"It is a trendsetter": looking for those responsible for the urine containers

The surreal warning that the Giro d'Italia issued to the peloton to prohibit riders from urinating in the bottles and then throwing them onto the road already has a highlighted protagonist within the group. And there is one name that is repeated the most.

There is already a "culprit" for the urine bottles of the Giro, and the peloton points to one cyclist: "He is a trendsetter"

After the Giro organization and the college of commissioners officially reminded that it is "strictly prohibited" to use the bottles as improvised urinals, the issue has become one of the most discussed topics within the peloton. Now several riders have explained how this practice originated and who might have been one of its pioneers.

According to Sporza, after speaking with several Belgian cyclists present at the Giro, many within the peloton associate this practice with Victor Campenaerts. Arjen Livyns stated that "I think I already know a bit who the inventor was. I believe Victor Campenaerts was one of the first I saw do it." The XDS Astana rider also explained the reason. "There are many places with spectators, and it's not always pleasant to start urinating in front of people. Victor solved it by opening the bottle and doing his business inside."

Dries Van Gestel himself also pointed to the Visma Lease a Bike rider when asked directly about Livyns' statements. "Yes... Victor is a trendsetter," he replied with laughter.

The problem of bottles ending up in the hands of the public

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The concern of the UCI and the Giro does not stem so much from the practice itself but from what happens afterward. In professional cycling, it is common for riders to throw empty bottles into the ditches, and fans fight to collect them as souvenirs.

Oliver Naesen acknowledged in Sporza that he fully understands the commissioners' warning. "Everyone rushes to get them. The bottles are highly coveted among Italian fans. I can imagine that some people might get quite an unpleasant surprise."

Naesen even stated that this is not something completely new in the peloton. "I already knew it from the time of Peter Sagan; he did it often," commented the Decathlon CMA CGM rider. "I only know of two who do it, Campi and Sagan."

The supposed protagonist of the whole story also did not avoid questions. When Sporza directly asked him about the matter, Victor Campenaerts responded with irony. "I have no idea what you're talking about," said the Belgian while smiling quite revealingly.

Beyond the jokes, several riders acknowledge that it is becoming increasingly difficult to find moments and suitable places to stop and urinate during a stage. The penalties for doing so in front of the public and the roads completely filled with fans complicate things a lot.

"You try to find places where there are no people, but when the weather is nice, fans come out everywhere to watch the race," explained Livyns. "So it's hard to find a good spot to stop."

Dries Van Gestel also admitted that the UCI "doesn't make it easy" and defended that in certain stages there are hardly any discreet moments to take a break. That said, everyone agrees on one thing. After the official warning from the Giro, the famous "plasbidons" seem to have their days numbered within the peloton.