Road Cycling - storms

I mentioned in an earlier thread I was caught in a storm on the outward leg of a ride the other day. There isn't any shelter nearby,just woods on either side of the road. What is the best thing to do in this situation?

as long as its not too windy. keep riding.. slowly if you have too.. urr tires will ground u if there is lightning. if its extremely slippery or too dangerous to ride.. get off urr bike and sit down and hold it so you stay grounded.. walk home..

I could be wrong but I believe that being on your bike in an electrical storm is potentially dangerous and that bicycle tires will not provide adequate grounding for a lightning strike. Steel frame bikes increase the danger. But as I said, I'm not positive as this is only advice that was given to me.

There seems to be a misconception here of the use of the word "grounding."

To be "grounded" means that you have a closed circuit to "ground," - that place where electricity will flow freely and easily. For example, a metal cold water pipe in your house. If you took an electric wire and hooked it up to a pipe in your house and plugged it in, electricity would flow through, and it would be "grounded".

In a similar fashion, when you are "grounded" out in the country, it means that electricity can flow through you easily, such as a lightning strike.

A common misconception is that tires and such keep you from being grounded, providing protection from a storm. Now, think about it for a moment. Here is a lightning bolt with sufficient electrical charge to make its way several thousand feet through a pretty good non-conductor (air) and it hits you on the bike. Do you really think that the inch or so of space from your rims to the ground will in any way deter its descent to its final resting place - the ground? (Actually, some folks think it goes from the ground to the cloud, but that is another discussion.)

Nope. Sorry. Tires and such do NOT keep you from being electrocuted by a lightning stroke. The old axiom - you are safe in a car, is predicated more on the fact that most cars provide a steel shell "surrounding" you and keeping the electricity off of you than any protection from the tires (which probably contain steel, anyway.

So what should you do.

If on a bike out in the open in an electric storm, get off of the bike and take shelter in a building, if possible, or if not, curl up in such a way so that any hit by the lightning will go through your body theoretically missing your vital organs and your head (I don't know how to describe it here).

I read this thread before I went on my ride this morning.Guess what happened.Lightning and hard rain!There isn't anything that will get you moving than thunder getting closer and closer.I learned one thing today about roadbikes.You don't have ANY brakes going down a Big hill in a downpour.Still I had a blast:D

whoa... do NOT hold your bike if you get caught in an electrical storm! bikes are made out of metal! electrons prefer to travel through metal since it is a good conductor... a much better conductor than your body or the air.

This is what I think when I'm out mudding on my 'cross bike on Mount Royal and a thunderstorm comes up...

"Yeah... I'm riding around at the highest point in the city during a thunderstorm... with a large piece of highly conductive metal between my legs..."

I take cover.

If you're in an open area (i.e. you're the tallest thing in proximity)and no cover is available, get off the road and lay yourself and your bike down.

Originally posted by deliriou5
whoa... do NOT hold your bike if you get caught in an electrical storm! bikes are made out of metal! electrons prefer to travel through metal since it is a good conductor... a much better conductor than your body or the air.

I know carbon is conductive but how conductive is a carbon-fiber frame really? There's a lot of composite layering there. I mean, I know if CF structures get hit by lightning without proper discharge paths, they tend to explode but how much more of an attractor to lightning bolts are CF bikeframes than anything else around them.

A cyclist died last year in Sweden after being struck by lightning. It has definitely made me more cautious about riding in such conditions.

/Csson

Originally posted by khuon


I know carbon is conductive but how conductive is a carbon-fiber frame really? There's a lot of composite layering there. I mean, I know if CF structures get hit by lightning without proper discharge paths, they tend to explode but how much more of an attractor to lightning bolts are CF bikeframes than anything else around them.

carbon is conductive depending upon how it is formed. amorphous carbon (coal) and crystalline carbon (diamond) are non-conductive, but graphite is. i think carbon fiber is the graphite form? anyways, i guess my point is, if lightning really hits, holding on to ANYTHING is really not gonna save you. i guess if you're gonna go though, it's nice to go holding something you love :)

I guess I'm fortunate to live in a nice flat desert area. It is not at all uncommon to see a half dozen seperate T-storms while being in perfectly clear, calm weather. I can literally see whether there is lightning, see the direction and speed of travel of each seperate storm and usually actually plan a ride avoiding them.

When there is a storm near my starting point or overhead, I don't ride at all. i might be able to sprint away from a dog with real short legs at this point. But, I doubt I can outrun lightning. maybe next year.

