Insurance tips for cyclists ahead of the Cape Town Cycle Tour

Gari Dombo, MD of Alexander Forbes Insurance.

With less than a week to go until the Cape Town Cycle Tour there’s not much more cyclists can do for their fitness levels but there is time to ensure that their trusty steads are insured during the big event.

Whether it be that awful moment of discovering your bicycle has been stolen from where you were storing it, or damaging your prized carbon bike in a crash, Alexander Forbes Insurance advises that all participants in the event have cover - even if you’re an all-day pleasure cruiser rather than a racing snake in the front of the bunch.

“Bikes are expensive, and when it comes to considering how much your cycling equipment adds up to, the cost of insuring your bicycle is a small price to pay,” said Alexander Forbes Insurance’s MD Gari Dombo. “Read and understand the small print of your policy and make sure you are covered for all eventualities. This includes notifying your insurance of small but costly items, such as GPS bike computers or power meters, helmets and those light-as-a-feather but eye-wateringly expensive cycling shoes.”

Dombo advises asking the following questions of your insurer: Is my bicycle covered while in use, during a timed event as well as training; am I covered while the bike is being transported; what is my excess in the event of loss or damage; and am I covered for liability in the event of an accident?”

“If you specify your bicycle for ‘All Risks’ or ‘Portable Possessions’ cover with Alexander Forbes, this policy stipulate that bicycles in or on an unattended vehicle must be locked in or on the vehicle and bicycles otherwise unattended must be chained to an immovable object in order to be covered.”