Why do I need cycling travel insurance?

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 combined home & bike insurance, 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, our travel insurance provides coverage for downhill mountain biking, including participation in competitive events, emergency medical care and repatriation.

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 endorsement below)
• Scuba diving up to a depth of 9 metres (No solo diving and subject to scuba diving endorsement 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

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