MTB and Life & TPD Insurance

[Kingshill]

As part of a recent application to increase my life & TPD insurance I had to fill out a questionnaire on my mountain biking.

One of the questions was in relation to racing, which I do rather poorly and very infrequently. I would say similar to a runner who enters the occasional fun run. Although, I understand that MTB has some higher element of risk; I would say a lot less that an overweight middle aged man entering a fun run or even those fat raodies doing a grand fondo or the like.

Cut a long story short, they have offered life & TPD insurance cover, however, on the TPD they have included a pastime exclusion on Total & Permanent Disablement resulting directly or indirectly from riding a mountain bicycle whilst training for or engaging in any race, speed or endurance trials.

Anyone else had this put on them?:frusty:

 

[schred]

How did they find out about your mountain biking?

From what I understand those insurance things are sketchy in that, if you reasonably declare you aren't undertaking an activity at the time of application, you're sweet, even if you undertake it after your application is accepted. e.g. take up wingsuiting. But if you declare it in advance, boom, you're done. There's a few quirks they have, pays to have someone on your side completing the application for you.

So how'd they find out?

Edit: you may have cover in your super that doesn't have those exclusions.

 

[Duane]

Nope. My cover includes all mtb riding and racing as long as it is amateur level, no entering "elite class" for me .
Even covered me for a week of riding in Rotorua.
My Mtb riding is one of the reasons I took out the policy in the first place.
I suggest you find a new insurer.

 

[scblack]

I suggest you find a new insurer.

Yep. Shop around.

 

[Kingshill]

How did they find out about your mountain biking?

Good point - I cannot recall how it came up, maybe there is a question about it. Or it could be because I went to hospital in 2014 due to a brake lever going into my calf which then got infected.

I will try & track down.

 

[teK--]

I'm in a similar situation they specifically excluded claims due to mtb racing or training. Although hard to prove if I hurt myself on a "social" ride that I wasn't also training.

I believe in full disclosure for insurance otherwise may as well not have it. I started a thread on this topic a while back I can't find a single insurer that covers TPD and income protection for someone who holds a MTBA license and races occasionally at an amateur level.

 

[mr_h._simpson]

I'm with Asteron Insurance. No exclusions about cycling.

 

[...G...]

Agree that full disclosure is the best option. If you don't, they may refuse coverage when it really matters. As well as shopping around, I'd encourage you to negotiate with them. Most insurance companies want your business and, in my experience, are willing to negotiate.

When I got my income and trauma insurance a few years back, the insurance company's initial position was that they'd not cover any riding related injury. Not even riding to the shops to buy milk!!

Through negotiations (i.e., pointing out how silly such an exclusion is, how riding improves your health, etc) and suggesting alternative positions, we settled on coverage for all amateur riding and racing. If I'm racing, and get injured, I've got a longer waiting period before the income protection cuts in (60 days from memory, rather than 30 days). But I'm still covered.

If you do negotiate coverage, just make sure you get it confirmed in writing.

Hope this helps.

 

[poita]

Same here, have been meaning to do a bit more research but haven't got around to it. Would love to know if there is someone who does. Would give me immense joy to cancel the current policy.

Also a fan of full disclosure, just saves an incredibly stressful argument/discussion when you go to claim. And then when they deny your claim you just wasted all your premiums....?

 

[link1896]

Thank you Kingshill, this reminded me to review Australian Supers insurance PDS.

http://issuu.com/australiansuper/docs/insurance?e=2461175/3814705

No specific exclusions for bike riding, but it does ask about "any other sport or hazardous activity, e.g parachuting, hangliding, body contact sports, paragliding, competitive water sports or sports involving heights". With cycling not in the example list, does that remove it from the disclosure list? :noidea:

 

[creaky]

Thank you Kingshill, this reminded me to review Australian Supers insurance PDS.

http://issuu.com/australiansuper/docs/insurance?e=2461175/3814705

No specific exclusions for bike riding, but it does ask about "any other sport or hazardous activity, e.g parachuting, hangliding, body contact sports, paragliding, competitive water sports or sports involving heights". With cycling not in the example list, does that remove it from the disclosure list? :noidea:

Pretty sure they'd catch it under "any other sport" if it suited their purpose

 

[teK--]

Thank you Kingshill, this reminded me to review Australian Supers insurance PDS.

http://issuu.com/australiansuper/docs/insurance?e=2461175/3814705

No specific exclusions for bike riding, but it does ask about "any other sport or hazardous activity, e.g parachuting, hangliding, body contact sports, paragliding, competitive water sports or sports involving heights". With cycling not in the example list, does that remove it from the disclosure list? :noidea:

Nope because that list is just an example. You probably have a higher chance of getting injured in MTB than hang gliding or parachuting.

 

[Kingshill]

Insured have a duty of disclosure. However, it is only upon inquiry by the insurer. Thus, if asked about risky pursuits it is best to disclose to the broker or insurer.

My issue is that I have disclosed this in the past & no issue. Suddenly it is. I think insurers are starting to look at mtb as a higher risk.

The posts above about allowing amateur racing seem reasonable. I will keep negotiating & see how I go. But a policy that does not cover mtb is not much chop given it takes up so much of my free time.