Driving to continental Europe with your bicycle

Next time you take the ferry to continental Europe, you have only to look at the number of bicycles on the back of cars to know they have become a must-take accessory for summer driving holidays. After all, exploring a holiday destination by bike is a sociable, practical and cheap way to keep the kids entertained, discover beauty spots and meet the locals.

Choosing a bicycle rack

If you are new to Buying a good-quality, multi-bike rack can seem like an unwelcome pre-holiday expense if it’s something you are likely to use only once a year, so it’s worth asking friends whether anyone has one to lend. Alternatively, buy one between a one or two other families and share the cost. Remember that roof-mounted designs pay a surcharge on many ferry services and are prone to overhead damage. Expect to pay £100 upwards for a good-quality rack able to accommodate three or four bikes.

Europe with your bicycle

Bicycles worth up to £500

Your existing travel insurance may consider a bicycle as a valuable item and pay out up to £500 in the event of theft, but read the small print as every policy is different.

Bicycles worth up to £1,000 – Standard travel insurance

If your bike is worth up to £1,000, it is covered as standard on a travel insurance policy from the ETA. You need to make sure that if you leave the bike in a public place while you are away, you secure it with a silver-rated lock, but, crucially, if your bike is stolen the policy replaces it on a new-for-old basis no matter the age of your bike. Other holiday insurance policies that include bicycles tend to de-value your bike if it is over three years old. If your bike is worth over £1,000, you will need to look at specialist bicycle insurance.

Bicycles worth £1,000 – £5,000 – Specialist bicycle insurance + travel insurance

Bikes worth over £1,000 warrant their own insurance cover and a good policy will cover you while you are abroad. The ETA offers a fully comprehensive policy that includes 90 days’ worldwide cover as standard. It’s not intended to replace the need for travel insurance – you will need that for medical cover in any case – but the list of benefits included as standard is impressive. Every policy includes cover against theft, accidental damage and vandalism. Crucially, the company does not devalue bikes no matter how old they are and damaged carbon frames are replaced rather than repaired.

This level of cover also covers against theft, accidental damage and vandalism while you are racing. In the case of triathlon, your bike is covered against theft when it is left in transition as long as the area is supervised by a marshal (which is usually the case). You are not covered against third party claims, personal accident cover or cycle rescue while racing. Third party liability is usually the responsibility of the race organiser or may be included as part of your race licence if you have one.
If you are camping, you must ensure that your bike is locked to an immovable object (a sizeable tree would do) and is not left unattended for more than 12 hours.

I’m staying in a holiday apartment – how should I lock my bike?

If your bike is inside your holiday apartment, and it’s not in a public area, you don’t need to lock it, but you must ensure that it isn’t visible from the outside. If you don’t plan to leave your bike unattended in a public place while you are away you don’t need to take a lock with you – only claims for theft are subject to using a lock. Make sure that the lock you are using is of the correct rating for your policy. If in doubt, call our cycle team on 0333 000 1234.

The ethical choice

The ETA was established in 1990 as an ethical provider of green, reliable travel services. Over 30 years on, we continue to offer cycle insurance , breakdown cover and mobility scooter insurance while putting concern for the environment at the heart of all we do.

The Good Shopping Guide judges us to be the UK’s most ethical provider.