OTE Sports Nutrition, Trek Factory Racing XC’s new nutrition sponsor, is the definition of small but mighty. The company has grown steadily over the last 10 years on the basis of using all natural ingredients, and thoughtfully working with sports nutritionists to create new products that meet the demands of modern athletes. But for all that OTE (which stands for “On The Edge”) has accomplished, the company consists of just eight people.
“We’re just not one of these huge sports nutrition brands with big investment behind us. We’re simply people doing what we love,” says Annie Simpson, OTE’s head of marketing. “Everyone in this company is sports crazy. We’re all cyclists, runners, triathletes. We are using our products. We’re living and breathing it, day in and day out. We help the development, we work with sports nutritionists, and we’re also using it when we’re all competing. So it’s an ingrained passion in the company that we’ve got all these products that we enjoy, but that do the job as well.”
OTE will support TFR XC with a wide range of products, from bars, to drinks, to gels, and more. Being a small company allows OTE to be nimble and responsive to anything that the riders need. For example, OTE also partners with British Triathlon, and they were able to formulate an energy drink mix with a high consistency of electrolytes to help those triathletes combat the harsh humidity and heat at the Tokyo Olympics.
TFR XC and OTE will work together to develop new products that fit the team’s specific needs, but the company already has a wide variety of nutrition options that address the high-intensity demands of cross country mountain biking. Simpson says that OTE’s Super Range of products, specifically their Super Carbs and Super Gels, are particularly suited for XC racing. Super Carbs is an energy drink mix that contains 80 grams of carbohydrates in one 500 ml bottle. Super Gels contain 40 grams of carbohydrates in each sachet. Both help athletes refuel quickly when they need it most.
“When you’re racing and the pressure’s on, there’s not much time to fuel but it is still important. So what can we do to make it as easy as possible for them to be able to take on exactly what they need?” Simpson says. “We’re working with athletes to find those holes, because every sport has different ones.”
As a company, OTE doesn’t have just pro athletes in mind. They’re mindful of using high quality ingredients so that all of their products are easy on the stomach. And they strive to carefully inform customers about their products, not just simply market and sell to them as much as possible.
That approach may in part explain why the company has grown somewhat gradually over the years. But in the process, OTE earned a reputation for being trustworthy and reliable. Customer loyalty is of utmost importance to them.
“Because we are so small, we’re quite personable,” Simpson says. “We’re not about telling people to take hundreds of gels. There’s a time and place for sports nutrition, and we’re really keen to educate around sports nutrition in general. Yes, we want to sell a product, but we also want people to use them at the right time, and we want them to understand sports nutrition in general and nutrition for health. We feel like we have a duty to help people be educated in what they’re eating and drinking around sport.”
Look out for OTE products under the TFR XC tent at World Cup races, and in their bottle cages on course. Head to Trek Race Shop for all the team updates.
Use the discount code TFR-XC-OTE at our checkout and save 20% on your order through to Sunday, May 28 at 11:59 p.m. BST.