I’ve mainly been an observer though I’ve chimed in from time to time, but I wanted to introduce myself more formally. My name is Matt Bach and I run the triathlon business for The UCAN Company (since January 2019). Here is a bit more about how I came to UCAN.
Some other background…I live in Summit, NJ with my wife and two kids (“Irish Twins” born 11 1/2 months apart ages 1 1/2 and 2 1/2. Completely planned that way…) and two long-haired miniature dachshunds named Johann and Sebastian Bach. Worked on Wall Street for 9 years. Left Wall Street. Went to Business School at Temple University, graduated Business School in May. Career change complete. Living the dream.
Tim O’Donnell began using UCAN earlier this year. If you’d like to hear how, we’re having him on the UCAN Show on Monday at 7:30pm ET. You can register here (for free) if you’re interested in tuning in or if you want the recording after the fact: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7325576886600376588?source=SLOWTWITCH
I’m also here to answer all things UCAN - if you have any questions at all, I’m here to help!
Well you’re all over the babbitville podcast and when TO announced his partnership with you I peaked around and found something missing completely in the lineup. Protein powder. Do you have any plans to launch a whey protein?
I recently picked up the UCAN starter pack, have used it a few times now and it ‘feels’ like it does what it says it is supposed to do on the packet…I think I am dependent on energy spikes from gels however so I might need more time to adjust off that dependency. The UCAN gel recipe looks interesting so I’m going to try that next.
My largest concern however is not so much about the product but how to carry and use enough of it over a 5-6 hour Ironman ride…even if I carry 4 bottles of it + electrolyte mix, I’ve still got stop and open packets and refill bottles.
Any better more efficient ideas on how to reload it?
I tried it 2 years ago when training for an IM. Not sure if I was doing something wrong but it would upset my stomach on my long rides. Had to stop using it and switch to something else.
Thanks for your question. Our Vanilla and Chocolate Performance Energy powders have whey protein in them. Originally created for post-workout recovery, people have also been using them as pre and during fuel since the protein can help with satiety. They are still primarily made of SuperStarch so they provide energy as well (and replenish glycogen stores)
Great! Welcome to the UCAN Family. I’m glad you’re noticing the difference. Some do experience a bit of a transition but it’s typically only a week or two for your body to make the adjustment. The gel idea is great - I do that for my longer runs, marathons and Ironman marathons.
Definitely can get around needing to open any packets n on course. You can mix UCAN in a concentrated version. I typically go 2-3 servings per bike bottle during training and will go 3-4 servings per bottle during racing (and I’ve heard people go as high as 7 servings in one bottle but that’s really thick!). You’ll notice that a little bit goes a long way with UCAN and you won’t need as many calories per hour to perform optimally. Most find about 100c/hr is good for training and a bit more (100-150c/hr) works well for racing.
Fortunately I’ve encountered very few people who experience issues like that. Do you have any allergy to corn? It’s also possible it’s the sweetener. Orange and Vanilla have monkfruit extract as the sweetener. Lemon uses sucralose (soon to be a natural sweetener, stevia). Cranberry-Raspberry has stevia, and believe Chocolate does as well. Plain has no sweetener at all as it’s 100% SuperStarch. If you remember the flavor you had, you can try a different flavor with a different sweetener and see if the issue goes away.
Thanks for your question. Our Vanilla and Chocolate Performance Energy powders have whey protein in them. Originally created for post-workout recovery, people have also been using them as pre and during fuel since the protein can help with satiety. They are still primarily made of SuperStarch so they provide energy as well (and replenish glycogen stores)
As an athlete, I have a pretty balanced diet. Get a lot of carbs through whole food sources, but on protein I tend to supplement with whey, so I’m not really into a 4:1 or 2:1 formula. Might be interested in a 1:1 formula though if you went that route.
Good to know that - I appreciate your feedback. We do happen to be contemplating a higher protein Energy Powder, including one that uses pea protein instead of whey for those who are vegan. What people do now who want more protein is add some of their own whey protein to the UCAN Energy powder. I do that sometimes post-workout to get more than the 10g of protein that’s in one serving of UCAN.
