It is time to answer the plethora of questions you have sent me (ok just one). A big shout out to Tash for sending in this question as it allows me to tell one of my favourite stories. How do female cyclists/triathletes relieve themselves on the bike?
Hmm. . . .not something that comes up in everyday conversations!
Before I tell the story and even before I divulge the secrets to this rarely seen talent, we should address the issue of whether you need to go or not. Let's consider the different events:
Sprint: 750 m swim / 20 km bike / 5 km run In these events the bike can take anywhere from 40 - 80 minutes so I think the need to pee is slim.
Olympic: 1500 m swim / 40 km bike / 10 km run The total time for Olympics varies from 2 hours (yes, the super human!) to 4 hours. I think once you are active for more than 2 hours, you need to factor in the contingency for peeing.
Half-Iron: 2000 m swim / 90 km bike / 21 km run. Now we have arrived at the place where you are most likely have to deal with the uncomfortable reality of "going" on the bike.
In some ways, if you 'feel the need' on the bike during a race (or even in training) this can viewed as a positive thing since it means you are hydrated! My general rule is that you should be drinking one bottle per hour riding. When I have done this consistently, I had to pee only once during a race. The concept is that by drinking and exerting during competition, you will be using it up!
When I say competition, I can't help think about the Tour de France as those guys must have to stop to go since they are on the bike for 5 - 7 hours everyday. They call it "pause de nature", a nature break. Professional cyclists are a classy bunch as the peleton eases the pace when nature calls so typically you will see packs of backsides during the stages.
Now for the answer. . . . I can only, as always, share what I do and I learned how from another gal during a race. It was at Great White North many years ago and I had decided to use Nuun in my bottles for the first time. I committed to my coach that I would drink, drink, drink!!! I am sure I overdid it (sounds familiar for me) and by about 45 km through the bike portion I was ready to burst.
The simple solution is to stop, run for cover (or not) and go. That was not going to happen. . . . It is a race for goodness sake! First order of business, find a woman! Clearly, any advice from a guy would be useless. It was during this race that I realized that us women are few and far between because it took me a good 15 minutes to find one. I caught up to her and quickly asked "I need to pee like a race horse, any advice?". She empathized immediately (I love the sisterhood) and told me three things; 1. Move your bottom over to one side of either your saddle or top bar 2. RELAX and go. 3. Use water to rinse yourself and your bike.
Surprisingly, step 2 turned out to be the most difficult because most women are taught to clench 24/7. I hope that helps.
My angel on the bike did tell me one more thing before I successfully completed the task.
"Hey, get behind me before you pee."
Think about it!
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