Sponsors of Pro-Tour teams Cervelo & Radioshack and (recently married) mountain bikers Ryan Sherlock and Mel Spath, ZipVit are an English company making waves in the nutrition market. They have a full range of products including vitamin supplements but we tested the ZV1 Energy drink and ZV3 Protein recovery powder.

The marketing speak for the energy drink says it is “formulated using a scientifically proven carbohydrate blend that speeds up energy delivery during exercise and also provides a range of key electrolytes to help replace those lost in sweat”. Sounds like all the rest so… but we found it to be excellent, kind on the stomach and tasty. The science says it contains 31.7g of ultra fast digesting carbohydrates with a blend of 7 minerals and electrolytes.  Certainly it works well although the sachets we were using are a little bit too big.  We used about 2/3s of a sachet per 750 ml bottle.  Those using the better value tubs will not have this issue though.  A 1.4kg tub costs GB£16.99

ZV3 Recovery drink is formulated for use immediately after exercise. Its aim is to rapidly refuel and repair the body after training with a mix of 16.1 grams of fat digesting protein with colostrum for recovery, 31.7g of fast digesting carbohydrates, a unique blend of 12 vitamins and 4 electrolytes, 750mg HMB to accelerate muscle recovery, 2.44g Branched Chain Amino Acids for rapid muscle repair, 800mg beta-alanine to help combat lactic acid and 2.5g of glutamine to fuel the immune system, phew!

This combines to create a drink that dramatically improves performance and recovery without increasing body weight. We felt stronger and refreshed the morning after a hard training session with ZV3 taken afterwards.  It does taste a bit funny but you don’t need to take very much (about 250 mls) so its not too bad.  A 1.4kg tub costs GB£34.99 and comes in either vanilla, chocolate or strawberry flavours.

Check www.zipvitsport.co.uk for more.