Cycling travel insurance is a must-have if cycling is the primary purpose of your holiday or trip, and it also covers you if you’re taking part in timed events.
Typical travel insurance excludes anything other than leisure riding. You need cycling travel insurance if you’re on a road cycling holiday with your club, a downhill mountain bike trip with friends, or competing in a sportive or triathlon abroad.
Our cycling holiday insurance covers emergency medical care and repatriation, including emergency mountain rescue and heli-rescue if you are injured riding in the mountains. The policy also has generous cancellation and Covid covers as standard.
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Looking to cover your bikes?
Travel insurance
built for cycling holidays
If you are planning a cycling holiday, you need to make sure you have sufficient cycling travel insurance for cycling.
Pedal Cover travel insurance for cycling will cover medical mishaps and emergencies on your holiday, along with essential covers like cancelled trips, lost luggage and holiday money.
We cover all forms of cycling as standard, including cycle tours, bike packing, multi-stage events, mountain biking (including downhill) and triathlon. We even cover emergency mountain rescue and heli-rescue if you are injured riding in the mountains
Please be aware bikes are not covered by our travel insurance. You can find more information on how to cover your bikes here.
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Looking to cover your bikes?
What activities does cycling travel insurance cover?
Our cycle holiday insurance covers almost all cycling disciplines. Pedal Cover should be your natural choice if you’re going on a cycling holiday. If you don’t see an activity listed below, do not hesitate to contact our team, and we can check that out for you. Our policy also covers several other sports and pastimes as standard, listed in the policy wording or our FAQs below.
Cycling disciplines A-L
Included as standard
BMX Racing
(recognised track only)Criterium Racing
Cycle Touring / Bike Packing
Cyclocross
Downhill Mountain Biking (incl. racing)
Gravel Riding
Leisure Cycling
Cycling disciplines M-T
Included as standard
Mountain Biking
(all mountain, enduro, freeride, slopestyle, speed & style, cross country, four-cross, marathon, pump track, and trail riding)Multi-stage / Ultra Endurance Cycling Events
(e.g. RAAM/ Haute Route/ Transcontinental)Road Cycling
(charity events, gran fondo, road racing, sportives, time trials and training holidays)Track Cycling
Triathlon / Duathlon / Aquabike
(half ironman distance, ironman distance, olympic distance, sprint distance and training holidays)
Our cycling travel insurance cover explained
Our cycle travel insurance covers everything you’d expect from a premium travel policy and other benefits unique to a cycle travel insurance provider—Below is a summary. Please read the policy wording to understand the requirements and limits of cover.
Emergency Medical Expenses
Covering medical mishaps while riding is crucial and is the primary feature of our cycling travel insurance. It is also frequently missing from standard travel insurance policies. We cover the costs of emergency medical care to £10 million. The cover includes mountain rescue and heli-rescue if you are injured riding in the mountains.
Covid 19
Our travel insurance policies include cover for Covid 19, emergency medical care, and other expenses such as cancellation and curtailment related to COVID 19.
We have a separate section below explaining the cover; clickhere.
Cancellation, Curtailment
We will cover up to £5,000 for your travel and accommodation costs if you have to cancel your cycling holiday due to unforeseen illness or injury. Unlike standard travel insurance, our cycle holiday insurance also covers you for withdrawing due to an injury that prevents you from cycling on the trip, even if you could fly.
Do you need bike cover?
Remember, this policy doesn’t cover your bicycle. For this, you can purchase our bundled home and bike insurance, or we offer a no strings attached rolling monthly cycle insurance.
Cycling Specific Covers
We offer a cycle breakdown benefit if you have a mechanical and need to make it back to the hotel. Repatriation for your bike if you have to return home in an emergency. Bike hire if your bike fails to arrive or is stolen, and cover for your race fee if you have to withdraw or the event is cancelled due to bad weather. All these are included as standard on our cycle travel policies.
Cycling Liability Insurance
If you damage somebody’s property or injure another road user while cycling, you could find yourself liable for damages. Every Pedal Cover travel product includes £2 million public liability cover while cycling on a trip, including in races.
Multi or Single Trip
Whether you want a one-off policy for a cycling trip or a multi-trip policy for the whole year, we can put together a package to suit you.
