Tour de France riders travel more than 100 kilometers (that’s more than 62 miles) at lightning fast speeds on most race days, climbing and descending massive mountains, and finishing their days with furious sprints. To spend all those hours in the saddle, they down a whole lot of water and sports drinks.
Mother Nature calls on all of us, and she doesn’t ignore riders. So, exactly, how do Tour de France riders pee? We got the intel.
The Tour de France King Even Rules Peeing
In the Tour and many other big races, the guy wearing the yellow jersey is king. If he has to go, he can call a bathroom break whenever he desires, Stephen Hall, professional track and criterium cyclist and a stage winner at the 2015 Tour of Thailand tells Bicycling. When that happens, all the riders take advantage of the break. The peloton will slow up a bit out of respect for the race leader, and he’ll pull over to the side of the road. Once his business is finished, he’ll work with his team or others to navigate back to pack.
If the pace is more leisurely, riders pull to the side of the road, pull their shorts down just like you would underwear and do their business, retired pro cyclist Ted King, who’s ridden the Tour de France several times, tells Bicycling. During a neutral roll out, King says there’s plenty of time to catch back on to the peloton before the race starts in earnest.
Once the pace picks up, riders still use this tactic to pee while racing. “It’s a lot easier to wait for a lull in the race when a big fraction of the peloton pulls to the side of the road rather than doing it solo because that solo chase is tough!” King adds.
Cyclists Sometimes Pee While Riding
Nature calling doesn’t mean riders even have to slow down. If there’s no break in sight, some riders will gather up teammates to give them a push while they relieve themselves from the bike. (Too much information? Maybe, but now you’ll know why riders sometimes look awkward when they’re coasting.) “If you’re peeing to the right, your right leg is in a 6 o’clock position, left at 12, left hand on the handlebars, right hand holds the shorts down, and you coast while relieving yourself,” King says.
Alternatively, riders will sprint off the front and get ahead of the peloton to take a break. That way, by the time they’re done, the field has caught up, and they’re ready to join back in.
Tour de France cyclists can always stop at the side of the road, but they need to make sure they’re out of view of spectators or they risk getting fined. That’s what happened to Belgian rider Johan Vansummeren, who was fined three different times for urinating in front of fans in 2010.
Plus, you’ll waste time and energy making up time through the team cars. “Generally speaking, you’re better off peeing down your leg than using too much energy flapping around in the convoy,” Hall says.
What to Do If You Need to Go
If you anticipate being in a race situation where you’ll need a bathroom break, Hall recommends practicing safe peeing during descents to avoid stage fright come race time. The same rule applies that you use for snot rockets: Make sure the coast is clear behind you.
By the way, don’t think not drinking is going to get you off the hook; if you try that, you’ll have to deal with a wealth of other issues related to dehydration.
Of course, on a training ride, there’s no need to pee on your bike. Just convince the group to slow down and wait for you while you dart behind a tree. Best case scenario: You route training rides with adequate bathroom stops along the way.
