Olympic cycling success inspires increased female pedal power

If Bradley Wiggins' fairy tale Tour de France victory wasn't enough to make cycling a national sensation in Britain, then the eight gold Olympic medals in road and track cycling that followed appear to have done just that.

Research conducted by Gocompare.com reveals that there's been a 60% hike in women aged between 30 and 34 opting for increased bicycle cover since the London 2012 opening ceremony.

Also indicative of an Olympic-inspired bike fever, Gocompare.com figures show an overall 16% spike in women choosing bike insurance away from the home, while women aged between 35 and 39 doing the same rose by 26%, and 25 to 29-year-old women seeking cover was boosted by 23%.

However, Gocompare.com's John Miles warns would-be road-warriors and more genteel pedal-pushers alike to check their home insurance policy before setting out:

"Many cyclists assume that their bicycles are automatically covered by their home insurance policies, but this may not be the case as bikes are often not covered as standard but as an additional, optional cover.

"Our research shows that only 9 per cent of Brits say bike cover was one of the most important options when setting up home insurance, while a worrying 11 per cent of Brits have had items stolen from a shed, garage or outbuilding. To add to this, while 70 per cent say they lock up their bikes indoors, in a shed or outbuilding our findings show that 14 per cent of people generally leave their bikes unlocked in the garden.

"The guidance we would give to consumers is this: Check that your bike is covered by your existing home insurance policy as it's possible that you may need to extend this to cover stolen or damaged bicycles. It's also worth considering if the level of cover currently provided by your home insurance policy needs to be raised. If you are buying an expensive road bike - for example, carbon fibre road bikes can cost between £1,000 and £3,000 - then you will certainly need to talk to your existing insurer to arrange cover.

"If you need to change your existing cover it may be more cost effective to shop around on price comparison sites such as Gocompare.com, where you stand a real chance of making some savings. However, be mindful if you do change insurer mid-term there could be a cancellation fee on your existing policy."