"Tired of being tired?" is the ubiquitous teaser on nearly all of the cycling Web sites. The product: FRS. The guy pimping the stuff: Lance Armstrong.
Now, when The Man says he uses this stuff for fuel, well, it tends to get you focused fast. Especially when, just last month, a lengthy feature "Best Energy Supplement Ever?" in Men's Journal basically says, Yep, FRS works, it's the real deal. Studies cited, the piece says, show that the stuff is SO good that "it is bound to be banned."
Wow. The magic performance bullet we all habitually lust after.
Always willing to sacrifice both my funds and my body in the interests of my fellow Velo-ites, I went and ordered me up some, right from the FRS Web site: 2 sacks of the chews, 2 bottles of the low sugar concentrate that you mix 1:3 with cold water. 
So, how'd it all work out for me? Well . . .
. . . Hey . . . first off, we need to get you all informed and up to speed on just what we're talking about here.
WHAT IS FRS? Mainly a goodly dose (250 mg) of a heretofore obscure flavonoid (plant-based) antioxidant called quercetin supplemented with a modest hit of caffeine (for better absorption, they say), and 100% RDA of vitamins C, E, B6 and B12. What FRS is definitely NOT is a conventional death bomb energy drink such as Red Bull, Rockstar or Monster, which are nothing more than megadoses of caffeine and sugar which pass rapidly through the stomach wall and deliver ugly side effects, like yo-yoing energy levels and belly fat.
THE COMPANY'S CLAIMS. FRS contends that quercetin offers sustained energy as well as the usual antioxidant benefits. There are other quercetin products out there they admit, but none that contain the levels that FRS has. A single 500-milligram dose delivers the quercetin of 60 apples via a fairly new concentrate called QU99.5, a nearly pure form of quercetin extracted from South American bushes. Though exactly HOW the their QU99.5 actually delivers energy (since a dose contains almost no calories) is still "undetermined".
HOW MUCH DO YOU TAKE AND HOW DO YOU TAKE IT? Recommended dosage is 500-650 mg taken in 2 doses, one 30-40 minutes before you ride (or run), another mid-to-late afternoon. The easiest and most portable are the individually-wrapped chews that come in 2 flavors: blueberry-pomegranate and peach mango. I started out with the blueberry-pomegranate and found them sugary-more-than fruity and on the slightly too-sweet side. That, and they leave your tongue and saliva stained a bright arterial red for like a half hour, giving your mouth the appearance of that of a vampire who just exited the All You Can Drink Hemoglobin Buffet. The peach-mango are much tastier, fruity, much like a Starburst. I bought both bottles of the concentrate in peach-mango and have to say that it's quite tasty, reminding me of a watery peach nectar.
IS AN ANTIOXIDANT REALLY AN 'ENERGY BOOSTER'? Well, that's not the conventional take. Antioxidants, as you all know, are substances that protect against cell damage through microscopic seek-and-destroy sorties against free radicals. Hence, the acronym FRS stands for Free Radical Scavenger — a reminder that the product was originally developed in 2004 as an antioxidant, not an energy drink. It was only later that FRS became a cult product among elite cyclists for the perceived energy boost it gives. According to the company, Lance signed on as 
an FRS spokesman after calling to score some sample product. So, color me Doubtful.
ANECDOTAL AFFIRMATION. The author of the Men's Journal story writes this: "On my first trial, I was worn out from a bout with the seasonal flu and had a ski trip coming up in a week. I figured the daily dose of vitamin C and antioxidants couldn’t hurt. With nobody to guide me on how much to take, I drank a big glass every morning for eight days. . . For six hours after each glass, I was sharp and productive at my desk. A week later I skied pretty well considering I’d been knocked on my ass for two-plus weeks. FRS, in my opinion, helped mitigate the energy-depleting flu — but I needed to do some more research to find out if my results were too good to be true, and to make sure these sustained jolts of energy were being driven by a healthy supplement."
In other words, his FRS hits SEEMED to provide an energy upgrade. But, he says, he still won't say Yeah, It Works until he checks out some actual, you know, RESEARCH. Okay. Fair enough.
