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Playbook · 02 · Foundation
Sanctioning & insurance
You cannot get a land permit without proof of insurance, and how you insure the race is tied to whether you sanction it. Settle this early — it's the gate the Forest Service, the counties and the ranch all check before they say yes.
Two roads: sanctioned or self-permitted
Gravel is unusual in cycling — many of its biggest races run unsanctioned, on their own insurance. Both roads are legitimate; pick with eyes open.
Road A — USA Cycling sanctioned
USA Cycling (USAC) issues an event permit and, with it, the event's general-liability and participant-excess-accident insurance as part of the sanctioning package. What you get:
- A recognized permit and rulebook (categories, results, officials).
- Event GL coverage and the ability to name additional insureds — the USFS, BLM, counties and the ranch — which is exactly what the permits demand.
- Licensed officials and a results pathway; credibility with sponsors.
Trade-offs: riders need a USAC license or one-day license, you run under USAC rules, and there are permit + per-rider insurance costs.
Road B — self-permitted (independent)
Run it outside USAC and buy your own event insurance from a specialty sports/event insurer (the route many marquee gravel events take). What you get:
- Full control of format and rules (gravel's whole culture).
- Your own commercial GL policy written for the event, with additional-insured endorsements for every land manager.
- No rider-license requirement.
Trade-offs: you source and manage the policy yourself, and you don't get USAC's officiating/results infrastructure — you build or buy it.
What the land managers will demand
- Commercial General Liability — a per-occurrence limit the agency sets (commonly in the $1M per occurrence / $2M aggregate range; the FS may require more for a high-risk mountain event — confirm the exact limit with the district).
- Additional insured endorsements — naming the United States (USFS), the BLM, each county, the City of Leadville, and the ranch owner. Get these named exactly as the permit specifies.
- Certificates of insurance (COIs) delivered before the permit issues, and often auto/excess coverage for event vehicles.
Participant side — waivers & accident cover
- Assumption-of-risk waiver & release — a well-drafted, state-appropriate waiver signed by every rider at registration (electronic is fine). Have a Colorado sports/recreation attorney review it. This is your first line of defense, not an afterthought.
- Participant excess-accident insurance — covers rider medical costs secondary to their own health insurance; included in USAC sanctioning, or added to an independent policy.
- Minors — parent/guardian waivers; decide your minimum age (a 12,000-ft race argues for 18+, or 16+ with a guardian).
Do this, in order
- Decide sanctioned vs. self-permitted by quoting both.
- Bind the policy / permit and get the additional-insured language the land permits require.
- Have counsel finalize the waiver and the entry agreement.
- Deliver COIs to every land manager to unlock the land permits.
Sanctioned vs. self-permitted, side by side
| Question | USA Cycling | Self-permitted |
|---|---|---|
| Insurance | GL + participant excess-accident bundled with the permit | You buy a commercial GL policy from a sports/event insurer |
| Additional insureds | Named through the sanctioning | You direct the broker to endorse each land manager |
| Rider requirement | USAC license or one-day license | None |
| Rules & officials | USAC rulebook, licensed officials, results pathway | Your own rules; you hire officiating/results |
| Format freedom | Within USAC structure | Full — gravel's culture |
| Cost | Permit + per-rider insurance | Policy premium, often scaled to field size |
What the certificate of insurance must show
The COI is the piece of paper that unlocks every land permit. Before you request permits, confirm each authority's exact requirement, then have the broker issue certificates that show:
- Commercial General Liability at the required per-occurrence and aggregate limits (often $1M/$2M, sometimes higher for a high-risk mountain event).
- Additional insured endorsements, worded exactly as each permit specifies — the United States (USFS), the BLM, each county, the City of Leadville, and the ranch owner by legal name.
- Auto liability for event vehicles, and excess/umbrella if required.
- Participant / excess-accident coverage terms.
- Effective dates that cover setup, race days, and teardown, not just race day.
The rider waiver, in plain parts
Have a Colorado sports/recreation attorney draft and review it, but know what it should contain:
- Assumption of the specific risks — altitude, weather, remote terrain, motor-vehicle and other-user traffic, mechanical failure, and the limits of medical response.
- Release and waiver of liability, and indemnification, to the extent Colorado law allows.
- A media/likeness release for race photography.
- Acknowledgment of the mandatory kit and the cutoff and lightning rules.
- Minor provisions and guardian signature if you allow riders under 18.
- Electronic signature captured at registration and stored with the entry record.
Sources
- USA Cycling — event permitting & insurance (usacycling.org, "Race Director" / permitting)
- Specialty event insurers serving cycling/endurance events (e.g., K&K Insurance and comparable sports underwriters) — get direct quotes
- Land-manager insurance requirements — per the USFS/BLM/county permit conditions
Coverage limits, costs and requirements change and vary by permit — verify current specifics with USA Cycling, your insurer, and each land manager. This is planning guidance, not legal or insurance advice; use a Colorado attorney and a licensed broker.