Human Powered Health Cycling is not about racing. It’s about helping athletes achieve their full performance potential.

It’s about reminding people they have power over their health.

To drive success in each athlete as an individual and as part of a team, Human Powered Health (HPH) caters to each person’s needs. No one size fits all. That’s why HPH partners with Thorne for personalized supplementation and nutritional support before, during, and after race day.

How does HPH help its athletes achieve mind and body wellness?

HPH’s state-of-the-art approach is built on four science-backed “Pillars of Performance” – Movement, Fuel, Mindset, and Recovery.

Follow these tips to unlock your health potential by building a supplement plan that caters to whatever your health needs might be.

1. Movement

Like many elite athletes, HPH cyclists have unique health needs that are revealed through comprehensive, evidence-based testing. That’s why Thorne and HPH’s doctors start with a comprehensive list of biomarkers to be aware of in competing elite athletes, and especially cyclists.

Long days in the sun – Year-on-year when HPH athletes’ blood data is analyzed by the Thorne experts, the majority of the athletes will have a deficiency in vitamin D. Although it might seem bizarre due to the amount of time they spend outdoors, athletes who train outdoors often wear cold-weather clothes or use copious amounts of high SPF sunscreen. All that minimizes sun exposure and the body’s natural ability to synthesize vitamin D. 

Most of HPH’s cyclists use Thorne’s Vitamin D-5,000 because it promotes bone and muscle health, as well as normal cardiovascular and immune function.* Plus, it’s NSF Certified for Sport®. When keeping fit and healthy is crucial, Vitamin D-5,000 is a must for HPH athletes.

Coping with the menstrual cycle – Periods are a fact of life for the female athlete, and many women – athletes and non-athletes alike – can have an iron deficiency resulting from menstruation. Supplementation can provide the iron and other key nutrients lost during menstruation.* To  resist fatigue and other effects of an iron deficiency, taking Iron Bisglycinate is essential during an athlete’s menstrual cycle.* 

Marit Raaijmakers, a cyclist with HPH, takes iron and Thorne’s Basic B Complex to promote healthy red blood cell formation and cellular energy production.*

“Most women are likely low in iron and B vitamins, and that all has to do with the menstrual cycle,” Marit says. “Iron is important for the blood and Basic B Complex is important for the energy level that you have during the month.”*

2. Fuel

Training the body to be in peak physical form for a race requires enhanced fueling strategies. HPH recognizes that, while all athletes share baseline energy requirements, the skillset of individual athletes can require different nutrient needs. From sprinters who prioritize power and quick reactions to climbers who value repeated efforts at altitude, each cyclist needs an individual approach to supplementation. 

Training harder for longer – One supplement used by all HPH Cycling athletes is Thorne’s Beta Alanine-SR, an amino acid that plays an integral role in supporting muscle health and endurance.* Beta Alanine-SR enables the body to produce carnosine, which is stored in muscle.* Carnosine buffers the pH of muscle tissue so it produces energy efficiently without excessive lactic acid buildup, which can cause fatigue and soreness.* This allows HPH cyclists to train harder for longer and in turn improves their performance on the bike.

Catering to the individual – Where one supplement is key for one athlete, it might not be for another. For example, as a track rider and powerful all-rounder, Raaijmakers uses Creatine to enhance physical endurance, work capacity, and power output of her muscles,* traits particularly important to Raaijmakers and other flatland cyclists. 

3. Mindset

Professional cyclists are some of the most drug-tested athletes in the world and can be tested at random at any race and at any moment with little to no warning. Therefore, it is absolutely paramount that these athletes know their supplements are as pure as possible. It is especially important for the current and prospective Olympians on the squad who are tested even more regularly at home, as well as at races.

NSF Certified for Sport® – To achieve peace of mind with safer supplementation, Thorne’s NSF Certified for Sport lineup is crucial to professional athletes like those at HPH Cycling. 

As a mark of their quality manufacturing role, NSF certifies Thorne’s campus in Summerville, South Carolina, as part of their annual audit and review process. What’s more, NSF tests every finished batch of Thorne’s NSF Certified for Sport supplements to verify the absence of 300 substances banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency and other international sporting organizations.

NSF Certified for Sport is one of the features that makes Thorne supplements so special to HPH athletes.

“For us, it’s very important to know we can take supplements without stressing,” Raaijmakers says. “It takes all that stress away because I know that if I take supplements from Thorne, they are not going to be contaminated by something that would show up on a doping test, which you see pretty often, unfortunately. Thorne having NSF-certified supplements means we can take supplements without fear of them being contaminated. Thorne understand the importance of testing, for us to do our jobs correctly.”

4. Recovery

Because HPH athletes can be racing day after day, a good recovery strategy is essential to a rider’s performance. A beneficial aspect of Thorne supplements for HPH athletes is the ability to promote adequate recovery. 

Restful supplement strategies – A Thorne favorite among HPH cyclists is RecoveryPro®, a chocolate-flavored whey protein powder, with additional tryptophan, magnesium bisglycinate, and PharmaGABA® to promote restful sleep and optimize recovery of the muscles, brain, bones, and lungs.* It also tastes great hot or cold!

“I drink it all the time because it’s delicious!” says Lily Williams, an HPH cyclist and 2020 Olympic athlete. “RecoveryPro is like a treat. A lot of the times, I’ll have some if I’m hungry just to take the edge off.”

Another recovery supplement is Amino Complex, which is high in essential amino acids (EAAs), including  branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs). Available in both lemon and berry flavors, Amino Complex benefits the body in multiple ways to stimulate strong recovery, including support for muscle repair and recovery, increasing energy production, promoting a healthy blood sugar level, and supporting cardiovascular health* – all key for HPH athletes. 

“RecoveryPro and Amino Complex go really well together. Especially when they are both from Thorne, those supplements balance each other out,” Raaijmakers says.

Thorne is proud to partner with HPH Cycling. 

Check out the complete Human Powered Health collection from Thorne to discover more of these athletes’ favorite supplements. Interested in learning more about the Human Powered Health initiative? Visit HumanPoweredHealth.com. 

For the latest updates on Raaijmakers, Williams, and the rest of the HPH Cycling team, follow @hphcycling on Instagram.