![\"poga\u010dar](\"https:\/\/velo-cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/001-ph-credits-Alan-Bucar-Vuksic-e1784222656226.png\")
<\/p>\nEnervit launches lactate-carbohydrate drink at the Tour de France after two-year trial with Team UAE. The product rivals the ExoLactate gels first reported here by Velo.<\/p>\n
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Updated July 16, 2026 01:25PM<\/p>\n
Tadej Poga\u010dar<\/a> is drinking a powerful new fueling solution at the 2026 Tour de France<\/a>.<\/p>\n Team UAE Emirates-XRG confirmed Thursday<\/a> it\u2019s been trialing a lactate and carbohydrate drink made by team partner Enervit since 2024, the year Poga\u010dar won the third of his four yellow jerseys.<\/p>\n The pioneering product has now been finalized and launched and is being drunk by Poga\u010dar as he piledrives toward a fifth Tour title.<\/p>\n The news Thursday comes hot on the back of Velo\u2018s recent reporting that \u201cExoLactate\u201d gels are being trialed by one team<\/a> at this Tour de France.<\/p>\n Velo can confirm that ExoLactate is a rival product to the Enervit lactate fuel used by Poga\u010dar and UAE Emirates-XRG.<\/p>\n ExoLactate founder Aitor Viribay told Velo on Thursday that his From Lab to Field lactate research group did not contribute to the development of Poga\u010dar\u2019s lactate drink.<\/p>\n However, Viribay was not able to comment on whether UAE Emirates-XRG bought exclusive rights to his ExoLactate gels due to confidentiality agreements.<\/p>\n Lactate: A third energy pathway<\/p>\n Why does this all matter?<\/p>\n Because, contrary to popular thinking, lactate is not a burning waste product<\/a>, but a powerful source of endurance fuel.<\/p>\n It boosts metabolic efficiency and opens a third energy pathway beyond glucose and fructose, the key carbohydrates.<\/p>\n Fueling with lactate expands the pool of energy available to athletes beyond even the highest-carbohydrate feeding strategy.<\/p>\n Crucially, lactate is also a \u201csignaling molecule\u201d that makes carbohydrate metabolism more efficient by controlling fat and sugar burn rates at different exercise intensities.<\/p>\n The science behind lactate as an energy source is founded on decades of research. However, it remains unclear how powerful an impact it can make in the midst of a Tour de France peloton.<\/p>\n Poga\u010dar\u2019s rise to GOAT status since 2024 correlates to the start of his team\u2019s trials of the Enervit lactate drinks, but certainly cannot be attributed to the new fuel.<\/p>\n Lactate fueling breaks out at the 2026 Tour de France UAE Emirates-XRG and Enervit revealed Thursday that the two companies tapped leading lactate professor George Brooks to lead the two-year lactate project.<\/p>\n The University of California researcher has been pushing forward the understanding of lactate for more than 40 years.<\/p>\n The result of Brooks\u2019 and Enervit\u2019s work is the newly launched \u201cC2:1PRO Lactate Gel Mix\u201d \u2013 a powder that mixes with water to provide a whopping 90 grams of carbs and 10 grams of lactate.<\/p>\n UAE team nutritionist Gorka Prieto \u2013 the man who works directly with Poga\u010dar \u2013 \u00a0said the finished product was the result of continual trial, error, and finessing.<\/p>\n Riders and team performance staff provided feedback on prototype batches throughout the two-year development process.<\/p>\n \u201cOur philosophy is to continually evaluate innovations that have a strong scientific foundation and genuine potential to improve rider performance,\u201d Prieto said Thursday.<\/p>\n \u201cThis project with Enervit has been developed carefully over a number of years, combining laboratory research with extensive testing in training and racing,\u201d Prieto said.<\/p>\n \u201cNutrition is one of the key pillars of performance in grand tours, and we\u2019re pleased to have contributed to the development of a product that has been refined through real-world racing conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n Lactate fueling is the\u00a0hot topic of endurance nutrition right now.<\/p>\n At this early stage, it\u2019s hard to say how impactful it will be. It could be as important as \u201cthe carbohydrate revolution<\/a>,\u201d or it might prove to be nothing.<\/p>\n But whoever has access to lactate products now \u2013 including Poga\u010dar \u2013 has a first-mover advantage.<\/p>\n Velo will follow up this breaking news with a deeper explainer on lactate fueling in due course. Stay tuned.<\/p>\n
\n![\"Tour](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/002_ph-credits-Fizza.png\"\/)
Poga\u010dar and UAE Emirates have been working on prototypes of a lactate-carbohydrate drink since 2024. (Photo: Fizza\/UAE Emirates XRG)<\/p>\n