Racing and Training
Some travel insurance policies include limited cover for cycling. You should check the small print; there are usually severe exclusions, particularly for racing or serious training. We can cover you for a family cycling holiday, training camp, during events such as Mallorca 312 or even downhill mountain biking.
Winter Sports Cover
Cancellation, medical expenses and repatriation are all covered as standard for winter activities for up to 17 days a year on our annual package. You get benefits like loss or damage to ski equipment, lost ski pasess, avalanche cover or resort closure.
Repatriation
If you injure yourself cycling abroad, our cycle travel insurance will cover mountain rescue and heli-rescue if you are injured riding in the mountains, and if necessary, we’ll cover the costs of repatriating you back to the UK.
Baggage & Money
We include cover up to £250 for lost or delayed baggage, up to £500 for holiday money, and up to £5,000 for valuables (which includes cycling clothing, helmets and shoes). Bicycles are not included under the baggage cover. If you need cover for theft or damage to your bicycles, we can insure them separately.
Gadgets
We cover cycling gadgets, for example, your Garmin, Wahoo, GoPro or other high-value electrical items. Please read the policy to know you’re getting the right cover for your trip and activities.
Our cycle holiday
insurance at a glance
Our policies have all the covers you’d expect from top-notch travel insurance and cover almost all cycling activities. Remember, this policy doesn’t cover your bicycle. For this, you can purchase our bundled home and bike insurance, or we also offer a no strings attached rolling monthly cycle insurance.
DID YOU KNOW?GHIC card protection is only valid if you are taken to a state hospital.Most mountain resorts usually have private hospitals, and state hospitals are rare in most of Spain and Portugal.
Core travel section
| Trip Cancellation | £5,000 |
| Medical Expenses (incl. heli-rescue if injured riding in the mountains) | £10m |
| Repatriation | £10m |
| Dental Treatment | £250 |
| Hospital Benefit | £500 |
| Valuables | £5,000 |
| Travel Documents | £250 |
| Delayed Baggage | £250 |
| Personal Money | £500 |
| Travel Delay | £250 |
| Holiday Abandonment | £5,000 |
| Missed Departure | £1,000 |
| Loss of Limbs or Sight | £20,000 |
| Permanent Disablement | £20,000 |
| Death Benefit | £10,000 |
| Personal Liability | £2m |
Cycle specific covers
| Emergency Cycle Hire | £500 |
| Race Fee Cancellation Cover | £500 |
| Cycle Breakdown Benefit | £200 |
| Cycle Repatriation Benefit | £250 |
| Gadget Cover | £2,000 |
Winter sports (annual only)
| Ski Equipment | £350 |
| Ski Hire | £300 |
| Ski Pack | £200 |
| Piste Closure | £300 |
| Delay due to Avalanche | £300 |
Whatever your needs, we have you covered
Single trip or an annual policy?
It is cheaper to purchase an annual policy if you plan to take a few trips over the course of a year, while still providing coverage for every race, and training camp you attend overseas.
Our annual policies also cover winter sports, so buying an annual cycle travel insurance policy before your summer bike trip could save you the trouble of finding another insurer.
However, if you have ‘standard’ travel insurance for most of the year, but need a top-up for a training camp, then one of our single trip policies might be best.
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Do you need competition cover?
Cyclists taking part in races, tours, triathlons and charity events will need to consider choosing a policy with competition cover. If you have a crash during a competition or are injured, you need coverage for liability and medical costs. Most other travel insurance suppliers exclude competitions, but it’s available with us.
We even offer you cover if you have to withdraw from an event, which prevents you from being out of pocket for expensive entry fees.
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Welcome to our cycling travel FAQ section
We can hopefully answer all your questions related to our travel insurance built for cyclists offered by Allianz. For customers with questions about other policies, you should go to the relevant product page or contact the team.
Cycle travel insurance predominately covers your medical expenses when travelling abroad. Amongst over things, it also covers costs if your trip is cancelled.
Cycle travel insurance does not, however, protect your bike. If you need cover for your bike, you can purchase our , which bundles home contents, buildings, and bicycle insurance under one roof. If you don’t qualify for our home insurance or prefer dedicated cycle insurance, we also offer this as an annual contract or on a no-obligation rolling monthly basis.
