Now there could be a new, completely legal and rather surprising weapon in the armoury for riders aiming to shave vital seconds off their time – beetroot juice, or rather the high nitrate levels it contains.
The spinach-eating cartoon character Popeye has much to teach us according to new research from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet.
The scientists credit nitrates in the juice, which they say help the body to deplete less of its oxygen reserves, meaning those exercising feel less tired.
