Vollering fined for urinating during the Tour: where and when are female cyclists supposed to stop?

Demi Vollering, Juliette Berthet, and Célia Gery were fined 100 Swiss francs each for urinating in public during the seventh stage of the Tour de France Femmes 2026, the day that ended at Mont Ventoux.

Where are they supposed to stop?

The sanction brings to light a known issue in the peloton: the UCI establishes where it is not allowed to urinate, but there are no specific areas or moments in the race reserved for doing so.

Traditionally, cyclists take advantage of a quiet stretch, away from towns and spectators, when the breakaway is formed and the peloton slows down. However, it remains an unwritten rule, and races are offering fewer moments of calm.

A female rider explained to Cycling Weekly that the Ventoux stage had practically been the first of this Tour in which they had been able to make such a stop.

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"Today a lot of people stopped. I'm surprised there aren't more fines. I think it's the first stage where we've been able to do it."

In women's cycling, there is also an added difficulty. While men can make a very quick stop and even urinate on the bike, women usually have to get off, remove part of their clothing, and squat. One-piece racing suits complicate the process even further.

On top of this, there is the challenge of finding privacy among spectators, vehicles, and television cameras.

Vollering already knows what it is like to lose a Grand Tour for stopping

Demi Vollering also has a precedent that shows that choosing when to stop can have sporting consequences. In La Vuelta Femenina 2023, when she was the leader, she stopped along with several teammates to relieve themselves. Shortly after, Movistar intensified the race, and the peloton broke apart.

Vollering ended up losing 1:04 that day and subsequently ceded the overall lead to Annemiek van Vleuten by just nine seconds.

The situation summarizes the dilemma faced by female riders: stopping can compromise the race, and doing so in a visible place can result in a fine. An apparently minor problem for which the regulations penalize certain behaviors but do not establish a concrete solution.