Can pro cyclists have sex during Tour de France? Niki Terpstra gives honest answer to age-old question

Last week, Niki Terpstra was racing as a gravel cyclist in Unbound, but he also has his podcast Speed on Wheels. In it, the Dutchman answers any and all questions – and when we say all questions, we mean that literally. Terpstra, who has ridden the Tour de France eight times, didn't even sidestep the question "do riders have sex during a Grand Tour?".

"Of course," replied the winner of the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. Other riders, such as Filippo Pozzato, claimed the opposite. "What Pozzato says is really nonsense and outdated, he maybe managed that once," laughs Terpstra.

"I know the stories from the past. For instance, women were not allowed to visit at Peter Post’s team. But I've had tours where Ramona stayed with me for a few days. So, yes, indeed," he says without a doubt.

Paris parade continued in the hotel: "Within half an hour that whole building was shaking"

Even the single men need to have their needs met. "It does happen that they go wild, but calling escorts or something like that, I haven't experienced that. The story about Frank Vandenbroucke? Yes, I've experienced that more often in the Vuelta. With teammates. I'm not going to name anyone specifically, but the podium hostesses always looked very good."

"Do we even have the energy for it? What do you think? You are away from home for four weeks, they are all walking testosterone bombs. When you are completely wiped out, then your libido goes down," explains Terpstra. "But with a rest day, you're good to go again. Think of the Tour. These days, everyone often stays in a big hotel after the Champs-Élysées. After the finish, everyone went to their rooms, where the riders' wives were. Within half an hour, that whole building was shaking," he laughs.