Aitor Viribay Launches ExoLactate Gel After 7-Year Push to Deliver Lactate Fuel
Updated
Updated · Outside Magazine · May 29
Aitor Viribay Launches ExoLactate Gel After 7-Year Push to Deliver Lactate Fuel
1 articles · Updated · Outside Magazine · May 29
ExoLactate debuted in Barcelona as a new endurance gel that combines palatable lactate with glucose and fructose, which Aitor Viribay says could give riders a competitive edge in the next Tour de France.
Seven years of work with a culinary scientist under a “Lab to Field” project aimed to solve a problem researchers had chased for decades: how to make ingestible, effective exogenous lactate after earlier products proved foul-tasting and weak.
Viribay argues lactate is a key fuel rather than a waste product, saying it can support fat use at lower intensities, boost carbohydrate-driven energy at higher efforts, and help sustain brain and nervous-system function deep into races.
The gel has already cleared food regulators, is expected to pass anti-doping scrutiny, and has been lab-tested with elite runners, cyclists and skiers as production begins.
Viribay, formerly with Ineos Grenadiers and now performance director at Salomon, says the product could reshape modern cycling nutrition if it performs in competition as promised.
Will this revolutionary lactate gel dethrone carbohydrates as the ultimate fuel for winning the Tour de France?
After 50 years of failed attempts, what culinary secret finally turned lactate into a palatable super-fuel for athletes?
If lactate boosts brain function under stress, could its use extend beyond sports to high-pressure professions or medicine?
ExoLactate Launches a New Era: How Exogenous Lactate is Redefining Endurance, Recovery, and Sports Nutrition
Overview
ExoLactate is emerging as a groundbreaking development in endurance fueling, poised to revolutionize how athletes power their performance. Hailed by some as the 'Holy Grail' of sports fueling, it marks a significant departure from traditional strategies that focused on maximizing carbohydrate intake. By aiming to unlock new metabolic pathways, ExoLactate promises to redefine the limits of human endurance and recovery. This innovation is driven by advocates like Aitor Viribay, who emphasize a deeper understanding of lactate's role in the body, suggesting that ExoLactate could offer athletes a more efficient and effective way to fuel their performance.