Tailwind Nutrition

One of the most important elements of endurance riding is nutrition. Before, during, and after your ride, what you put in your body matters. More specifically sports drinks. Sports drinks have been an intricate part of workouts for years. Many companies have hopped on the train of developing more innovative drinks, such as powder drinks containing calories and caffeine. One specific brand that has emerged in the last year is Tailwind Nutrition. Jeff Vierling started Tailwind Nutrition because of a personal need to restore calories. After trying everything on the market – drinks, gels, and pills – nothing could remedy his consistent stomach issues while racing. He was inspired to begin research on why he was having nutrition breakdowns. He found out some interesting things on how the body processes fuel. After a year and a half of trial and error, Jeff figured out a personal drink mix. Jeff decided to start producing Tailwind Nutrition out of his kitchen after some positive feedback from his friends. He spread it around his home town of Durango, once again people seemed to like it. It soon took over his life and he decided to test the market. The first thing Jeff wanted to figure out was calorie intake per hour, he found that the body can absorb 300 to 500 calories per hour. However, when you are exercising, the blood moves away from the digestive track, making it more difficult to process food. Thus, he concluded that 200 to 300 calories was more realistic. In turn, your body can burn anywhere from 500 to 1,000 calories per hour (depending on the effort put forth) leaving you with a caloric deficit. Jeff’s goal was to achieve the utmost efficiency while consuming calories on the move. He figured that a drink with the proper ingredients would do this – no fillers, no artificial junk. Not only does Tailwind go down quickly and give you rapid sustained energy… but it also provides calories, electrolytes, and hydration. Tailwind Nutrition offers two simple blends: The Tailwind Endurance Fuel, and The Caffeinated Endurance Fuel. The caffeine blend is a recent addition, driven by requests of Tailwind consumers. I have messed around with Tailwind for a while now. In both daily riding and racing, I have noticed a significant boost in my focus, which has lead to a significant boost in my endurance as well as finishing times. One of the most difficult parts of racing is trying to feed while riding. Being able to take a sip from my bottle knowing that I am refueling on calories is really beneficial for me. I have yet to notice any gut rot, but rather a clean focused consistent energy. It is like drinking a cup of coffee before your ride, the focus is very strong at first but then fades. It is the same with Tailwind Nutrition, but without the fade. Tailwind Nutrition has a very user friendly powder to water ratio which is key when you are on the move. Each bag of Endurance Fuel comes with a scooper (27g), each one of those scoops equals 100 calories. For a daily ride, which is usually around 2 hours, I carry two bottles. One with just water, and one with 2 scoops of Caffeinated Endurance Fuel and 1 scoop of the Tailwind Endurance Fuel. This equals up to 300 calories. I typically also bring a bar which is usually 100 calories. Having the Tailwind as my hydration, and a bit of food puts me at 400 calories for 2 hours at a moderate pace. I have found this to work well for me. When I was on the Arizona Trail Race, I pre made enough drink to last me two days. I made a 2 to 1 mix with the caffeine blend being the majority. Every time I refilled on water I put some more Tailwind in my 21 oz Camelbak bottle. Not only was the 300 calories a great boost, but the caffeine was a a huge help, especially when the sleep monster was taking over. Unfortunately, the bag that held this strange looking white powder exploded in my frame bag in Oracle, leaving me without Tailwind for the last 3rd of the race. This was bad news for me. As I started to slump, I was certain that if I still had the Tailwind I would have been at least more focused. As always with endurance nutrition, you will need to figure out what works best for you. Tailwind Nutrition is simple to use and you can customize the amount you drink depending on your preferred taste and ride length. It is a great beverage to add to your hydration pack if you don’t use bottles. The Naked flavor is a perfect option for that. It taste like nearly nothing and cleans out very easily, not leaving a lasting flavor. If you are looking for a different way to take in calories, get a quick boost, and hydrate at the same time – Tailwind Nutrition out of Durango, Colorado is worthy of your consideration. Their research and attention to detail alone has shown that they care about the product they make and they want you to succeed. For ordering details go to Tailwindnutrition.com and click on the Products link. The Tailwind Endurance Fuel goes for 34.99 (50 Servings) and the Caffeinated Endurance Fuel goes for 37.99 (50 Servings). If you want more details on ingredients see this link.   Check out the Interview with Jeff Vierling on Mountain Bike Radio…