It’s a question that crops up more than you might expect: how do Tour de France riders pee while racing? With stages regularly stretching well beyond 150km and fluid intake absolutely critical, there comes a point when nature simply calls. But unlike amateur rides, there’s no café stop and certainly no time to waste. So how do they manage it?
Peeing at the roadside
Traditionally, the peloton would agree on a nature break – often dictated by the race leader or a senior rider – where most of the bunch would stop at once to relieve themselves. This cooperative truce allowed the bunch to regroup and avoid disruption, as long as no one broke the unwritten rule by attacking.
This old-school etiquette has eroded in recent years. Riders like Peter Sagan have publicly lamented the breakdown of this informal protocol. “The bathroom break just doesn’t exist anymore,” he told Het Nieuwsblad. “You used to have the fixed time to stop to pee together.”
Nonetheless, it’s still common for individual riders to stop when the pace eases. They often ride up to the front of the bunch first, stop quickly at the roadside, and then draft behind the team cars to regain contact.
But if the whole bunch decides to stop? That’s increasingly rare, and risky. Just ask Demi Vollering, who in 2023 accused Annemiek van Vleuten of attacking her during a nature break at the Vuelta Femenina – reigniting the debate over what is and isn’t fair when the race pauses for a wee. In that situation, stopping for a natural break just moments before the obvious echelon chance of the day was a poor decision.
Peeing on the move
As racing has become faster and more aggressive, stopping altogether can be a luxury. That’s why some riders choose to relieve themselves while riding. It’s not elegant, but it is efficient. In these cases, teammates often give the peeing rider a push from behind to maintain speed and balance.
It’s no longer considered especially shocking, even if The Sun once gasped at an image of Taylor Gunman relieving himself during the Tour of Britain. The reality is that many riders will now simply do it mid-ride, particularly during high-speed stages or while descending.
According to Sagan, the problem is that many don’t bother to move to the side of the road anymore. “Everyone pees on everyone. Disgusting,” he said. “And if you say something about it, you are supposedly arrogant.”
Just letting go
In particularly cold and wet conditions, there’s even less incentive to make things neat and tidy. As Mark Cavendish once told GQ: “In races that are soaking wet and freezing cold, I like to piss myself. It warms me up for a split second.”
That grim little boost may not be pleasant, but it’s another example of how the demands of racing trump social niceties.
What about women?
Women’s races are growing longer and tougher, which has brought the same peeing problem to the fore. But unlike men, female riders generally require more time and privacy to take a nature break.
Modern women’s bib shorts with quick-release or pull-down designs have helped, but squatting off the side of the road remains the most practical option. Collective stops are rare due to shorter stage lengths – for context, the average women’s Tour de France Femmes stage is 130.4km compared to 173.4km for the men.
The UAE Tour Women has put special zones with portaloos for the riders mid-stage. Whilst introduced due to the decency laws of that country, there’s actually a nugget of common sense in providing such a spot at a quiet point of the race. The difficulty is identifying where that might be pre-race.
What can amateurs learn?
For everyday riders, the takeaway is simple: plan your ride with options. Agree with your group when to stop, aim for café or toilet-friendly routes, and communicate if you need to duck behind a hedge. And yes, women now have more clothing options that make roadside relief less of a hassle.
In the pro peloton, though, there’s no single rule. Whether it’s a full bunch stop, a teammate-aided rolling wee, or simply going in the bibs, it all depends on the race situation – and increasingly, a willingness to throw etiquette out the window.
