'Pure marketing' - Jumbo-Visma's bicarb use a storm in a teacup

Tiesj Benoot and Primoz Roglic lead way for Jumbo-Visma at Tirreno-Adriatico on stage 3

With Jumbo-Visma dominating the Classics, one word on lots of lips in Belgium this week is 'bicarb'. Could the secret behind the Dutch team's staggering spring success lie in a small heap of humble baking soda?

Probably not, as a host of riders and team bosses have poured cold water on any notion that a new marginal gain is having a revolutionary impact out on the road.