Here's another weapon for your arsenal in posting a fast result in a time trial or finishing that last hill on your century bicycle ride.
The jelly bean.
The Jelly Belly Co. is in the endurance sports business now with its Sport Beans product. Basically, we're talking your standard jelly beans here packed with carbohydrates (sugar), electrolytes, and Vitamins B and C.
In a study funded by Jelly Belly, the sports bean scored just as high as sports drinks and gels in maintaining sugar levels and performance in cyclists.
The study was performed by the UC Davis Sports Medicine program. In it, cyclists completed four 10K time trials while ingesting three different kinds of carbohydrate supplements or water only.
The cyclists finished faster with the carbo supplements, including jelly beans, than drinking water only; those eating the jellybeans finished with the highest average power output.
The primary source of carbs in the sport beans is table sugar (sucrose) and corn syrup. The Jelly Belly website said the blend is similar to other sports drinks and gels.
The level of electrolytes — 80mg of sodium and 40mg of potassium — helps maintain fluid balance. The beans do not contain caffeine.
How do they taste? I have no idea. I stopped at a couple of places that carry Jelly Belly products today but I couldn't find the the Sport Beans. I do know they come in four flavors — Lemon Lime, Orange, Fruit Punch, and Berry Blue; one flavor to the package.
Jelly Belly does more for cycling than make Sport Beans. The company also sponsors the Jelly Belly Pro Cycling Team.
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