British cycling insurance provider, Laka, has announced an all-new policy that not only aims to repair the financial cost of an accident but the psychological and physiological damage, too.
The new policy, called Recovery, starts at around £11.00 per month and covers cyclists across the globe, and will also cover the rider's off-bike exploits such as skiing or surfing. It will be underwritten by Zurich Insurance Group and has been tailored to help riders recover after an accident.
Laka operates as a collective, and as such, the exact monthly amount will vary. Laka explains on its website that it calculates monthly contributions - up to a max capped amount - based on the collective's claims. When requesting a quote online for 'Health and Recovery' Cyclingnews was quoted £11 (but never more than £15) per month. Adding a bike valued at £3000 to this quote brought the monthly quote to £27, capped to £40.
The policy provides cyclists with access to psychological support and treatments, as well as a host of other benefits to aid recovery and get the rider back in the saddle as soon as possible - a "key step in psychological recovery" according to Professor John Geddes of University of Oxford's Department of Psychiatry.
Supporting medical costs up to £1,500, Laka will provide riders with 'the best specialists' and any medical treatments they need, including physiotherapy, dental and psychological. It will also provide access to virtual GPs to speed up assessments.
The additional benefits will include 'Chimp Management' psychological assessment and advice from leading international performance coaches; sessions and training plans from Rowe & King, the British coaching company owned and run by Olympic champion Dani King and Matt Rowe, brother to Team Ineos' super-domestique, Luke; access to Wattbike's range of smart bikes, with the option to have the home trainer delivered to your door to aid physical recovery; nutritional advice will be supplied by Alan Murchison, writer of Performance Chef; and a subscription to Rouleur magazine.
"As an insurer for cyclists, our biggest concern is to help people to spend as little time off their bikes as possible. Tobias Taupitz, CEO and co-founder at Laka said. "Whether someone’s bike has been stolen or they have an injury that’s stopping them from riding, the effect is the same - they’re not on their bike. That’s why we built a Recovery insurance product designed to limit time out of the saddle and minimise the impact of an injury on our customers’ lives."
Phil Ost, Head of Personal Lines at Zurich, added: “Cycling will inevitably play a core role in a post-lockdown recovery in mobility, so it’s important we help protect not just bikes, but the cyclists too."
