Canadian Diane Bomans was having the time of her life at the 2023 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships last month in Scotland, placing 9th in the Individual Time Trial and 22nd in the gran fondo road race, but the trip home turned into a nightmare when Air Canada destroyed both of her bikes.
After landing in Saskatoon, Bomans went to claim her bikes, but they never showed up. When they did show up a day later they were severely damaged – totaled.
“I took one look at the bag and I was like, oh my god look at the damage to the bag,” said Bomans. “And I could only imagine what was on the inside.”
When she took the bikes to local bike shop to get them evaluated, the mechanic was also shocked. “As though it got run over by the plane, that’s kind of the level of impact,” said Sarah Robbins after examining the broken bikes. “You might rarely see a minor scuff or maybe a slightly bent derailer, but this is the most severe damage I’ve seen.”
Her Cervelo time trial bike had multiple frame cracks and her aero helmet was ruined, while her 2023 Cervélo Soloist road frame also had structural frame damage.
Bomans filed a $10,000 CAN claim with Air Canada for her loss, but they quickly declined it and denied any responsibility for the damage, writing, “The airline’s liability for loss, damage or delay of checked baggage is limited. The carrier may refuse claims based on the inherent nature of an item or for loss or delay of unsuitably or inadequately packed items (e.g, perishable/fragile item), adding “[bicycles] must be placed with handlebars fixed sideways and pedals removed in a rigid and/or hard shell container.”
Air Canada’s response is normal and typical for all air carriers worldwide.
Boman’s assumed that with most cyclists using soft side cases to transport bikes it must be safe, when seasoned racers know it is anything but. Hard cases are the best way to assure bikes travel unscathed and arrive safe. It takes a bit more work to dismantle and pack a bike in a hard case, but it is worth it for peace of mind.
If you plans include a lot of air travel with bike you might consider investing in a custom built case. Gran Fondo Daily News reader Michael Mullen of the Czech Republic sent us the following picture of his top-of-the-line custom hard case made to fit TWO bikes!
Keep in mind, there is nothing worse than training all year, spending a big wad of money traveling to a bucket list event like the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships and then sitting by the side of the road as a spectator due to a careless airline baggage handler who destroyed your bike.
Photo Credit: Facebook/diane.bomans; Michael Mullen
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