:p

One other thing to consider is the fact that lightning doesn't just strike under or right around the actual thunderstorm. Working in Air Force weather, we worry constantly about the safety of people on the ground during thunderstorms. A few years ago, a crew chief was working on an aircraft engine in Florida. There was a thunderstorm like 20 or 30 miles away. The crew chief was inside the engine area when the plane got struck by lightning. He died. Since then, the Air Force has been a lot more worried about thnderstorms and safety. That incident pretty much proved that during a thunderstorm, lightning can strike well outside the area one would consider the dangerous area (ie right underneath the storm itelf). I agree with the post above stating that the bicycle tires wouldn't do squat to help you if the bike or yourself got hit by lightning. I've seen and heard incidents where a lightning strike has hit cars and gone through tire rims and tires as if the rims and tires were shot with a rifle round. If you're out in a thunderstorm with no place to seek shelter from, I'd just hope that things were going your way that day. I don't really think there is anything you can do that is going to insure you don't get injured. I guess laying down to make yourself as low as possible couldn't hurt. If you feel the hair on the back of your neck start to go up, say you last prayers just in case...

This question has clearly been addressed by people far more expert than I am. I would like to mention something that I saw either in this forum or someplace linked from this forum (everything I know about biking, I've learned from reading here or someplace referred to here.)

The statement was that if you felt the hair rising on the back of your neck preceding a possible lightning strike, to get off and away from the bike, and to scrunch down on the ground as low as possible (I picture a sort of a deep squatting position - you remain on your feet, not lying or kneeling down) while raising your heels up so you're supported on the ground by your toes only - the point being to get as small and low to the ground as possible while simultaneously minimizing your contact with the ground.

Again, I'm not an expert, but I'm sure someone here can confirm whether or not this is the right idea.

Originally posted by Duffy
What is the best thing to do in this situation?
Pray.:D

I was caught in a strom not long ago...nothing is more motivating than seeing lightening strick right in front of you. I personally just pray and hope it doesn't want me today and ride like hell to shelter.
A cyclist around here was killed recently during a storm because a tree that was struck fell on him. Yikes!
:(

As far as lighting is concerned, the bike itself doesn't really make a difference. Steel and alumimum are good electricity conductors, but so is the human body. So having a carbon fibre bike doesn't help significantly. What should you do?

1. If you ride in a dense city, even on Mount Royal (which is right in the middle of Montréal for non-quebeckers), chances of getting hit are minimal. You might as well continue to ride, because there are so many other tempting places to strike... On the other hand, cities offer many places with cover.
BTW, fierce storms in the East are nothing compared to fierce storms in the Canadian Prairies.

2. On the open road, take your pick. If you ride on a road that goes through a forest, you're OK, especially if the forest almost touches the road It's even better if there is a power line along the road (especially on the other side).

3. In an open space, hiding under an overpass is a good option. Hiding under a bridge is also a good one, providing you won't be flooded if the creek becomes bigger with the rainflow.

4. If you are stuck in the Prairies (or other flat environment), lie down in the ditch, away from the bike, and away from water runoff.

Regards,

Nope - do not lie on the ground, even in a ditch. Lightning tends to run in a ditch.

http://www.geocities.com/weathercolco/severe.html

Level 5: Use this only as a desperate last resort! If you are outside and far away from a safer place, proceed to the safest location. If lightning is imminent, it will often give a few seconds of warning: hair standing up, tingling skin, light metal objects vibrating, seeing corona discharge, and/or hearing a crackling sound. If you are in a group of people, spread out so there are several body lengths between each person. Once spread out, use the lightning crouch--put your feet together, squat down, tuck your head, and cover your ears. When the immediate threat of lightning has passed, continue heading to the safest place possible. Remember, this is a desperate last resort; you are much safer following the previous guidance and avoiding this high-risk situation.

ADDITIONAL TIPS AND FACTS FROM WEATHERWATCH:

Stay away from bodies of water such as a pool, pond, or lake during a storm.
Stay away from your windows.
If caught outside during a lightning event, crouch down with your hands on your knees, but do not lie on the ground.

Originally posted by DnvrFox
Nope - do not lie on the ground, even in a ditch. Lightning tends to run in a ditch.

http://www.geocities.com/weathercolco/severe.html

.....


Thanks for the link. It's funny as I remember a slightly different text from Environment Canada (I'll have to dig it out). But they also have something like "rolling in a compact shape while lying close to the ground".

And my idea of a "ditch" was of a shallow one, much like ditches on freeways, where one is able to find lots of place between the road and the bottom part, where runs the water.

I should also add that we are NOT in an area prone to flash flooding, whereas a lot of the U.S. Appalachians are... which might explain the different advices.

Regards,

Just because you read it, doesn't make it true...

The article you cite states that all lightening deaths are due to cardiac arrest or stopped breathing. Technically, true, but...

They are correct, because in a nutshell, there are only two ways to die. Shortness of breath and sudden deceleration are the only ways to perish. This article doesn't include cardiac arrthymias or cervical spinal injuries. Both major injuries in lightening deaths.