Yes,ourtravelinsuranceprovidescoveragefordownhillmountainbiking,includingparticipationincompetitiveevents, emergencymedicalcareandrepatriation.
The policy also covers emergency helicopter evacuation.
Our cycling holiday insurance covers emergency medical care and repatriation, including emergency mountain rescue and heli-rescue if you are injured riding in the mountains.
Yes, we want you to be able to enjoy the warm weather and beautiful roads during your training camp with confidence, so we’ll pay for your emergency medical costs and return travel if a sickness or accident prevents you from enjoying the trip.
Our triathlon travel insurance covers all distances, including Ironman events. Along with a raft of other covers, we provide emergency medical or repatriation expenses should something go wrong abroad. We also cover your trip cancellation, including being unable to travel due to an injury leading up to your event.
Yes – When buying our travel insurance, be sure to choose Worldwide protection, which includes the USA.
If you don’t have any immediate plans to travel over the Atlantic, look at our European-only coverage, which is more affordable.
No – If you need cover for your bike, you can purchase our home insurance for cyclists, which bundles home contents, buildings cover (if you need it) and bicycle insurance under one roof.
If you don’t qualify for our home insurance or prefer cycle insurance only, we offer this either as an annual contract or on a no-obligation rolling monthly basis.
Yes. Our travel insurance is built to pay for unexpected medical needs. This is true for triathlons of any length and all types of bicycle racing, including mountain biking.
Our travel insurance is built to cover repatriation costs due to injuries sustained while on holiday, even when riding or competing on your bicycle.
If a serious injury prevents you from attending an event that you have entered, we offer entry fee cancellation coverage. Before the incident that prevents you from participating in your race, you must have taken out an insurance policy with us. Additionally, we need documentation of the injury from a licenced medical professional.
On a yearly policy, there is no cap on the number of trips. However, no journey may last longer than 60 days away from the UK.
Our annual multi-trip travel insurance policy has a 120-day trip maximum, but you can take as many trips as you like during the year as long as no individual trip exceeds that length.
Our annual cycling travel insurance includes winter sports coverage as an extra benefit. You can go for a maximum of 17 days per trip for winter sports holidays.
If you are planning an epic touring excursion, we might be able to assist with a personalised insurance policy, but you’ll need to give us a call.
Please remember that once you start travelling, we can’t provide you with extended cover.
No – If you need cover for your bike, you can purchase our home insurance for cyclists, which bundles home contents, buildings cover (if you need it) and bicycle insurance under one roof.
If you don’t qualify for our home insurance or prefer cycle insurance only, we offer this either as an annual contract or on a no-obligation rolling monthly basis.
Our travel insurance covers up to five gadgets with a combined value of £2,000; this will cover any unintentional damage to your belongings while travelling or theft (e.g. from your hotel). The policy includes Garmins and also items like laptops, tablets, and cameras.
Please remember gadgets are not covered for damage while you are cycling. It’s best to look at the policy wording or call us if you are unsure.
We cover lots of of other sports – It is best to look at the policy wording for a complete list.
Annual policies cover winter sports, so if you enjoy skiing or snowboarding over the winter, you won’t need to purchase an additional policy.
Our policy automatically covers you for one pre-existing medical condition from our list of automatically covered conditions.
If you have two or more conditions from the list below or a condition not on the list, the cover is excluded unless disclosed to the medical screening helpline, and the additional cover is agreed to in writing.
Automatically covered pre-existing medical conditions:
- Acne
- ADHD
- Allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) provided that you have not needed hospital treatment for this in the last two years.
