Holidaying is a time for escapades and excitement. You must make the most out of your holiday. Should you decide to get on a mountain bike and do some exploring, the insurance cover is offered as long as you aren’t participating in a professional competition. If you are going to go biking on a mountain on your holiday, you should buy mountain bike travel insurance.

What’s covered?

Sure, you’re a skilled cyclist. However, your trip can easily skid out of control by not selecting the right insurance policy. If you break a bone, fall sick or find yourself at the mercy of a cancelled bike tour (because of unpredictable circumstances), your mountain bike travel insurance can put you back on track by covering all expenses.

Your mountain bike travel insurance policy will also protect you if:

• You fall off your bike, break your arm, and go to the hospital. Mountain bike travel insurance will alleviate the pain by covering your medical expenses, doctor’s appointments, x-ray and medicine.
• You crash your bike and cause harm to another person while on your cycling holiday. Mountain bike travel insurance protects you from being lawfully responsible for causing damage. So be cautious now!
• Your wallet is stolen. Robbery can put a dent in your trip, but this policy will cover you for any lost or robbed items and, in many cases, compensate you for any stolen cash.

What’s often not covered?

If you’re buying standard mountain bike travel insurance, then you will be covered for some common losses. The following issues should be considered when looking for an insurance coverage for you and your bike. 

Your bike and its equipment

You may desire to change your plans to take your new carbon-fibre bike on holiday as your travel insurance won’t cover it in case of robbery or damage. See if you can insure your bike through your home insurance instead – just ensure your stuff is covered when you are abroad or away from home. Bear in mind that your fashionable new set of wheels may go beyond the maximum item limit, so make sure to cruise the fine print before signing your bike away.

Competitive cycling

Many travel policies consider competitive cycling or racing extreme sports and don’t cover such events. Take the time to check different travel policies before spinning out the door.

Reckless riding

If you define RPM as “reckless pedalling madness”, you may want to slow it down a notch. Deliberately putting yourself at risk on your bike will spoil your chances of being covered by your insurer. Remember that most insurance policies won’t pay up without a helmet. So keep your head safe, and you’ll be covered in more ways than one!

Bike hire excess

Are you hiring a push bike on holiday? Although travel insurance usually covers rental vehicle excess, this often does not apply to two-wheeled modes of transport. If you rent an exorbitant bike that gets damaged, be ready to take the fall and cough up the excess.

Why should I tell my insurer if I’m planning to go mountain biking?

A mountain bike travel policy is a lawfully binding contract between you and your insurer. Any actions or eliminations by you that impact the terms of that contract can cause it to have no value. If you don’t inform your insurer about a potential risk, that could affect whether you can be covered or how much you are charged for cover. In some instances, your policy might be cancelled altogether.

Whether it’s a dangerous activity like mountain biking or a pre-existing medical condition, you must notify your insurer. It’s called Duty of Disclosure, and it saves your insurer from taking on a greater level of risk than what was initially agreed upon.

Will I pay more for cover that includes mountain biking?

Not all travel insurers cover mountain biking, and those that do usually overcharge for the extra risk they are taking on. But this can differ from one insurer to insurer.

• Zoom Travel Insurance: You will receive insurance coverage for mountain biking as standard except for downhill, competition, or racing, but you can buy the Adventure Pack to be covered for non-competitive downhill mountain biking.
• World Nomads: World Nomads covers mountain biking if you promote it but only up to 6,000m, and cover for the bicycle is excluded.
• Budget Direct: Cover for mountain biking is incorporated as standard, but you will not be able to get cover for competition, extreme ground conditions, or stunts, and your bicycle will not be covered for robbery or damage.

How do I reveal my plan to go mountain biking?

You have a Duty of Disclosure to notify your insurer of your plan to go mountain biking on your holiday. If you don’t inform the insurer of your intentions to go mountain biking, any claim you make connected to mountain biking will not be honoured.

It would help if you revealed your intention to go mountain biking at the time of buying your policy so that your insurer can notify you of whether or not you are covered and modify the cost of your premium duly.

You can do this by either buying extra cover for your planned activities or, if not available, making sure that mountain biking is incorporated as part of your cover by reviewing the Product Disclosure Statement. If you’re uncertain, call your elected insurance provider before you travel.

Conclusion

Mountain biking is highly popular with the young. However, it comes with certain risks. Physical damage is unavoidable in many instances. Therefore, it is necessary to buy a proper mountain bike  travel-insurance before embarking on your exciting journey. This article discussed the terms of several types of mountain-bike insurance and explained things you should tell your insurer. Share your comments with us and let us know if you need to know more about travel insurance.