Staying healthy like the pros: how immune support has become a performance tool in WorldTour cycling

A minor infection picked up in an airport lounge. A disrupted immune system after repeated hard training days. Two or three nights of broken sleep when the season is finally beginning to sharpen. In a sport where form is built patiently over months, these small interruptions have outsized consequences.

That reality is not reserved for the peloton’s upper tier. Any rider training with real intent knows the pattern. You build, you stack load, you start to feel the numbers rise, and then a cold arrives and steals a week you cannot afford. The fundamentals do not change whether you are chasing a regional podium or working towards a Gran Fondo. Sustained load can suppress immune function, and illness can unravel carefully planned adaptation.

It is why immune health has become an increasingly managed part of modern performance programmes. And it is why the approach developed at WorldTour level is increasingly relevant for ambitious amateurs.

WorldTour riders operate under sustained physiological stress. Training volumes are high, intensity is carefully layered, and recovery windows are often compressed by racing and travel.

Sports science describes the "open window effect", a temporary dip in immune function after intense or prolonged exercise. For pros, that window opens again and again. Add constant flights, shared accommodation and variable climates, and the risk compounds quickly.

Inside teams, it is not framed as bad luck. It is treated as a predictable stressor that needs to be managed.

In modern performance departments, immune support sits alongside fuelling, hydration and recovery. The focus is not on reacting to illness, but on reducing risk during known pressure points: early season training camps, altitude blocks, heavy racing sequences and periods of accumulated fatigue.

MNSTRY works within this environment, collaborating with teams including Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, Unibet Rose Rockets, CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto and Fenix-Premier Tech. This work across four teams operating at the pinnacle of the sport has reinforced a core principle: immune support belongs in the same conversation as fuelling strategy and recovery protocols.

The philosophy is straightforward. Sustainable performance requires a healthy athlete, not just a strong one.

MNSTRY’s brand new IMMUNE STICK was developed to address a specific need observed at elite level: supporting the immune system during high load phases without adding unnecessary complexity.

It isn't a catch-all wellness supplement loaded with unnecessary ingredients. It's a targeted formulation built around three evidence-based components, dosed appropriately and delivered efficiently. Each stick contains zinc, elderberry extract and natural vitamin C. No proprietary blends. No marketing theatre.

The simplicity reflects MNSTRY's broader product philosophy: functional, science-led nutrition without unnecessary complexity and a reliance on natural ingredients. In professional environments, consistency matters more than novelty.

IMMUNE STICK uses zinc gluconate, designed to act locally through the oral mucosa as the stick dissolves in the mouth. Research suggests that zinc supplementation can reduce the duration and severity of common colds when taken early - the difference between adaptation and disruption at WorldTour level.

The elderberry component uses ElderCraft® extract, standardised for anthocyanins and rich in polyphenols with antiviral, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Clinical studies indicate that elderberry supplementation can reduce the duration of flu-like symptoms. The extract is produced using Iprona Polyphenol Technology®, which avoids heat and chemical solvents to preserve bioactivity.

Like all MNSTRY products, IMMUNE STICK is Informed Sport batch-tested, meeting the contamination standards required by professional teams and serious athletes who can't afford supplement-related risks.

The immune pressures facing professionals are not exclusive to the WorldTour. Any cyclist following a structured programme experiences the same load-recovery-stress cycles, particularly during winter base building, early season racing, and multi-day events.

IMMUNE STICK was designed to fit into these phases without adding complexity. One stick daily during high-risk windows - training camps, hard racing blocks, periods of accumulated fatigue. The product is consumed directly without need for extra water, bidons or shakers, and the focused formulation doesn't interfere with other nutrition protocols.

For cyclists who manage their fueling, track their training load and take recovery seriously, immune support is the logical next step in systematic preparation.

The difference between professionals and ambitious amateurs isn't biology - it's structure. Professional teams manage immune health systematically because they can't afford reactive approaches. Most amateurs do the opposite: they address illness after it disrupts training, rather than reducing risk before it appears.

Adopting the preventative mindset means thinking like a performance team: identify high-risk windows, support resilience during those phases, and protect the training adaptation you've worked months to build.

One of the clearest lessons from WorldTour cycling is that staying healthy is not separate from training. It is part of it. For riders who approach training systematically - who plan their seasons, periodise their load and treat nutrition as a performance variable - immune health isn't an afterthought. It's fundamental.

IMMUNE STICK brings the same systematic thinking used by WorldTour teams to anyone serious about protecting their performance. 

To understand more about the formulation and how it fits into a structured nutrition approach, visit https://mnstry.com/products/immune-stick.