UnTapped co-founder, Ted King’s first career was that of a professional cyclist. Living and racing all throughout Europe on cycling’s biggest stage, from the the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France to the hallowed spring classics, Ted served as a loyal domestique to some of the sport’s biggest names like Sagan, Basso, Nibali, Hushovd, and Sastre.

Europe, of course, is a painfully long way from the home of maple syrup production, back in New England. There was an unexpected solution to that.

“Being the sole New Englander on the World Tour, I would step off the team bus before races and literally be handed bottles of maple syrup.”

Taking to social media to thank the generous gift giving, Ted’s fondness for the liquid gold only build the the snowball effect. “Pints, quarts, you name it! It’s incredible how generous fans are.”

Ted became known as the bike racer with an uncanny love for maple syrup, the Chief Maple Syrup Proselytizer on the World Tour.

The wheels were turning. Ted would take nips of syrup before and after training rides. Thinking about the thousands of energy gels he had consumed throughout his career, with some quick investigating, Ted found that maple syrup is loaded with amino acids, antioxidants, and electrolytes that are the benchmarks for sports nutrition energy gels. The macro-nutrients in maple syrup made it the perfect fuel choice for bike racing, all endurance sports, and quite frankly any outing.

Going from the idea of maple syrup as single serve sports nutrition to a tangible product in-hand proved easier said than done. Ted would scour farmer’s markets in the off season when back home in New England, asking time and again if maple syrup farmers would be willing to put their maple syrup into individual packets. Time and again, he was met with confused stares.

Find out how the trifecta became complete at UnTapped, here.