Travel/medical Insurance for a Canadian racing in the US

Just get someone to drive you back across the border, more painful and possibly life threatening? Yes. But is it cheaper? Also yes

Gully just posted this on IG.

Bicycle Broker insurance

@bicyclebroker_inc

A lot of events are offering Spot insurance which basically handles your out of pocket expenses that insurance doesn’t cover if injured at race. Not sure if it’s available for non-US citizens. 

I have purchased insurance from World Nomads (www.worldnomads.com) in the past for various enduro races around the world. I also have a spot and the associated plan. Have not had to use them thankfully but it is good piece of mind if you need to get an evac out of a backcountry setting. 

Saw your post about travel insurance for racing in the US. I’ve been in a similar situation with sports and insurance, and it can definitely be tricky. From my experience, insurance companies often shy away from covering sports activities, especially high-risk ones like racing.

This doesn't answer OP's question, but regarding the above.

Just a friendly tip for fellow Canadians, provincial health insurance doesn't cover medical repatriation (ie - hospital to hospital transfers between provinces or countries) and it's crazy expensive. Like, Vancouver to Calgary is around $20k (maybe more now). Calgary to Toronto is around $60k. The treatment you get in the hospital (surgeries, medication, hospital stay, etc) should be covered. If you need an extended hospital stay or inpatient rehabilitation (ie - you break your back, neck, brain injury, etc), provincial health insurance will cover it, but only in your own province, but NOT the transportation to get you back to your home province/city. It's weird and messed up, but the reality. 

(I'm a hospital social worker and deal with medical repatriation all the time)

So ideally, if you're travelling out of province (or country), it's not a pretty good idea to have travel insurance or check and see if insurance through work covers travel. 

One tip I’ve found helpful is to look for specialized insurance providers that offer coverage for extreme sports or racing. They might be pricier but can save you a lot of headaches if something goes wrong. Also, if you’re racing without a license, some companies might have more flexible options, so it could be worth checking that route. If you’re interested, I’ve heard about Onahama Visiting Cruises Calendar, which is a great resource if you’re planning any trips around the US. Here’s the link: www.cruisetimetables.com. Might be helpful if you’re planning any downtime between races!

What did you choose in the end? And how was your trip? As for travel insurance, I’ve had good luck with Allstate, and they were able to cover me for a racing event in the U.S. They did ask some specific questions, but it was a wise decision to call allstate customer service as it was helpful in making sure I got the right coverage. 

I have been using Tugo through the Alpine Club of Canada for many years for USA trips. I am a member so I like to give them the little rep every time. However, I've never had to use it.

I’m currently using blue cross for travel insurance. It’s covered me for multiple trips and sports. I used to play rugby and as long as I wasn’t being paid to play, I was covered. They said the same for bike racing. If I’m ameuter, all was good.