- Allergic rhinitis
- Arthritis (the affected person must be able to walk independently at home without using mobility aids)
- Asthma (the diagnosis must have been made when the affected person was under the age of 50, and the asthma be controlled by no more than two inhalers and no other medication)
- Blindness or partial sightedness
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Cataracts
- Chickenpox – if wholly resolved
- Common cold or flu
- Cuts and abrasions that are not self-inflicted and require no further treatment
- Cystitis – provided there is no ongoing treatment
- Deafness
- Diabetes (which is controlled by diet or tablets only)
- Diarrhoea and vomiting – if wholly resolved
- Eczema
- Enlarged prostate – benign only
- Essential tremor
- Glaucoma
- Gout
- Haemorrhoids
- Hay fever
- Ligament or tendon injury – provided you are not currently being treated
- Macular degeneration
- Menopause
- Migraine – provided there are no ongoing investigations
- Nasal polyps
- PMT
- RSI
- Sinusitis – provided there is no ongoing treatment
- Skin or wound infections that have entirely resolved with no current treatment
- Tinnitus
- Underactive thyroid (Hypothyroidism)
- Urticaria
- Varicose veins in the legs
Alternatively you can view a directory set up by the Money and Pensions Service. This directory provides easy access to companies that specialise in providing cover for pre-existing medical conditions, to enable customers to find the best value cover.
The directory can be accessed at https://traveldirectory.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en or by calling 0800 138 7777.
Pedal Cover are not connected to the insurers provided by the directory. As we offer a travel insurance product aimed at cyclists you should ensure that, if using a firm on the directory, they are able to cover your intended cycling activities.
Our travel policy does not cover pre-existing medical conditions as standard. We offer a confidential, independent medical screening service to provide a top-up if you need cover for a pre-existing medical condition. Contact their helpline at + 44(0)1702 427 237.
After answering questions about your medical conditions, the screening service will confirm if they can cover them. They may need to charge a premium, and they will explain any additional requirements, such as an increased excess.
If the helpline can provide the additional coverage and you elect to purchase it, you must first buy our Pedal Cover cycling travel policy. You will supply the helpline with your Pedal Cover policy number. You will pay any premium for the additional cover directly to the screening helpline, not Pedal Cover.
Once the medical conditions are covered, the helpline will give you a screening reference number. The helpline will send a letter confirming cover, cost, and requirements. Please keep this safe as it is required in the event of a claim.
If you purchase our Pedal Cover travel insurance before speaking to the medical screening helpline, and subsequently, they cannot offer a top-up, or you are unhappy with the extra cost quoted, you can cancel your travel insurance with us. We will provide a complete, no-quibble refund within the first 14 days of purchase.
Alternatively you can view a directory set up by the Money and Pensions Service. This directory provides easy access to companies that specialise in providing cover for pre-existing medical conditions, to enable customers to find the best value cover.
The directory can be accessed at https://traveldirectory.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en or by calling 0800 138 7777.
Pedal Cover are not connected to the insurers provided by the directory. As we offer a travel insurance product aimed at cyclists you should ensure that, if using a firm on the directory, they are able to cover your intended cycling activities.
Yes, but the insurance will not provide coverage for any claims directly or indirectly related to the pre-existing medical condition.
Sports, pastimes and activities
- Abseiling (within organisers guidelines)
- Administrative or clerical occupations 1, 2
- Aerobics
- Amateur athletics (track and field)
- American football
- Archaeological digging 1, 2
- Archery
- Assault course
- Badminton
- Banana boating (as a passenger only) 3
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Big game hunting 1, 2
- Billiards/snooker/pool
- Bobsleigh 1
- Body boarding (boogie boarding)
- Bowls
- Boxing
- Bungee jumping (only as short duration incidental day excursion with licensed public hirer) 2
- Camel riding 1, 2
- Canoeing (up to grade 2 rivers)
- Cave diving (no solo diving) 2
- Clay pigeon shooting 1, 2
- Climbing (on climbing wall only)
- Climbing up to 3,500 metres on slopes classified as facile or easy including rock scrambling
