Call of nature....

People always seem shocked to know that cyclists, in particular racing cyclists, take a pee whilst riding. There was once a pull-out poster in ‘Cycling weekly’ - a lovely colour spread of a Tour de France bunch riding easy and tightly packed together. It must have looked great when the designer picked it, but I’m guessing he was working with a transparency. Full size it was hard to miss the Yellow jersey wearer in the middle of the picture, taking a call of nature as a team mate pushed him along. His modesty, and probably the designers job, was preserved by the handy intervention of the centre staple.

Then there was an article in a magazine about how to piss on the move. I imagine it was aimed predominately at men. There as a list of bullet points, the second of which read, (and this is true)...  ‘Three ways to tell if you need to go’ followed by ‘ How to liberate the penis’. I tend to feel this was written by an American. It seems to me that if you need bullet point instructions on how to pee you’re probably not yet ready for unsupervised urination.

Getting back to the point - its not so much technique that puts men off the manoeuvre, its more the possibility of arrest, Some shy-bladdered riders will actually go to surprising lengths to avoid causing outrage. Seeking out isolated fence posts or hidden gates, often travelling miles along deserted back roads in their search. But for the racer there is nowhere to hide - a quick rummage in the lycra, lean to one side, let it all hang out and get it done. It’s a scene you won’t see on the TV coverage though.