'Almost like the plane ran over it': Saskatoon elite cyclist's bike wrecked on Air Canada flight

An elite cyclist based in Saskatoon says Air Canada is denying her claim after her high-performance bike was wrecked.

Diane Bomans recently competed in the UCI World Gran Fondo in Scotland, part of the largest cycling event in the world.

When she arrived home in Saskatoon, her bikes didn’t arrive on time, and when they did a day later, they were severely damaged.

“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.”

While the bike is designed to withstand high-speed crashes and impacts, it was apparently no match for whatever happened during its journey.

“It’s almost like the plane ran over it, that was my first opinion,” said Sarah Robbins, senior sales and bike buyer at Bike Doctor, the local repair shop where the damage was assessed.

“As though it got run over by the plane, that’s kind of the level of impact," Robbins said.

“You might rarely see a minor scuff or maybe a slightly bent derailer, but this is the most severe damage I’ve seen,” she said.

After filing a claim with the airline, Bomans received an emailed response two weeks later denying it.

 “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, such as a perishable or fragile item," the Air Canada email to Bomans said.

In response to a CTV News inquiry, Air Canada provided additional information about its policy, saying bikes "must be placed with handlebars fixed sideways and pedals removed in a rigid and/or hard shell container."

Boman said it's the first she's ever heard of the policy.

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 “Nobody’s ever said to me, it has to be a hard case,” said Bomans, who says rugged soft cases are commonly used by her fellow racers.

“Pretty much everybody I know travels with a soft case and the soft cases are great.”

Facing $10,000 worth of damaged cycling equipment and Air Canada's denial of responsibility, Bomans says her insurance policy came to the rescue.

“I took it out because I was going in these road races and I thought 'What happens if I crash?'"

“If I’m in a road race and there’s lots of people around and I just happen to go down and I damage my bike, that was my thinking for taking out the insurance.”

Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) says it’s a good idea to talk to your insurance broker about coverage limits under your home policy, and whether you need additional coverage. That’s especially true if you have items like expensive bicycles or valuable collections.

"SGI has definitely come through and are going to be able to help me out should Air Canada choose not to,” said Bomans.

Bomans says she understands accidents happen, but she’s frustrated that the airline isn’t taking any responsibility.

“I understand these things happen, I absolutely get that people make mistakes and accidents happen,” she said.

"But people need to take responsibility for it. It’s okay to say ‘We ruined your bike,' but let us make it right.”