- Cricket
- Croquet
- Curling
- Deep sea fishing
- Driving any motorised vehicle that you are licensed to drive in your home country (other than in motor rallies or competitions) 1, 2
- Elephant riding/trekking 2
- Falconry 2
- Fell walking/running
- Fishing Fives
- Flying as pilot 1, 2
- Football (amateur only and not main purpose of trip)
- Glass bottom boats/bubbles (as a passenger only) 1
- Gliding 1, 2
- Go karting (within organiser’s guidelines) 1
- Golf Handball
- Hang gliding 1, 2
- High diving over 9 meters (supervised pools only, no rock diving/jumping) 2
- Hockey (must wear protective head gear)
- Horse riding (wearing a helmet and excluding competitions, racing, jumping and hunting) 1, 2
- Hot air ballooning (organised rides only) 2
- Hovercraft driving/passenger 1, 2
- Hurling (amateur only and not main purpose of trip)
- Indoor climbing (on climbing wall only) Jet boating 1, 2, 4
- Jet skiing 1, 2, 4
- Jogging
- Judo
- Karate
- Karting (wearing a helmet) 1, 2, 4
- Kayaking (up to grade 2 waters only)
- Kite Surfing 2
- Korfball
- Lacrosse
- Marathon running
- Motor sport (any type) 1, 2
- Netball
- Octopush
- Orienteering
- Paintball/war games (wearing eye protection) 1, 2
- Parachuting 1, 2
- Paragliding (over water only – not over Must be licensed operator with professional guide and only in EU, EEA, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.) 1, 2
- Parascending (over water only – not over Must be licensed operator with professional guide and only in EU, EEA, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand) 1, 2
- Polo 2
- Pony trekking 2, 4
- Pot holing (must be a licensed operator with professional guide and wearing helmets)
- Power boating (no racing and no competitions) 1, 2
- Quad biking (wearing a helmet) 1, 2, 4
- Racket ball Rambling Refereeing
- Ringo (as a passenger only) 1
- Roller skating/blading/in line skating (wearing pads and helmets)
- Rounders
- Rowing 4
- Rugby (Union/League) not professional
- Running (non-competitive)
- Safari trekking (must be organised tour) 1, 2
- Sailing/yachting (includes amateur racing competitions) 1, 2
- Sand boarding 1, 2
- Sand dune surfing/skiing 1
- Sand yachting 1, 2, 4
- Scuba diving up to a depth of 40 metres (must be PADI/BSAC No solo diving and subject to scuba diving endorsem*nt below)
- Scuba diving up to a depth of 9 metres (No solo diving and subject to scuba diving endorsem*nt below)
- Shooting/small bore target/rifle range Shooting (within organisers guidelines) 1, 2
- Skateboarding (wearing pads and helmets)
- Sledging (not on snow)
- Snorkelling
- Softball
- Spear fishing (without tanks)
- Speed sailing 1, 2, 4
- Squash
- Street hockey
- Students working as counsellors or university exchanges for practical course work (non- manual) 2
- (no competitions,inland and coastal waters only 1
- Swimming
- Swimming with dolphins
- Swimming/bathing with elephants
- Sydney Harbour Bridge walk (walking across roped)
- Table tennis
- Tall ship crewing 1, 2, 4
- Ten pin bowling
- Tennis
- Trampolining
- Tree canopy walking (walking across roped)
- Trekking/hiking between 2,500 and 5,000 metres above sea level. (On organised tour along recognised routes No search and rescue other than for medical reasons.)
- Trekking/hiking/walking up to 2,500 metres above sea level
- Tug of war
- Volleyball
- Wake boarding
- War game/paint balling (wearing eye protection) 1, 2
- Water polo
- Water skiing/water ski jumping 1, 2
- Weight lifting
- Whale watching
- White water rafting (grades 4-6 waters only) 1
- White water rafting (up to grade 3 waters, as a passenger only, life jacket to be worn)
- Wind surfing/sailboarding 1
- Wind tunnel flying (pads/helmets to be worn)
- Zip lining/trekking (safety helmets to be worn)
- Zorbing/hydro zorbing/sphering 1
NoteThe restrictions marked against the list of covered sports, pastimes and activities above are as follows:
Scuba diving endorsem*nt
What is covered
This policy is extended to cover you whilst taking part in underwater activities requiring the use of artificial breathing apparatus (scuba) subject to you being approved as medically fit to dive by the person or company who/which has organised the diving, and subject otherwise to all terms, conditions, exclusions and limitations of this insurance.
What is not covered
This policy does not cover claims directly or indirectly arising from, happening through or as a result of:
Our policy automatically covers you for one pre-existing medical condition from our list of automatically covered conditions. If you have two or more conditions from the list or a condition not on the list, all pre-existing medical conditions will be excluded from cover unless disclosed to the medical screening helpline and additional cover agreed in writing.
