Bike Security
Insurance companies in the US don't offer bicycle-specific insurance because they're very expensive and relatively easy to "lose". Here are some tips for keeping yours.
Pre-Ride
The race venues themselves have historically been safe. We have never worried about our bikes there. The tricky part is that we tend to go straight from the afternoon pre-ride to dinner, so the bikes are out in a restaurant parking lot. I strongly recommend bringing something to secure your bikes during dinner. We like to have chains and u-locks on our bikes while they're out in the parking lot.
Overnight (hotel)
The team had 3 bikes stolen off of the bike racks in the hotel parking lot overnight 2 years ago at Clearlake, The bikes were locked, but they just cut the cables and took them with the u-lock still locked on the bike. Since then, we always bring the bikes in the hotel overnight unless they're fully inside our vehicle. If they're inside the vehicle, we cover it with a blanket so it's not obvious from outside.
This year, we lost another one at the hotel in Salinas. We locked one on the roof in the morning with a cable, and 4 on the back with a chain and u-lock. Then we went inside for about 20 minutes, and when we came out the roof bike was gone. They tried to cut the chain and get the 4 off the back, but failed. It was light out, and we were parked right in front of the main hotel entrance. Pretty bold. From now on, I won't be leaving the bikes unattended at all at the hotel unless they're chain and u-locked.
Race Day
Again, the race venues have been safe in the past. However, we've seen more than one accidental bike mix-up. There will be several bikes there that look alike, and so keep track of your bike, be thoughtful about where you leave it, and be careful you don't pick up someone else's by accident. We have team stickers that we put on a lot of our bikes, and that helps too - if someone picks up yours by accident, they will bring it back to our tent once they figure out why their seat height and pedals are wrong.
Traveling Home
Like the pre-ride dinner, if you stop along the way home, be sure to lock your bikes on your bike racks. u-locks or chains are recommended if possible. If I'm not sure if I'll stop or not, I wait until we actually stop before I bother to lock them up.
Bike Damage from Locks
Funny thing, in an attempt to keep our bikes, it's all too easy to damage them. Heavy u-locks can crack carbon frames, bend derailleurs, and bend spokes. Especially u-locks that are cantilevered out away from the bike. Take special care when you will drive with a locked bike - imagine that big heavy u-lock bouncing up and down all the way home. Like banging with a hammer for 2 hours. Ask yourself what will happen when it does. is it leaning on something it could bend? will it scratch something carbon that might later break after it's been scratched? Will it rub a thin spot on your brake hose? An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure on this one for sure.
Pre-Ride
The race venues themselves have historically been safe. We have never worried about our bikes there. The tricky part is that we tend to go straight from the afternoon pre-ride to dinner, so the bikes are out in a restaurant parking lot. I strongly recommend bringing something to secure your bikes during dinner. We like to have chains and u-locks on our bikes while they're out in the parking lot.
Overnight (hotel)
The team had 3 bikes stolen off of the bike racks in the hotel parking lot overnight 2 years ago at Clearlake, The bikes were locked, but they just cut the cables and took them with the u-lock still locked on the bike. Since then, we always bring the bikes in the hotel overnight unless they're fully inside our vehicle. If they're inside the vehicle, we cover it with a blanket so it's not obvious from outside.
This year, we lost another one at the hotel in Salinas. We locked one on the roof in the morning with a cable, and 4 on the back with a chain and u-lock. Then we went inside for about 20 minutes, and when we came out the roof bike was gone. They tried to cut the chain and get the 4 off the back, but failed. It was light out, and we were parked right in front of the main hotel entrance. Pretty bold. From now on, I won't be leaving the bikes unattended at all at the hotel unless they're chain and u-locked.
Race Day
Again, the race venues have been safe in the past. However, we've seen more than one accidental bike mix-up. There will be several bikes there that look alike, and so keep track of your bike, be thoughtful about where you leave it, and be careful you don't pick up someone else's by accident. We have team stickers that we put on a lot of our bikes, and that helps too - if someone picks up yours by accident, they will bring it back to our tent once they figure out why their seat height and pedals are wrong.
Traveling Home
Like the pre-ride dinner, if you stop along the way home, be sure to lock your bikes on your bike racks. u-locks or chains are recommended if possible. If I'm not sure if I'll stop or not, I wait until we actually stop before I bother to lock them up.
Bike Damage from Locks
Funny thing, in an attempt to keep our bikes, it's all too easy to damage them. Heavy u-locks can crack carbon frames, bend derailleurs, and bend spokes. Especially u-locks that are cantilevered out away from the bike. Take special care when you will drive with a locked bike - imagine that big heavy u-lock bouncing up and down all the way home. Like banging with a hammer for 2 hours. Ask yourself what will happen when it does. is it leaning on something it could bend? will it scratch something carbon that might later break after it's been scratched? Will it rub a thin spot on your brake hose? An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure on this one for sure.
