Cyclists are not normal cyclists. At least not for insurance companies. Crashes at a training camp in Mallorca or in a crowd at a cycling marathon - whether self-inflicted or caused by a third party - are very often not covered by standard contracts, nor is the theft of an expensive racing bike. It is therefore advisable for cyclists to define their individual risk without embellishment and to check every clause in the insurance contract against this.
Accident, liability and household contents insurance can cover the typical risks of a racing cyclist, such as falls during training and races or theft. However, not all insurance policies cover all risks. New, but above all older policies should therefore be checked to see whether the special requirements of the sport are included. Customisation is possible with many providers, albeit at extra cost. The basic cover of all three insurances is available in a package from 300 euros.
1. accident insurance
Private accident insurance protects against the financial consequences of a serious accident and is valid worldwide and around the clock. Depending on your profession, age, marital status and the desired amount in the event of total disability, you can use a comparison calculator to quickly find suitable tariffs for this insurance, which, for a disability sum of 500,000 euros, can cover approximately 100 euros per year costs. Additional benefits such as the assumption of rescue and transport costs are important for cyclists who also pursue their sport abroad, especially in countries with poorer healthcare than in their home country. This is important, for example, when travelling to popular destinations such as Sicily or Sardinia with their comparatively patchy emergency and hospital care.
For stays in countries outside the European Union with which there is no so-called social security agreement - including the USA, but also Switzerland, for example - it is advisable to take out an additional insurance policy. Travel health insurancewhich are available from about ten euros gives. It compensates for any additional costs that may be incurred. Travel health insurance is often part of credit card contracts or membership of a car club such as the ADAC. Cyclists with a licence enjoy a certain amount of accident cover through their club membership fee as part of the sports insurance provided by the national associations. However, their benefits are usually relatively low, for example in the lower six-figure range in the event of total disability.
2. theft insurance
If you want to insure your racing bike against "simple theft" outside your own four walls through household contents insurance, the maximum insurable value depends on where you live, the size of your home and the percentage of the total sum insured, which can be between one and ten per cent depending on the provider. For example, if you want to insure a 3,000 euro racing bike in a 90 square metre flat, you will find many offers at prices starting at around 70 euros per year. However, because a bike is easy to steal, many insurers are reluctant to insure bikes that cost more than 5,000 euros. On request, this is possible in individual cases, but can be subject to a Annual premium up to 500 euros be connected.
An alternative to household contents insurance may be comprehensive insurance from specialists such as Pergande & Pöthe or Bikmo, who also provide compensation for accidental damage in addition to theft cover. You should make sure that the cover is valid worldwide and around the clock. Old contracts often still contain the so-called "night-time clause", which limits cover to times between six in the morning and ten in the evening. If the racer was stolen outside this period, you would be out of luck.
3. liability insurance
Personal liability insurance protects against third-party claims. A typical liability case would be if you yourself are at fault for an accident with a pedestrian, cyclist or car driver in road traffic. Depending on how seriously the injured party is injured and what property damage or financial losses are incurred, the sums involved can be life-threatening. In this respect, it seems grossly negligent to ignore the around 75 EuroThe insurance company is not willing to pay the premiums called for a sum insured of 20 million euros without excess.
Although most liability insurance policies include the Participation in cycle races not insured (However, contrary to popular belief, the risk of being held liable as the alleged perpetrator of a fall is low. The legislator speaks here of the "principle of good faith" and thus, to put it simply, makes the honest and decent person the standard. It is therefore considered offensive if someone who crashes while riding in a crowd tries to make a claim against the alleged injuring party, even though they could have caused the accident themselves. There are numerous judgements in which these claims have been rejected for the reason stated. Incidentally, the same principle also applies if a fall occurs while out riding with friends in a group. However, a valuable additional benefit is the Default coverwhich, for example, replaces your own broken bike if the other party is uninsured or destitute.
Example tariffs at a glance
To determine the rates, we sketched a typical cyclist and asked the nationwide insurance broker Dr Radberg VBK GmbH (http://www.radberg.de) to determine exemplary insurance offers. The examples represent premium offers with particularly high benefits. Depending on individual factors such as place of residence, age, profession or value of the racing bike, the tariff prices may vary.
Accident
- Basler Service Gesellschaft, Vema concept, price: 153.27 euros
- HK Die Haftpflichtkasse, accident special concept VEMA - Premium Plus, price: 185.88
- Inter Risk, XXL - Limb Tax Plus, price: 142.99 euros
Personal liability insurance
- Basler Service Gesellschaft, VEMA concept, price: 67.54 euros
- AIG, VEMA PHV, price: 63.65 euros
- AXA, BOXflex, price: 66.97 euros
Hair insurance with bicycle theft
- Basler Service Gesellschaft, VEMA concept with additional package, price: 138.51 euros
- Ammerländer Versicherung, Excellent, price: 92.34 euros
- GEV Landowner, Protect Premium, price: 118.55 euros
Matthias Borchers
Editor
