Still on the road! How to prevent injuries as a professional 40-year-old cyclist
09, 2022
Being a professional athlete usually means retiring in your 30s, but not for Rachel Neylan. Because of her big successes such as a silver medal at the road cycling world championship in 2012 and her participation at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, the 40-year-old Australian was keen to continue her career professionally despite her age. However, due to a higher risk of fractures or soft tissue injuries as an ageing athlete, Rachel decided to invest in preventive measures and support her body from within.
“In deciding to continue my career into my late 30s and having battled injury in the past, I needed to prioritise injury prevention by way of supporting muscle and tendon recovery. The tendon structure of older athlete’s changes and it essentially takes longer to recover from a workload,” she explains.
Two years ago, Rachel started supplementation with our Bioactive Collagen Peptides (BCP®) TENDOFORTE® and FORTIBONE®. Since then, her consistent overall workload – with no soft tissue injuries – has been the best in her entire career: “I think high-quality collagen supplementation is key for endurance athletes wanting to maintain a consistently high training load, especially in those who are older,” she says enthusiastically.
To understand why collagen supplementation is so vital – especially for athletes – it’s important to look at the relationship between so-called white tissue and muscles. The whole musculoskeletal system is connected and protected by a network of connective tissue, comprising muscle fascia, tendons, ligaments, cartilage, bone and skin. Collectively known as “white tissue”, this network is formed mainly by collagen. Yet most people don’t think about white tissue until it becomes stressed, strained and can end in long term injuries combined with chronic pain. This can lead to back pain, ankle sprains, or even damage to tendons and ligaments. Collagen is the main component of white tissue, and supplementation with Bioactive Collagen Peptides (BCP®) addresses the specific needs of the white tissues that play a vital role during physical activity, giving structure to the whole body and supporting mobility.
“I’m not done yet,” adds Rachel. “This year, I attended several competitions, including the Tour de France and the Road Cycle World Championship 2022. And who knows what challenges will await me in the future?”
With our Bioactive Collagen Peptides (BCP®), we provide optimal ingredient options for manufacturers who want to capitalise on the sports nutrition market, and create product concepts with real benefits for both athletes and active consumers. Want do find out more about our range of Bioactive Collagen Peptides (BCP®)? Then please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
