Pro Cyclists Are Drinking Lactate. Here's Why.

For a hundred years, lactic acid has been cycling's villain — blamed for the burn, the fatigue, and the next-day soreness. Almost none of that is true. In this video we trace the myth back to the frog-leg experiment that won a Nobel Prize and got it wrong, explain what lactate actually is (a fuel — the one your heart reaches for first), and then tackle the story everyone's asking about: the ExoLactate gel some teams are trialling at the 2026 Tour de France. Does drinking lactate actually work? Here's the honest answer. In this video: ✅ Why lactate isn't acid, isn't waste, and isn't the burn ✅ The frog-leg Nobel Prize that stuck us with the myth for 100 years ✅ The lactate shuttle — and why your heart runs on your legs' "waste" ✅ What LT1, LT2 / MLSS and critical power actually mean (in plain English) ✅ Why training makes you clear lactate faster, not make less of it ✅ Lactate as a signalling molecule that helps drive adaptation ✅ ExoLactate & the Tour: clever delivery, unproven performance — the honest verdict We build tools for looking at your own thresholds, power curve and durability in Pedal Pulse — have a look if that's your sort of thing: [app link] Key work referenced: A.V. Hill & O. Meyerhof (Nobel, 1922); Margaria, Edwards & Dill 1933 (Am J Physiol); George Brooks — the lactate shuttle (1980s–present); Drake et al. 1980 (myocardial lactate oxidation); UCI position on ketones. Full notes pinned in comments. Related Pedal Pulse videos: ▶ How to Fuel a Long Ride (And Never Bonk Again) ▶ Cycling Supplements: What Actually Works Pedal Pulse App: iOS - https://apple.co/3ORDc8c Android - https://play.google.com/store/apps/de... Brand partners: 🚲 Handsling Bikes — handslingbikes.com 🛞 FFWD Wheels — ffwdwheels.com Naked Opitcs - nakedoptics.net