Insurance and Non-Club Spins

youtheman

I've recently been in communication with Cycling Ireland on this subject. The following is a list of specific questions I asked, and Cycling Ireland's response (copied and pasted):
Question 1: Extract from Cycling Ireland Website: “All Cycling Ireland members have personal accident and public liability insurance by virtue of their membership of Cycling Ireland. This insurance will cover you when you are out trainingor taking part in approved Cycling Ireland events”. What constitutes “training”?
Answer 1:Training is any activity which contributes to your overall fitness. So cycling to the shops in your runners and with no helmet is not training but cycling to work in your cycling gear would be considered training. It’s a little bit of a grey area but the insurers will ask questions about the nature of the accident to ascertain whether it was genuine training.
Question 2: We have heard, albeit 3rdhand, that there are insurance implications if a club ride is being led by a person who does not have specific CI approved training.Is this the case?.
Answer 2. Riders are covered on a club spin once they hold an active licence and regardless of whether they have a qualified ride leader or not. We would encourage clubs to send out experienced cyclists with groups of novicesand to self-police in that regard. So sending club members on ride leader courses would be one way of ensuring group safety and bringing novicecyclists up to speed.
Question 3: If there is a ride that includes Club members (with CI membership) and cyclists with no CI membership, are there any insurance implications for the Club members (i.e. accepting that the non CI members have no insurance)?.Are the Club members still covered by insurance?
Answer 3:You can bring out non-members on 3 introductory rides with the club before they have to take out a licence with us. Both the group and the riders will be covered in the case of an accident. If a non-member continues to join the group after 4 or more rides then insurance cover may not be extended although this would be reviewed by the insurers on a case by case nature. Make sure you keep a record of these non-members showing up.
Question 4: Quote: “If a non-member continues to join the group after 4 or more rides then insurance cover may not be extended although this would be reviewed by the insurers on a case by case nature”. Do you mean that the insurance for the club/CI member is possibly compromised, or the non-member.
Answer 4: It would be reviewed on a case by case basis depending on who was involved and the cause of the accident, if the non-member was found to be at fault or involved then cover may not be extended to both the CI member and non-member. A rider who holds a non CI licence that provides them with insurance and 3rdparty liability cover is fine to cycle with the group e.g. Triathlon Ireland, IVCA or a Foreign Federation licence such as British Cycling.
Question 5: I note the following extract from the minutes of the recent Cycling Ireland AGM (by the Insurance Company):“ Exclusion Wording-“It is hereby noted and agreed that the Insurers will not provide an indemnity to the Insured in respect of any injury or damage suffered by one participant caused by another participant during any and all training activities.” I’m slightly confused. Is the ‘insured’ Cycling Ireland or the CI member?. Or what is this intent of this clause?.
Answer 5: That clause is there to prevent one member from suing another as a result of an accident. We would be inundated with such claims from racing incidents if we allowed that. The Insured is the CI member who can only claim for personal accident damages even if the accident was caused by reckless riding from another member.
Question 6: Just to be clear. Are you saying that if two CI members have a ‘coming together’ at a CI ‘event’ or training, one or both can claim if they suffer personal injury. But they can’t claim for, for example, damage to their bikes, reputation, loss of race position etc.
Answer 6: Yes you are correct on all of the below