Great to have someone with your race course knowledge but also to help steward those of us who are off the back when it comes to mastery of on and off course nutrition.
The “off-season” is a great time to experiment and try out new plans and I am definitely ready to try it out these upcoming weeks/months to see about warding off those energy highs/lows.
In anticipation of your webinar with Tim, I saw this overview from the UCAN site on how he uses it. Good stuff.
I suggest you hire athlete, dietician, or organizational change management consultants… the benefits of straight protein for endurance athletes are legion, but I understand how influence from your core business model and commodity (starch) could affect strategic vision and direction changes.
Eric
Good to know that - I appreciate your feedback. We do happen to be contemplating a higher protein Energy Powder, including one that uses pea protein instead of whey for those who are vegan. What people do now who want more protein is add some of their own whey protein to the UCAN Energy powder. I do that sometimes post-workout to get more than the 10g of protein that’s in one serving of UCAN.
I recently picked up the UCAN starter pack, have used it a few times now and it ‘feels’ like it does what it says it is supposed to do on the packet…I think I am dependent on energy spikes from gels however so I might need more time to adjust off that dependency. The UCAN gel recipe looks interesting so I’m going to try that next.
My largest concern however is not so much about the product but how to carry and use enough of it over a 5-6 hour Ironman ride…even if I carry 4 bottles of it + electrolyte mix, I’ve still got stop and open packets and refill bottles.
Any better more efficient ideas on how to reload it?
i am hoping/intending to interview TO soon, which would be a front page article, and i have a number of questions about his nutrition. one thing that mystifies me: we used to (in the old days) mix up a concentrate. say, 10:1. that would be in our second bottle (not in our front hydration system). then we’d take on clear water at the aid stations, squirt squirt, bottle is emptied into the front hydration, then take the second bottle, squirt, concentrate is now in the front hydration, you now have your proper hydration concentration, you have it for the whole ride, it’s always cold, solved.
unless you only drink clear water, and take all your electrolytes and sugars in some other form (chews, gels) i don’t see why this method isn’t used. it used to work like a charm for us when i was in this long course game.
Thanks for your vote of support, Lars. I’m happy to facilitate however I can! Definitely right about the timing - offseason is perfect to experiment. For anyone wanting to try UCAN, here is our Tri Starter Pack, a perfect sampling of our products so you can see how you like it (and at 50% off, to boot!) https://www.generationucan.com/product/ucan-tri-starter-pack/
It’ll last about a week or two at which point people buy tubs of their favorites flavors of the Performance Energy and boxes of their favorite bars.
We have several hundred signed up for the TO webinar already - looking forward to it!
Eric, absolutely. The points you raise are certainly on our minds and that of our board. Our core, as you know, is SuperStarch, and when we add protein, then it dilutes what we aren’t know best for and we become more like what is out there. That said, our protein-enhanced versions and our bars have been successful, and even our Hydrate product (which has no SuperStarch). I appreciate the note since it’s a good reminder that the best businesses remember their core company purpose.
I am a fan of UCAN for everything around threshold work and under–for VO2 intervals and 40k TTs, I still like a quick shot of Gu.
In particular, I like the whey enhanced versions. I have two designated water bottles with shaker cup balls at the bottom that I use just to UCAN. I unfortunately ran out and being in Jordan right now will have to wait until December when my wife is going to visit and will be able to deliver my 6 month supply.
What’s the max concentration you can mix ucan to? In other words, how many servings can I put in my concentrated bottle and still get it to squirt out?
Cool idea and something I hadn’t thought of! I’ll thinker with that idea because of the “cold†benefit. Besides that benefit, it may not change what I’ve been doing with UCAN specifically since the concentrated UCAN still tastes fine (albeit thick) and I’d be potentially worried about it settling to the bottle of my BTA aerobottle.
Right now our focus is the US but that will change at some point (probably not for at least 2 years). We do have international distributors in some countries (UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, The Netherlands, and some others) but not in Israel yet. I will check with my team but I don’t think there are many options right now for getting product to Israel.