Tri Liverpool is just a few months away, and if like me you are preparing for your first triathlon, you are probably distinctly aware that training days are quickly slipping away. With its route meandering through the Royal Albert Docks area of Liverpool City Centre, and an expected 5000 spectators, it is due to be an unforgettable event for its participants.
I’ve been riding mountain bikes and cyclocross for as long as I can remember, but doing anything other than drinking tea when I get off my bicycle, still feels pretty alien; and kicking it all off with an open water swim leaves me more than a little anxious. But, being one of the only members of the Yellow Jersey Team not to have completed at least a sprint triathlon (and because it sounds like a lot of fun) I’m determined to get there.
We are the official insurance supplier of the British Triathlon Federation. and they asked us to put together some general tips for looking for your gear on the day.
While most home insurance will consider bicycles and equipment in transition areas to be ‘unattended’, we trust the cycling and triathlon communities to watch out for each other’s property. That’s not to say things can’t go missing or get damaged while you are not there.
One wetsuit looks very much like another, and it’s not unheard of for kit to get swapped, or lost as people rush to gather their belongings at the end of a race. The last thing you want to find when you get home is that your wetsuit has somehow shrunk three sizes in your bag, and will no longer come up past your knees. I’ll be writing my name and telephone number somewhere discreet, but unfortunately not everybody does so.
If you have been looking at home insurance options for your bicycle, you will probably have noticed that most won’t cover any damage to your bike while riding, and certainly not racing, which is where we step in to pick up their slack.
The one place I’ll be keeping an eye on my bicycle is while registering on the morning of the race. Until the bicycle is safely past the marshals and in the transition zone, it’s not covered by us or any other insurance company. Your bicycle will need to be locked up securely; with Yellow Jersey we will even cover your bicycle if locked in a car prior to the race, but better still, bring a friend and have them mind it. You never know, they might agree to join you next year.