TdF and the call of nature

[RoadRaven]

Yup, the guys stop and pee on the side of the road when they can... Dunno about pro-women.

However, some drop to the back of the peloton and lift the side of their shorts and pee as they ride (my partner tells me this is not limited to Tour riders... apparently that can happen in the longer races he has been in too! When they are racing 120kms or more and averaging 35-40km over hills, you can't afford to stop and pee because you will never regain the ground you lose).

I have heard via local cyclists that have ridden overseas in semi-pro /pro teams that in the event of #2 a cap (you know, baseball cap) may be shoved down the back of the pants, the deed done and scooped out of the shorts and tossed! *Rave shudders* I'd hate to be the one to find THAT souvenier!

I have peed in my shorts once... that was a freezing day, rain pouring down. I had bibs on, there was no way I was going to strip right off, and I didn't want to stop and lose what little warmth my body still had. So it is possible to pee in the saddle (obviously, being a girl, lifting the side of my shorts would have been pointless).

However, if it had not been raining, I think I probably would have stopped despite the cold. The rain gave me the psychological "ok" to do it... it would wash me, my bike, my clothes clean. I had half an hour to travel - thats a long wash in a cold shower.