm

Sands 203

Or visit them on the floor at

Secretdrinkmix.com  FloorBooth # 36108