ONE TEST, ONE HYPOTHESIS. A recent study at the University of South Carolina conducted by Mark Davis (now an FRS adviser, though he was not when he did this study) has shown that quercetin increases mitochondrial density in laboratory mice. “Mighty chondria,” as you may recall from freshman biology, are the power producers of the cells. As such, they convert glycogen — stored cellular energy — into actual energy. We’re all born with mitochondria (we inherit them from our mothers), but it’s what you do with them that matters. Although every two-bit trainer and coach knows that to improve performance you must build greater densities of bigger and better mitochondria, there isn’t much in the exercise physiology literature about these little suckers. “It is generally assumed that a greater density of mitochondria is associated with improved endurance performance,” says Joe Friel, author of The Cyclist’s Training Bible and one of the most respected endurance coaches in the business. “But there is little research on human subjects that confirms that. One thing research has shown is that high-intensity training produces a greater quality of mitochondria.” Since high doses of quercetin appear to mimic that dynamic, supplementing with FRS could be a shortcut to fitness and more-efficient energy production. Oh, if ONLY this were true!!
SORRY TO BE A SKEPTIC, BUT I JUST CAN'T BOARD THIS TRAIN. The Men's Journal reporter writes this later in the story: ". . . Deadlines and family life conspired to keep me off my bike early in the season. But (thanks to daily 650 mg hits of FRS) I felt remarkably energized when I did get out. I don’t know if I was faster, but I felt surprisingly good given my lack of conditioning. Normally I get dropped a few hours into early-season bike rides when I’m still 10 pounds heavy from the winter, but on FRS I was able to hang comfortably with the pack. My endurance was better than it should have been." Hmmmmm.
But wait. It gets even better.
"My experiences," he adds, "are more than confirmed by a recent study Davis performed with 12 human subjects. After seven days of treatment with 1,000 milligrams of quercetin a day, endurance on a bike increased by 13.2 percent and VO2 — an individual’s capacity to store and use oxygen — increased by 3.9 percent compared with the same group on a placebo. Those are staggering numbers, and I’m certain I didn’t experience anything like them."
Good god. A THIRTEEN PERCENT INCREASE IN ENDURANCE from an . . . an antioxidant????? Impossible. Hell, it takes a lot of hard and intelligent training to boost endurance by even a few tenths. So 13% from some supplement? No. Freaking. Way. But I was still waiting for UPS to deliver my own FRS stash. So . . . could it be true? Most likely not. My thinking was pretty much in line with Joe Friel's: “That’s an amazing increase in such a short period of time,” says Friel. “No athlete could ever hope to see that sort of fitness change from training only. That makes it more effective than any doping substance I’ve ever read about. So I’m skeptical.”
Moi, too.
OKAY, HERE WE GO. THE RENNIE TRIAL. Got my FRS about 3 weeks ago. Started taking 1 chew half an hour before my rides (making sure to wipe the blood-red spittle from the corners of my mouth prior to rolling up to the group), and a concentrate-based drink mid-afternoon. Every day so far. Have I gotten stronger and faster on the bike? I . . . don't think so. Over the first week, I THINK I felt stronger LONGER INTO THE RIDE, especially on my Wednesday ride which is generally the longest and hardest of the week. But I could have just been on a good legs week for whatever reasons. I HAVE ridden stronger more consistently of late it (again) SEEMS. But this, too, is subjective and any frs effects impossible to isolate from a dozen other variables. I've even taken 3, and occasionally 4, doses for a few days to see if simple quantity made any difference. So far, no. One thing: I have gone without my usual afternoon nap a LOT more often than usual, feeling more awake/alert in the afternoons (don't laugh, young 'uns. You, too, will be there one day). In the final analysis, I've experienced maybe some minor on bike performance gains, but sure as hell nothing remotely close to a 13% boost. And another thing: this stuff isn't cheap: My order was $40 plus shipping, half off the usual cost. If you want to try FRS yourself, add whatever you want to your online shopping cart, but don't place the order. Instead, wait about a week, It took about this long to get an email from Customer Service, something to this effect: "We noticed that you initiated an order of our product, but have not as yet placed your order. We'd like to offer you a 50% discount on your items . . . etc." and they provided a checkout code.
Now, I still have a few weeks to go, so we'll see what happens from here in. But I'm not expecting much. You know the old maxim: If it sounds too good to be true . . .
But just in case, I'm taking 500 mg before tomorrow's (Wed.) ride, and gulping down 3 or 4 daily doses the rest of the way, nonstop, until my supply runs out. This should take about 2 weeks.
So, will I morph into some geriatric Alejandro Valverde. Or remain the same tired old semi POS?
I'll update you all next month.