Just days before the San Dimas Stage Race, Topical EDGE held a media event at their headquarters in Thousand Oaks to give everyone an opportunity to try the sodium bicarbonate lotion and hear some of the data from a clinical trial that was finishing up at San Diego State University. EDGE has only been around since last year, so this was the first introduction to the product for a number of us at the event.
Those familiar with sodium bicarbonate already know it’s an acid buffer, and for athletes, the ability to buffer lactic acid amounts to a performance advantage. Getting those performance gains though would often come at the cost of severe gastrointestinal distress when taken orally. What makes EDGE unique is their transdermal delivery method that allows sodium bicarbonate to reach the muscles without having to pass through the digestive tract.
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As part of the event there was a 50-mile ride scheduled, so after applying Topical EDGE on our legs, just as you would with any other lotion, we headed out for a trip along the PCH and an ascent up Mulholland. Even though there were riders from both of the professional teams EDGE works with, Team Rally and Elevate-KHS, the pace stayed relatively relaxed, so not exactly the best setting to notice any difference in lactic acid buffering. But, a couple of days later the San Dimas Stage Race offered ample opportunity for feedback.
SoCalCycling.com Team’s Tyler Locke used EDGE at San Dimas Stage Race and had this to say, “The road race was a perfect test in that it was a very strange race; they neutralized the group at miles 30 and 50, so we had to start off each time with cold legs. It was incredibly fast off the gun, and that broke so many people– my legs were screaming but I was able to keep pushing and survive those efforts. I literally went another 20-30 seconds further past what I’m used to at that pain threshold”. Tyler continued, “I was able to better concentrate the next day in the crit because I felt fresher than I’m used to in a stage race and felt I had more power at the end of crit, and that helped me execute the plan based off what I wanted to do and not other people’s strengths”.
EDGE says that they will be releasing all the data from their clinical trial at SDSU, which consisted of Category 1-3 cyclists undergoing one test per week for four weeks that included 5-minute maximum efforts and 60-minute time trial efforts. All the tests were done in a double blind study and the results will be published in peer reviewed journals. One point that EDGE made sure to stress was that they are certified by Informed-Sport as World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) compliant and every batch is tested for banned substances under the Informed-Sport program.
A box of Topical EDGE costs $20.00 and includes 10 packets (one packet per leg is recommended). EDGE did say they plan to offer a tube with 15 applications in the near future that will decrease the cost.
Try a Free Sample of Topical EDGE
EDGE is offering a free sample campaign for anyone that wants to give it a try before purchasing. Each sample pack comes with enough EDGE for two rides.
For more information go to www.topicaledge.com
