Imagine that you’re going to ride in another country. (You like this post so far, right?) You arrive at your destination, go to pick up your bike and…a customs officer says you have to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars or euros or pounds (or its equivalent) to be reunited with your wheels.
That is the nightmare scenario faced a Welsh club faced. They were on their way to do a charity ride in Spain that had been postponed by COVID.
The Tap It Out Cycling club had raised more than 16000 GBP for Prostate Cymru. Perhaps not surprisingly, some members have prostate cancer, so the ride was a personal quest.
Some of the riders flew to Spain and sent their bikes ahead of them, by ferry. When they went to pick up their bikes, border police told them they had to pay an 8500€ (7300£) tariff.
Since Brexit, goods from Wales, which is part of the United Kingdom, have been subject to import fees. The Spanish customs officials were not willing to consider the riders’ appeal that they were not “importing “ the bikes. “It never entered our minds that we were going to sell bikes or be accused of selling bikes,” said group leader Nicky Morgan.
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| Nicky Morgan |
He went on to relate that the club raised money from the club’s coffers to pay for the bikes and commence their ride. But, unless they win their appeal and get their money back, they will have to “fold the club, shut it down,” according to Morgan.
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