‘How do cyclists pee whilst racing the Giro d'Italia?’ – you asked Google and we’ve got the answer

Professional riders competing in the Giro d'Italia face stages over 200km in length, and will be on their bikes for anything between four or six hours each day. While stage races like the Giro and the Tour de France are usually run off in hot conditions where riders will sweat a lot, they all know the importance of staying properly hydrated. So it’s therefore no surprise that when taking in all those essential fluids, the pros have to urinate during a race. They have to do this without falling off, getting dropped from the peloton, or ruining their team’s tactics.

This might seem like a trivial topic, but Google's auto-complete search function gives live tracking of what questions people are asking. One thing it tells us is that they do actually want to know 'how do cyclists pee?', 'when do cyclists pee [at the] Tour de France?’ and if ‘Tour de France riders pee their pants?’ So here is the answer.

With so much time in the saddle, it's not surprising that riders have to urinate during a race. It's such common practice that there is even a UCI rule regarding it. Rule 2.12.006, 8.6 states a rider will be fined for: Unseemly or inappropriate behaviour (in particular undressing or urinating in public at the start or finish or during the race) and damage the image of the sport.

If caught, the fines range from 50 to 200 Swiss Francs, which will be given to a rider, or to their team if the rider can't be identified. But the UCI also knows that when nature calls, it has to be answered. The unwritten rule is that when riders do pee they must do so outside of a town or city limits, essentially where there are fewer spectators. This can be particularly difficult at a race like the Tour de France where the route can be lined with fans almost from start to finish.

So how do the riders pee during a bike race where they ride in a tightly packed peloton and speeds can reach 100km an hour?

Well, the answer is that there are a variety of options available.

Stop and pee at the side of the road

This tactic is only used early during a race. In pro racing the pace often drops once the break has established itself up the road. Once the break has a time gap they and the bunch behind are happy with, both the break and the peloton will slow to a more manageable speed for an hour or two (depending on the length of the race) before the peloton, lead by the teams who are aiming for the win that day, speeds up later in the race.

When this happens riders will pull over to the side of the road - where there are no, or very few fans - and relieve themselves by leaning forward and pulling down the waist of their bib shorts. Lycra is very stretchy, after all. It's not uncommon to see 20-30 riders doing this at the side of the road, and the TV camera men know to point their cameras in a different direction.

Female riders find it a little harder with bib straps and will often look for a more secluded spot, with some trees or bushes to hide behind.

The peloton will also organise itself, selecting a 'nature break' slot during which the riders will collectively pee; at a Grand Tour, tradition dictates that the GC leader determines when this will be. Anyone that keeps rolling is bound by unwritten law not to attack during this time.

Of course, like all unwritten rules, this has been conveniently overlooked - most notably on stage 16 of the Giro d'Italia 2017 when Tom Dumoulin (Team Sunweb) stopped for a little bit more than a wee. Although as this was an emergency stop, other riders wouldn't have known about it and so continued with the race.

By stopping in groups, riders know they will not get fined, and have wheels to sit behind and get back to the peloton. Stopping on their own, or when the peloton is still travelling at a good speed is more risky.

At this time it's common practice for the cross-legged individual to make their way to the front of the peloton before pulling over and stopping, to give themselves the longest possible window during which to empty their bladder.

Should the rider take their time and be passed by the peloton, they still have the team cars to draft their way back to the bunch.

Peter Sagan told Het Nieuwsblad a few years ago that there was a behaviour change within the peloton, with young riders actively choosing to ignore the unwritten rules in races, creating "total anarchy" as a result.

"I first noticed it when as a leader in a stage race I stopped to pee. They kept on attacking, while that used to be a moment of rest in the peloton.

“The bathroom break just doesn't exist anymore. I saw it again in the Haut Var. You used to have the fixed time to stop to pee together.”

So, how are they doing it now? Well…

Pee while you ride

If the pace of the race is high, or it's in the latter half of the stage and there’s no collective ‘nature break’ in sight, some riders will call on their teammates to give them a hand while they relieve themselves while riding.

Reputable UK news source The Sun (please apply pinch of salt) was most shocked when a fan sent in a picture of Madison Genesis rider Taylor Gunman "pulling out his willy to wee" whilst riding in the Tour of Britain.

Riders typically do this on longer sections of road with no corners and with a slight downhill. At this point, they move to the kerb, put their foot that's nearest to the kerb at the lowest point of the pedal stroke, pull their jersey up, the waist of their bib shorts down and lean as far to the side as possible. The aim is to avoid getting any on your leg or foot.

Some riders tend to look for a helping hand - with a team-mate pushing them from behind so they can keep up momentum whilst pedalling. And everyone knows to pay attention to which way the wind is blowing. Roadside fans meanwhile have to get out of the way. Fast.

“Now everyone is peeing from their bicycle,” Sagan shared with Het Nieuwsblad. “I then ask: Is that normal? I understand if you ride the final of say the Tour of Flanders or Paris-Roubaix. But at a dead-end in the race? You don't lose anything by stopping for a while. And they don't even bother going to the edge of the road.

"No names, but they just piss in the middle of the pack. Everyone pees on everyone. Disgusting. And if you say something about it, you are supposedly arrogant, because you can't decide what someone else should do."

Just get a bit wet 

The final option is simply keep quiet and let it happen. The only time riders do that is when they are already soaking wet from the rain and their shorts are going to get rinsed out further by more rain (then probably thrown out at the end of the stage). There's an added benefit if it's early season and very, very cold.

Choosing this option can be particularly effective in cold conditions; "In races that are soaking wet and freezing cold, I like to piss myself." Mark Cavendish said in an interview with GQ:

"It warms me up for a split second. You get warm and you don’t have to fuss around," he added.

How do female professional cyclists pee? 

Women's races are typically shorter than men's races, something former Olympic champion Jo Rowsell put down to the fact women can't urinate while riding. However, wemen's races are becoming longer, and with that, the need to take a nature break becomes more pertinent.

At the Vuelta Femenina in 2023 there was even controversy over a nature stop, as Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime) accused Movistar and Annemiek van Vleuten of attacking while she had to take a break, something she later described as a "shame".

Long races and stages do bring in some extra complications as the whole process of peeing takes a little bit longer for women. While it is possible for women to pee standing up when wearing bib shorts - it can be a messy process if it goes wrong, and frankly it's probably quicker just to squat and use the pull down design of women’s bib shorts.

Since women's races are often shorter, the female peloton tends to avoid nature breaks where possible. The average distance of the road stages last year for the men’s Tour de France is 173.4, whereas for the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift it’s just 130.4.

What to do if you need to pee on a long bike ride 

If out on your own it's easy to stop and go, once you found a suitable, quiet spot in the countryside. If you're on a group ride, talk to the other riders about stopping for a moment, or slowing down so you can quickly relieve yourself before getting back on your bike and catching up. Just be sure you know if there are any turns coming up.

Another option is to make sure to include a cafe stop along your route. Something which makes the whole thing a lot easier. And cleaner.

It’s also a lot easier for women these days too, thanks to the easy-pee access now built into many women’s bib shorts.