Automatically covered pre-existing medical conditions:
- Acne
- ADHD
- Allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) provided that you have not needed hospital treatment for this in the last two years.
- Allergic rhinitis
- Arthritis (the affected person must be able to walk independently at home without using mobility aids)
- Asthma (the diagnosis must have been made when the affected person was under the age of 50, and the asthma be controlled by no more than two inhalers and no other medication)
- Blindness or partial sightedness
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Cataracts
- Chickenpox – if wholly resolved
- Common cold or flu
- Cuts and abrasions that are not self-inflicted and require no further treatment
- Cystitis – provided there is no ongoing treatment
- Deafness
- Diabetes (which is controlled by diet or tablets only)
- Diarrhoea and vomiting – if completely resolved
- Eczema
- Enlarged prostate – benign only
- Essential tremor
- Glaucoma
- Gout
- Haemorrhoids
- Hay fever
- Ligament or tendon injury – provided you are not currently being treated
- Macular degeneration
- Menopause
- Migraine – provided there are no ongoing investigations
- Nasal polyps
- PMT
- RSI
- Sinusitis – provided there is no ongoing treatment
- Skin or wound infections that have entirely resolved with no current treatment
- Tinnitus
- Underactive thyroid (Hypothyroidism)
- Urticaria
- Varicose veins in the legs
Yes, all medical emergencies and associated costs will be covered.
Yes, you must have gotten an inoculation or vaccination against Coronavirus as recommended by the World Health Organization or the health authority in your country of residency to be compensated for any expenses incurred from contracting the disease.
The above is true for every contagious disease for which the World Health Organization or your country’s health authority recommends an inoculation or immunisation. Travellers to portions of Sub-Saharan Africa and South America, for example, are advised to get a Yellow Fever vaccine, and you would need to show proof of this vaccination to submit a claim for any expenditures incurred as a result of catching the disease while on vacation.
Yes, as long as you’re all covered by our insurance and all asked to quarantine. To confirm the quarantine order, you must be able to present medical evidence from the treating doctor or the local authority.
If you’ve been diagnosed with Coronavirus and are unable to travel, you’ll be covered as long as your doctor confirms the diagnosis and your inability to travel.
The policy covers cancellation as long as you have documented evidence from your airline that you were denied boarding because you were showing symptoms of a contagious condition.
If you have a valid cancellation claim, the cancellation section will refund you for all non-recoverable fees, including Visas, but only for the length of your cancelled trip.
No, if the UK is put in ‘Lockdown’ once again, there will be no coverage under the insurance for cancellation claims.
No, any charges (accommodation/travel) incurred in the event that the country you are visiting is “locked down” would not be covered.
If you can show medical proof that you have been diagnosed with Coronavirus or have been directly exposed to Coronavirus, you will be compensated for any additional lodging or travel expenditures.
Any essential medical expenses, as well as any additional travel or accommodation charges, are covered under the medical expenses part of the insurance.
All insured persons are covered for quarantine under the medical section, which includes coverage for additional lodging and flights.
The policy will cover you if a close family is diagnosed with Coronavirus and becomes extremely ill, necessitating your presence due to medical reasons. Their doctor will have to sign off on this.
Your insurance will cover the cost of any additional lodging incurred while you are under quarantine based on your unique symptoms or probable COVID-19 exposure, but it will not reimburse any pre-booked lodging fees. If you have any unused pre-booked and paid for excursions that are non-refundable, your insurance will reimburse you less the standard policy excess if you can provide documentary evidence to support the quarantine order from either the government, a public authority in the country you are visiting, or the treating doctor.
If you travel somewhere that is against FCDO guidelines, you will not be covered.
If you bought your single trip travel insurance before the change in FCDO guidelines and have not yet left, your policy will no longer give any coverage. You have the option of deferring your policy’s coverage period or requesting a full refund of your money.
If you bought your single trip policy before the change in FCDO advise and have already left, full policy coverage will apply as long as you follow all UK, local government, or equivalent instructions.
If after looking through the FAQs you can’t find the answer you are looking for you can click our live chat open Mon to Fri from 9 am to 5 pm
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