With a lot of pro riders getting penalized after testing positive for a banned substance, you start to wonder just what is on this banned substances list…

Hi Levi, I notice ACT has Maca root as the last ingredient. I’ve heard that Maca root is banned or not legal in professional cycling. Can you confirm that is not true? I recently starting using Maca root powder for my morning workouts, would love your opinion.

Thanks,
Maca Margie

Hi Margie,

Interesting question! With all the talk of banned substances and rider suspensions, I do get curious what exactly is on this list.

Luckily for us, at the beginning of 2009, the UCI revamped their website and it’s easier to access these files.

Everything is listed in the UCI rules section, and here are the Anti-Doping rules (complete with the 2009 list of banned substances.)

Considering some of the “classes” of drugs that are banned (like stimulants,) it wouldn’t surprise me if Maca root would cause one to test positive. For example, caffeine and insulin are both mentioned in some of the UCI rules and specifically in the UCI health documents.

Cycling isn’t unique in its rules, though. Just read this report about certain flavors of Vitamin Water being banned by the NCAA. Yep, flavored water with a few herbs in it is outlawed!

(Update: that article seemed to jump the gun a little and was probably just to attract attention. It seems Vitamin Water is perfectly fine for student athletes to drink if they choose.)

So you can see a lot of legitimate and/or common substances can cause you to test positive, if the dose is high enough. Due to the inconvenience, I wouldn’t worry about any banned substances unless I was going for a win in the Tour de France or Olympics in the very near future.

As far as my opinion on Maca root, I’ve never taken it straight, but it looks good from what I’ve read about it. And I like the idea of it being a natural herb, rather than some synthetic powdered crap you can get to aid workouts!

Here we have a new energy drink. Normally I would not find something like this, but my mom got me started on it because we know some people who are into network marketing. This is actually a drink more like Red Bull than Gatorade, but luckily it looks fairly healthy. It’s actually something you can drink without worrying about crazy side effects.

ACT Energy is sort of like a cross between Red Bull and fruit punch Gatorade. It tastes a little odd, but it is nowhere near as bad as Red Bull or those other drinks. There is no caffeine, and it has healthier ingredients like guarana seed, juice extracts, green tea, ginseng root, stevia leaf, taurine, and tyrosine. (And a few other things that I’m not exactly sure what they are.)

You can get ACT in powder form in packets and canisters, and soon it will be available ready-to-drink in cans. The packets are great for travel, the canisters are nice at home, and the can is convenient (and looks cool.) The biggest drawback is the mixing process.

Unlike whey protein, this stuff mixes easily, but it foams up like crazy. If you put the powder in a half-full bottle of water and shake, it mixes easily. However, you’ll have to let it sit for a while the foam settles before adding the rest of the water!

Sidenote on mixing:

1. Fill 16 oz water bottle half-way with room temperature water.
2. Pour in a scoop of ACT powder.
3. Close the lid and shake a few times.
4. Let it sit for a while.
5. Fill the rest of the way with cold water.
6. Give it a gentle shake and start drinking. (Although personally, I do prefer to mix it with just 8 oz of water, total, and drink it pretty fast.)

Now to talk about the effects and my energy levels…

The first time I tried this, I only had a few sips. Even though it is an energy drink, guess what happened… I almost fell asleep! After that I just laughed at this “energy” drink. But, a week later, I decided to give it another chance.

The next time, I actually mixed up a full bottle and drank all of it. I seemed to get tired after a few sips, but once I had downed most of it, I perked up instantly! At first it was just some extra energy, but 10 minutes later I was flipping out. I must have gone crazy for about 4 hours!

I couldn’t just sit around and watch TV or read a book, I had to do something! I started working out, and although I collapsed eventually, I felt stronger than ever. I was ready for anything! It was even better than the time I had codeine pills after getting my wisdom teeth removed!

But alas, later in the afternoon, my energy slowly returned to a normal level. I didn’t crash, but I didn’t have that cool crazy feeling anymore.

After that experience, I had another bottle the next day. But for some reason it did not have much of an affect. I kind of felt the energy boost, but is was nothing like the first time. The third day was nice, though. A good, solid energy kick (although nothing compared to Day 1.)

So you might get a huge energy kick the first time you use this, but after that it will give you more of a ‘normal’ energy boost.

My final verdict is…

This is something worth trying. I know some people who really like it, so maybe it will work for you, too. But you should try it at least once to see if you get that crazy rush of energy (that lasts for hours!) The problem is that it costs almost $2 per serving, but you can get it cheaper if you buy in bulk.

If you are thinking of buying in bulk, take a look at the network marketing plan behind it. You can buy in bulk to stock up for yourself, or you could go in on it with your riding buddies – buy in bulk to save money and split the product amongst yourselves.

Although I would recommend finding someone who can give you a free sample or sell you just 1-2 packets (before signing-up for anything.)

Official Website: www.DrinkACT.com

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