Going to mid-France this year for couple of weeks, taking the full-suss but it’s not a biking holiday, there’ll be no uplift, the most extreme it will get will be at Guéret.

Do I need more than just regular travel insurance, jut want something cheap, not intending to injure myself 🙂

You have your EHIC card?

Yes, is that enough for this?

No. EHIC only covers you under reciprocal agreement in the EU that entitles you to the same treatment in hospitals as locals get. If the locals get free health care, then you do too. If they pay for some of it, then so do you. Only for emergency treatment though, and only state hospitals.

It won’t give you recovery off a trail/mountain or ambulance trip if they normally charge for it, or repatriation. It doesn’t replace travel insurance cover for non-medical stuff.

You still need it though as many/most travel insurances will require it and they will provide additional cover beyond EHIC.

If you have travel insurance, check the small print. Mine says MTB but “no extreme terrain” and on enquiry they’re vague but suggest anything other than gravel or tarmac is excluded.

Cover for theft, check your house insurance. Some might cover it, even overseas.

If you want serious insurance, go for Snowcard, Dogtag etc, but sounds like it would be OTT for this kind of trip.

Only for emergency treatment though, and only state hospitals

Any clinique conventionnée (which is the vast majority) and for treatment whether emergency or not you reasonably need there and then. The list of exceptions is quite short and unlikely to concern a holiday maker.

Ambulance trips aren’t expensive but helicopters can be. If you crash where there isn’t vehicle access you’re probably in a place considered extreme by your regular travel insurance. Read the small print.

It won’t give you recovery off a trail/mountain or ambulance trip if they normally charge for it, or repatriation. It doesn’t replace travel insurance cover for non-medical stuff.

Some of the general polices I’ve looked at exclude search and rescue, is that distinct from recovery from somewhere without vehicle access?

Somewhere without vehicle access: ie 1/4 of a mile the other side of a locked gate?

I won’t be riding anything I haven’t done before regarding the terrain, and I expect that most of it will be fairly safe door-step xc type stuff.

Still unsure.