What is taken for granted in everyday life suddenly becomes a breach of the rules in professional cycling: a rider stops briefly at the Giro d'Italia Women to take a pee break and has to accept a penalty. What is soberly seen as a breach of the rules raises a fundamental question on closer inspection: How far is a federation like the UCI allowed to go when it comes to controlling such basic human needs?
Sanctioning for women and men
The latest case at the Giro d'Italia Women has reignited this debate. Riders were penalised for taking a pee break during the race, a process that has been part of everyday life in cycling for decades. After all, stages often last several hours, fluid intake is high and physiological processes cannot simply be postponed until the finish line. The fact that the UCI still reacts with penalties here points to a tension between professionalism, public image and the real demands of the body.
This problem is not new in men's cycling either. At the men's Giro d'Italia, a similar interpretation of the rules has already led to curious excesses. In order to avoid penalties, riders resorted to improvised solutions, such as using a drinking bottle for a different purpose. A scene that quickly became a topic of conversation, but at the same time revealed a structural problem: When rules ignore the natural course of a race, workaround strategies inevitably emerge.
The arguments of the UCI
The UCI's reasoning is quite understandable, at least at first glance. It's about the image of the sport, hygiene, consideration for spectators and TV images. Cycling has long seen itself as a globally marketed product, with every scene potentially becoming part of the public perception. In times of social media, live broadcasts and uncompromising transparency, the aim is to avoid unsavoury images and protect fans on the sidelines from such scenes.
However, this is where the real debate of principle begins. Because the question is not only whether such rules are justifiable, but whether they are practicable and, above all, proportionate. The human body does not function according to rules. Especially in endurance sports, where hydration is essential, urinating is an inevitable part of it. If you drink a lot, you have to urinate at some point. Banning or penalising this process either forces athletes to work against their own physical needs or to find creative, sometimes undignified solutions.
Unequal conditions
There is also an aspect that is even more important in women's cycling. While men in the peloton often rely on a certain routine and unwritten rules that have evolved over time, such as collective pee breaks during a calm race, such structures are less established or more difficult to implement in the women's peloton. Peeing while riding is also out of the question for the professional women, who inevitably have to stop at the side of the track. A blanket rule therefore does not necessarily apply to comparable conditions.
From a sports physiology perspective, the discussion becomes even clearer. Anyone who deliberately restricts their fluid intake during a race in order to avoid possible penalties risks losing performance. Dehydration has a direct impact on endurance, concentration and regeneration, all of which are crucial factors in stage races. A rule that indirectly leads to poorer pacing or insufficient hydration is therefore contrary to the idea of fair sporting competition.
Conclusion: Open dialogue
A comparison with other sports helps to categorise the problem: In many ball sports, interruptions are firmly scheduled. Breaks, half-time, short sequences of play with clear stops. Road cycling works in a fundamentally different way. It is an almost continuous endurance competition over hours, in which the load and racing situation are constantly shifting - and this is precisely what makes rigid solutions so difficult.
This raises the key question all the more sharply: should an international federation really try to control a basic human need by means of a set of rules, or would it be wiser to set practicable guard rails that stand up to the reality of racing? Clearly defined areas, a situation-dependent, comprehensible tolerance in the peloton or regulations that are more closely linked to safety and the course of the race would be conceivable. Instead of blanket sanctions, the UCI could de-taboo the handling of such moments without losing sight of the external impact. Because in the end, it's not just about penalties, but about the credibility of the sport. Cycling is so powerful precisely because it is authentic: close to the limit, uncompromising in its physical demands. If this reality is ignored in favour of a polished image, the sport will pay the price in the long term in terms of trust.
Leon Weidner
Working student
