Updated October 17, 2025 07:35AM
Team Lidl-Trek has got itself a salmon protein recovery supercharger that it promises isn’t fishy.
Unbroken – an effervescent amino acid tablet – partnered with the U.S. mega team this season with the promise of pressing fast-forward on rider recovery.
“Whey and soy protein powders are like crude oil. Unbroken is like jet fuel that gets straight into your system,” Unbroken co-founder Danielle Neben told Velo.
“The scientists who looked at this for us saw it as a new ‘super food.’”
What earns all the hype?
Unbroken’s USP is that it’s not just another gloopy protein shake.
Made with offcuts of food-industry Norwegian salmon, Unbroken uses natural enzymes to hydrolyze raw protein into prime aquatic aminos.
Unbroken’s amino acid tabs dissolve in water for a fast-digesting protein kick. The brand claims to provide the nine essential amino acids required for muscular repair, and a bunch more health-boosting bits, too.
Vitamins, minerals, and collagen tick all the biohackers’ boxes.
“Unbroken isn’t just about recovery; it’s about better wellness,” the brand says. “Feel less soreness, experience greater endurance, and just feel fresh. Fuel your body to support your performance and recovery.”
It’s long been proven that taking protein soon after a workout prevents muscular breakdown and stimulates growth.
Unbroken claims to accelerate the post-workout protein protocol.
It cuts out the digestive delay that follows a post-ride serving of eggs or shaker of whey by having fish do the work for you.
“Amino acids are the building blocks for your muscles. But if you take a protein powder like whey, it’s very hard for your body to break down into the aminos you need for muscle synthesis – especially when the body’s under pressure,” Neben said.
“Unbroken cuts that process. It requires almost no digestion.”
The hunt for a half percent
Lidl-Trek men’s and women’s teams partnered Unbroken this season and spared the brand some space on its jersey. (Photo: Gruber Images)
Unbroken’s claim to enhance recovery means it could be a major gain in what’s becoming a marginal sport.
WorldTour performance departments employ data engineers, psychologists, biomechanists, and every other sport scientist within budget to find even a fractional gain.
In theory, Unbroken is more than a quarter-percenter.
The supplement would maximise potential during stage races and grand tours, and enhance training availability elsewhere.
That’s why Lidl-Trek men’s and women’s teams, and the Trek Factory Racing MTB squad, have all saddled up with Unbroken.
Mads Pedersen, Elisa Balsamo, Quinn Simmons, and Evie Richards are swilling on a pipeline of the stuff, and the brand logo features on team jerseys. The alliance between Trek and Unbroken extends to the tablet being stocked in the bike behemoth‘s stores.
It’s also worth noting Unbroken is certified by Informed Sport, meaning it’s batch-tested for all WADA-banned substances.
Lidl-Trek: ‘Every detail that facilitates absorption can make the difference’
High carb fueling puts the gut under digestive pressure. (Photo: Gruber Images)
Lidl-Trek’s head of performance Josu Larrazabal believes cycling’s high-carb era has carved a niche for Unbroken.
The easy-drink, pre-digested tabs are light work for a post-performance gut that’s been blasted with carbs, bicarb, and caffeine.
“We’re really bringing the system to the limit,” Larrazabal said. “That’s why small improvements, like making protein easy to take in, matter more than ever. They keep the riders performing at the very edge.
“Every single detail that facilitates absorption can make the difference,” he said.
Lidl-Trek nutritionist Stephanie Scheirlynck explained Unbroken is now a part of the picnic of cherry juice, candies, and cola that her riders quaff at the finish line.
“When a rider finishes a race, there’s always some time before they go back to the buses and properly start their recovery with a shake and a meal. There are interviews, they’re waiting for teammates, whatever,” Scheirlynck told Velo. “But that’s almost the key period for the body to start repair.
“For us, this [Unbroken] is an important addition to our current protocol that fills that gap.”
