Membership Insurance Explainer
AusCycling membership. Built around how you ride.
Bad day on the bike? You’re covered.
AusCycling insurance isn’t the cost of getting to the start line. It’s what means a crash, an injury, or a bad day on the bike doesn’t derail your whole season — or your finances
81% of members say insurance is critical while riding. Only ~50% know what it actually covers. Let's break it down
By The Numbers
$20m
Public liability cover - so clubs can run events, and riders aren't personally liable if something goes wrong.
$77,350
The average amount AusCycling’s insurance program pays in personal accident claims every month
40%
Personal Accident claims that come from social or recreational riding – outside of sanctioned events.
Why this matters
Race members
A collarbone in July shouldn’t mean your season is over financially. Cover travels with you — training, racing, commuting — all year.
Club members
Race at club level and know you’re covered the same way as the elite field. Your club events, your weeknight crits — all included.
Ride members
You don’t need to race to need protection. Every group ride, every commute, every gran fondo — covered 24/7 year-round.
What you're covered for
Personal accident cover - 24/7
Personal accident insurance helps cover the costs Medicare doesn't pay when a member is injured cycling:
- Physiotherapy, chiro and osteo treatment
- Private hospital accommodation
- MRI and CT scans (when not Medicare-covered)
AusCycling 24/7 insurance also helps with:
- Medical equipment — boots, braces and slings
- Trauma counselling
- Family travel and accommodation if hospitalised away from home
- Weekly income support if unable to work due to cycling injury
Public liability - 24/7
Protects you for up to $20 million if you injure someone or damage property while riding.
- Damage to another rider’s bike or a parked car
- Injury to another person
- Legal costs if you’re held responsible
- Applies during everyday riding and racing
Racing coverage*
Most cycling insurance cuts out at race day. AusCycling doesn’t.
- Club and inter-club races
- All timed events
- State and national competitions
- UCI events
- Every discipline — Road, MTB, BMX, Track, CX, Gravel
* Requires AusCycling Club or Race membership
What's not covered
❌ Medicare-covered items — GP visits, surgeon fees, Medicare-listed scans
❌ Damage to your bike or equipment
❌ Professional cycling not sanctioned by AusCycling
One thing we want to clarify
AusCycling membership insurance is not a replacement for income protection or private health insurance — both of which can cost thousands each year and often don’t cover racing at all. AusCycling insurance cover is designed to fill the gaps they leave, while keeping premiums low.
How it works with private health
If you have private health
Claim with your private health insurer first. AusCycling’s Personal Accident policy then reimburses 85% of the remaining gap — up to policy limits. A $75 excess applies.
If you don’t have private health
You’re still covered. AusCycling reimburses 85% of eligible non-Medicare expenses directly — same $75 excess. This cover exists for every member, regardless of what else they hold.
What it looks like in real life
Collarbone fracture - mid-season
A sanctioned race crash. Private health covers some physio. AusCycling covers 85% of the remaining gap, plus non-Medicare scans.
➔ Gap costs covered - season stays on track
Pothole crash - chipped teeth and scans
A rider hits a pothole on the way to work. Private health covers part of dental treatment. AusCycling covers 85% of remaining dental and imaging costs.
➔ Dental + non-Medicare costs reimbursed
Shoulder injury - six weeks off work
A Sunday ride crash. Cover includes weekly income support, physio costs, and driver services while unable to drive to treatment. Life keeps moving.
➔ Income + rehab costs covered
Serious crash at a state event
A rider is hospitalised at an interstate competition. The policy covers family travel and accommodation while they support the rider — so you’re not facing it alone.
➔ Family travel & accommodation reimbursed
One thing we want to clarify
AusCycling membership insurance is not a replacement for income protection or private health insurance — both of which can cost thousands each year and often don’t cover racing at all. AusCycling insurance cover is designed to fill the gaps they leave, while keeping premiums low.
How AusCycling Compares
| Cover / benefit | AusCycling (Cat A) | Bicycle Network | Bicycle NSW | Bicycle QLD | Private health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race & timed event cover | ✓ Club & Race | ✗ No | ✗ No | ✗ No | ~ Some |
| 24/7 personal accident | ✓ All riding | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ No |
| Non-Medicare medical | Up to $10,000 | Up to $10,000 | Up to $7,500 | Up to $7,500 | Extras $500–6,000 |
| Weekly income support (85%) | $500pw / 52 wks | $750pw / 52 wks | $1,000pw / 52 wks | $800pw / 26 wks | ✗ No |
| Wait period | 14 days | 14 days | 28 days | 28 days | n/a |
| Death benefit | $50,000 | $50,000 | $25,000 | $50,000 | ✗ No |
| Public liability | $20 million | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ No |
| Excess | $50 | $50 | $50 | $50 | $750+ |
| Price from | $149/yr | $149/yr | $141/yr | $143/yr | $977/yr+ |
Need to make a claim?
Visit the Marsh insurance portal or contact Member Services and we’ll guide you through, step by step.
For Clubs & Administrators
Insurance keeps the sport alive
Member insurance doesn’t just protect individual riders. It underwrites the entire ecosystem that makes club cycling possible in Australia.
Clubs can hold sanctioned events
Public Liability coverage is a prerequisite for AusCycling-sanctioned racing. Without it, clubs cannot legally hold events or access venues.
Volunteers are protected
From marshals to trail builders, volunteers on AusCycling-sanctioned activities are covered. Clubs can recruit and retain helpers with confidence.
Events across every discipline
Every sanctioned race on the calendar runs because the insurance program exists and is collectively funded by members.
450+
Affiliated clubs protected nation-wide
000s
Volunteers covered across club activities
3,500+
Sanctioned events run in 2024
Why does insurance cost what it does?
"Insurance makes up 60% of the membership fee. The public liability component is the largest cost, and it's essential; it's what allows clubs to run events and support volunteers.
The premium increased significantly in 2023 due to a high number of public liability claims, many of which date back to 2016, pre AusCycling, and remain open. We have an insurance working group with club input that ensures the product meets the requirements of the club community." - Marne Fechner, CEO
