11/03/2020

Introducing the Haute Route Brexit Package

What does Brexit mean for Brit’s travelling to the European Haute Route events? Introducing the Haute Route Brexit Package

Britain’s departure from the European Union finally happened at the end of January. Following the referendum three and a half years ago, we’ve been bombarded daily with warnings of chaos for UK travellers heading to the continent, and vice-versa.

So, what has actually changed? Should you pack your bike box away this year and put your dreams of completing an Haute Route on hold?

The short answer is no.

If it feels like nothing has changed, that’s because nothing obvious has immediately changed. The country is now in a transition period and, “According to the FCO (Foreign and Commonwealth Office), UK nationals can continue to travel to the EU exactly as they do now,” says Tom Jenkins, chief executive of the European Tourism Association.

But after years of the country bleating on about Brexit, it’s no wonder people would consider putting their travel plans on hold. Michael Hudson, from Wemberly in Central London, is one such person who has questioned his plans to take part in his first-ever Haute Route this year because of Brexit. (Before we go on - don’t worry. This story has a happy ending and Michael will full his ambition of taking part in the Haute Route Alps this year.)

37-year-old Michael is a committee member at the well know Brixton Cycles Club. He travels annually to Europe for cycling training camps, but Brexit left him with two major concerns; logistics and health insurance.

“I’ve always wanted to do the Haute Route,” explains Michael, who organises the annual London X-League cyclocross race. “But I was making the decision to enter during the period of uncertainty, so it was with a heavy heart I decided not to do it at the end of last year.

“I had a degree of concern about crossing boarders once in the EU and not knowing what that meant. Will there be bigger queues? More paperwork?

“The other aspect was health insurance. There was a lack of clarity on that front, so it impacted my original decision making. I wasn’t clear what would be covered as an immediate health service offering.”

Enter the Haute Route Brexit Package.

While we now know that there will be no additional border checks so queues should not be longer, and the European Health Insurance Card, which entitles the holder to state-provided medical treatment in the EU, will remain valid during the transition period, the Haute Route Brexit Package has been launched to further mitigate any concerns riders might have.

The Brexit Package will include:

- Cancellation insurance, covers riders in case you need to cancel your participation (covers registration and extra services fees) and in case of an accident during the event. Service available during the registration process.

- Bike rental offer with our partner FBR, allowing riders to rent top quality bikes, relieving them of need to travel with a bike box. Service available during the registration process.

- Exclusive offer with Sherpr, for the transportation of rider’s bike boxes from their home to the event. Simply enter HAUTE10 at checkout on Sherpr website to get 10 per cent off.

Michael is the first to take advantage of the Brexit Package which is available now on the website to all UK-based Haute Route riders.

“It was quite doom and gloom, which reduces your confidence in doing an international sporting event such as the Haute Route. I’m now much more confident about the realities of Brexit and what it means. And the Haute Route have thought really carefully about how the risks can be mitigated. When you know that, you can focus on what you wanted to do all along – in my case, ride my bike.”