Unbroken also claims its high bioavailability allows it to also be drunk during activity for what it calls “real-time recovery.”
Unbroken: A fishy fad or the recovery future?
The brand claims Unbroken reduces the digestive load and provides fast-acting amino acids. (Photo: Courtesy Lidl-Trek )
The world of sports nutrition is already bloated with products that are BS, at best.
Is Unbroken just another fishy fraud?
In theory, no. The concept makes a lot of sense.
Using natural enzymes to break down salmon protein saves your stomach work. Further to that, Unbroken includes a full amino profile that’s not available in all recovery products.
Unbroken co-founder Neben told Velo the tabs are a superhighway to muscle synthesis.
Not everyone is so convinced.
Velo asked around the nutrition gurus of the pro peloton, and one staffer, who asked not to be named, was scathing.
“It looks a nonsense to me,” they said. “We’ve had BCAA [Branch Chain Amino Acid – ed] supplements around for years. If an athlete is eating enough protein in their diet, which in my experience most do, I don’t see any rationale for this product.”
Indeed, at the time of writing, The Feed’s U.S. website stocks more than 20 amino or BCAA-specific tabs or powders.
Putting Unbroken to the test
Unbroken sells online and in Trek stores. (Photo: Unbroken )
So is Lidl-Trek’s new partner selling marketing make-believe? Or do salmon protein tablets provide a potent fast-forward for recovery?
My experience with Unbroken was somewhere between inconclusive and promising.
The taste:
First – the taste. Any product derived from fish has a flavor test to pass.
Unbroken sells in four flavors: apple, lemon and lime, mango, and orange.
I tried the apple and mango flavors, and thankfully, they didn’t taste like a fruity side of salmon.
But to be clear, they did taste a little … “marine.” The fruit comes through the strongest, but there are definitely notes of oily fish.
For the first few doses, that was something I endured rather than enjoyed. But once my palette adapted, it was nothing terrible.
Also, Unbroken has a light and relatively refreshing mouthfeel that’s more similar to an electrolyte mix than a chalky protein shake.
Once accustomed to the taste, drinking Unbroken was no big deal.
The recovery(?):
Is Unbroken’s fishy twang worth learning to love?
Does it put you on the fast track to recovery?
Unbroken recommends taking two tabs on days of regular training, or three tabs for the most grueling days. The suggested dose increases to four tablets on days of competition or deep recovery.
I tested Unbroken over three weeks of training, split across running, indoor trainer, and lifting. Some days I’d take two tabs – one before and one after working out – some days I’d take a third in the evening.
Other variables like daily nutrition, sleep, and total training volume didn’t change.
There were some days after dosing with Unbroken that I was spared the dreaded DOMs, and the legs felt lighter than expected.
Other days, I felt just as bang-average as normal.
Claiming Unbroken was the source of the “good” days would be fishy.
But who knows? It might have made the difference. As I concluded in my experiment with broccoli drink Nomio, there’s no way to be conclusive with such a “marginal” intervention.
All that said, the science behind Unbroken is strong, and it’s no huge chore to guzzle some slightly funky-tasting fluid.
The cost-benefit conundrum
Unbroken is easy to drink and doesn’t taste terrible – but it ain’t free, either. (Photo: Gruber Images)
Velo asked Lidl-Trek nutritionist Scheirlynck if Unbroken was all hype, and she explained that “we’re doing everything available to maximize recovery.”
And that’s a fair point.
But sadly, unlike Trek athletes, we’re not all getting Unbroken for free.
The product is sold online and in Trek stores at $18 USD for a tube of 10. That works out at $3.60 for a two-dose day, $5.40 for a three-dose day.
Sure, that’s not stupid money – not much more than a couple of gels, and less than an inner tube (if you’re old school) per day. But it’s another optional outlay in an already costly sport.
So should you buy Unbroken?
Depends on your level of commitment and your coffers, I guess.