26,000 Energy Bars Are On Their Way to France - PowerBar is official supplier for the Tour de France
Munich (ots) - PowerBar(R) will make available 26,000 energy bars (Performance[TM], Harvest[TM]) and 19,000 PowerGels(R) to the cyclists in this year's Tour de France.
A total of 198 cyclists on 21 teams will begin the world's most famous bicycle race on July 3, 2004. The route traverses 3,500 kilometers in 20 stages. Cyclists require incredible amounts of energy during the individual stages, which last from five to ten hours. A cyclist on a mountainous stretch can burn up to 10,000 calories - the equivalent of the energy contained in 76 bananas. Extreme stress of this sort puts special demands on an athlete's nutrition, so PowerBar was the logical choice to serve as official supplier. With twenty years of experience, PowerBar is the pioneer in sports nutrition.
PowerBar developed a special energy bar - Performance Caffeinated Raspberry&Cream - for use in the 2004 Tour de France. The new bar contains Acticaf[TM], a blend of natural fibers plus caffeine from a plant called "guarana" to support a person's ability to concentrate for long periods of time - Even a minor cycling error can spell the difference between victory and defeat.
PowerGel contains a highly concentrated form of carbohydrates that quickly deliver energy during intense athletic activities. These nutrients can be very readily absorbed by the body, they don't overburden the stomach, and they provide fresh energy.
During the entire Tour, 198 cyclists on 21 teams will burn a total of nearly two million calories: in other words, the caloric equivalent of 15,267 bananas or 8,695 PowerBar bars.
Marcus Streichert
Fon: 0049.089.50200773