should you ride when lightning is about

[jawaka]

The odds of being struck are numerically slim, but some situations are clearly going to make it more likely and everyone afterwards would say "that was really silly cycling in a thunderstorm"
So I was recently on the Canal du Midi in Languedoc and a storm blew up; the canal is lined by trees. It looks like being near water is bad and being under trees is bad, so would the best idea be to get off , to leave the canal and get away from the trees, put the bike some distance away and go into the open, or stay on the canal bank find a space between treesand move the bike away ?
A couple of days later I was in the Haut Languedoc and there were storms throughout the evening and night and was still stormy the next morning. I wondered if I should continue. The terrain was exposed moutainside and tree covered stretches. I set off and the storms abated (but it continued raining stair-rods for most of the day).
I had a day in the Alps near Corps where there was a constant rumble of thunder for about 5 hours rolling around the valleys. Now I've heard that a storm doesn't have to be overhead: if you can hear distant thunder then the next strike could be on you.
On the other hand lightening takes the route of least electrical resistance which is why it travels down copper lightening conductor rather than the stone of the spire, so isn't it more likely to choose to strike the aluminium of the bike and go to ground without passing through the rider?
Incidentally lying down seems to be one of the worst things to do.

[[XAP]Bob]

Contrary to popular belief it is not the tyres on a car that protect you - it is the faraday cage you are sitting in.
You are therefore as vulnerable on a bike as walking.

Except that you are also holding a reasonable chunk of metal - which is probably not a good thing, although hard to quantify.

Personally I'd carry on to a pub.

[LollyKat]

My great grandmother claimed to have been struck by lightning as she was riding her bike while holding an umbrella - she ended up in the ditch, very much shocked but otherwise unhurt. Must have been about 1900 .

Of course none of the family believe she was actually 'struck' - overhead lightning and thunder is enough to make anyone jump and fall off.

[gbnz]

The last time I was caught out in lightening, I dived into a ditch

No where exotic; heading North over the Lincolnshire Edge in 2006-2007. It was difficult to avoid seeing the incredible thunder clouds and when the rain started, it seemed to be torrential 1" diameter rain drops Whatever the size, the road on top of the edge was 6" in water after 30-40 seconds....

And then the lightening started; hitting national grid pylons, the atmosphere quite literally making my haid stand upright

&^%%% that I thought, threw the bike down on the verge and dived

I certainly would take a break off the bike during a "lightening" storm

[JohnW]

On my ride home from work, I used to pass under an overhead HT power line which didn't seem any lower than any other power line. However, if it was raining heavily as I passed under it I could always feel a very slight tingling in my hands - cloth bar-tape, soaking wet.

On one occasion I was riding home in one heck of a thunderstorm and cloudburst. I could see a lightening strike the road about about a quarter of a mile in front of me (less rather than more) and I felt the same tingle - but a bit stronger.

[hamster]

You'll get the tingle wherever there is a strong electric field. If you go under a high voltage line at night and hold up a fluorescent tube like Darth Vader it will glow from the field. Sharp objects concentrate the field (that's why lightning conductors are pointy). So standing up on flat land holding up an umbrella or golf club is about as daft as it gets.

The field with be highest at the top of the tallest object - so lying down is a good move, ditch even better. That's why trees get hit, they are highest. Just make sure you are not the tallest thing around and you will generally be OK.

[xpc316e]

I have heard that the best thing to do if caught out in the open is to kneel down, put your elbows and forearms flat and the ground, and tuck your head down in between your arms. I would not want to be riding a metal bike if there was lightning anywhere near.

[wirral_cyclist]

I have heard that the best thing to do if caught out in the open is to kneel down, put your elbows and forearms flat and the ground, and tuck your head down in between your arms. I would not want to be riding a metal bike if there was lightning anywhere near.

The version I heard is to cover your ears and put elbows on the ground so the strike earths through arms not spine. Putting head between knees is an attempt to kiss your arris goodbye surely - or preserve dental records for ID...

Sent from an Android by a human

[rualexander]

Don't lie down, you can get a voltage differential between your head and your feet that will be enough to kill you. Cows are often killed this way having four hooves on the ground they get a voltage between front and back legs if lightning strikes the ground nearby.
I count time between lightning and thunder and if it gets down to ten seconds I seek cover, not a scientific method but ten seconds is 3km.

[LollyKat]

I believe you are correct.......but what to do when there isn't any cover?

[Alex L]

I believe you are correct.......but what to do when there isn't any cover?

Panic and run round in circles screaming?

[MarkF]

If caught out in the open, move well away from the bike, squat down making yourself (the potential conductor) as small as possible and only your shoes touching the ground (hopefully) providing insulation.

[Alex L]

Sorry, am I the only one that isn't really bothered. I'd just carry on. I've been within 30 metres of a lightning strike. (I was inside and the house across the road got struck. There was a boom and that was that).

Sure the advise of crouch down with only your feet touching the floor may be good but how long do you sit like for? An hour or till you lose circulation in your legs?

[alanesq]

I think the chances of actually getting struck are so low as to not be worth worrying about - after all, how many times have you heard of a cyclist being killed by lightening....ok, it does happen, but it is very rare
I would guess you are more likely to be injured trying to find cover than by the lightening it's self ?

If you do find that your hair is standing up though this is another matter - this means you are in very real danger and should get out of the area as fast as possible.
Here is a great video showing how lightening has to find a path before the strike
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1mB5rM8WHU

[canamdad]

About a week ago here in Ottawa, an 18 year old cyclist was killed by lightening in a park while he stopped to put on his waterproof. The woman with him was taken to hospital but survived. I wouldn't take a too casual attitude towards lightening but I'm still not sure what the "right" thing to do is.