Treker

Hi, my nephew and I are planning a 185km (115 miles) this Saturday and our route will take us through a lot of farmland. The forecast is calling for some thundershower activity. Sunday is not really an option.

As two cyclists in an otherwise sea of cornfields, are we more likely than not to attract a lightening bolt? I'm thinking of golfers on the links taking shelter during a storm. Are we in the same boat so-to-speak?

Cheers,

within

start here: https://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/outdoors.htm. Scroll down to the dead cows. I think your asking for trouble anytime outside in a thunderstorm.

merlinextraligh

You're thighest point, sitting on an object with a lot of metal?


What do you think?

Youn need to watch for lightning and lsiten for thunder, realizing that it can strike from a long distance, and take cover with plenty of safety margin.

If you do get caught out, find the lowest point around (probably the ditch on the side of the road. Crouch as low as possible with only your feet touching the ground. Seperate from each other (and the bike) and pray.

https://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/overview.htm

And unfortunately the rubber tires aren't enough to save you.

According to NOAA, even a soft top convertable car isn't a sfe place to be in a thundrstorm

Cyclist01012

I'll ride in rain but when the thunder starts im looking for shelter. Ive holed up on peoples poarchs in barns and on a set of churrch steps more then once.
All it takes is seeing dead cows in a field after a storm to make you think.

DocRay

you should ride with a 8ft aluminum safety flag.

there is no proof those cows weren't killed by Al Queada.

mustang1

Cars are designed to take lightning bolts and to protect the occupants.

wanders

I'm looking for a frame with copper tubing to compliment the 8ft aluminum pole and safety flag.

skinnyone

What are you basing that on?. say a car is stuck by lighting, there really isnt a source of ground/earth nearby to dishcarge as the tires are made of an insulator..

cuski

Or aliens.

CdCf

Tyres have nothing to do with anything when it comes to cars and lightning strikes. The voltage in a discharge is more than enough to jump the short distance from the car to the ground (it did, after all, jump a good distance down through the atmosphere first!).

That said, a car is overrated when it comes to lightning protection. There are many cases where the discharge has passed through the roof and killed the occupants, and even if you survive the electricty (through the Faraday's cage effect), the shock from the blast and the sound could make you deaf or damage your hearing severly, and a weak heart could be dealt a fatal blow in such a situation. If you're moving, the shock of even a near miss is likely to seriously affect your driving, possibly to the point of running off the road or swerving into oncoming traffic. A direct hit could ignite fuel vapours in your tank, if you're unlucky.
A car is NOT a safe place, it's just safer than being out in the open. The safest place is inside a decent building, far away from anything that is connected to ground (anything operating on mains power, plugged-in phone lines, water pipes/sinks/faucets, et c).

Personally, I never ride when there's even a risk of lightning in the area (dark-blue clouds, "cauliflower" Cu or fully developed Cb clouds, strong weather fronts). Unfortunately, that means that close to a third of all summer days are off the menu for me. This summer has been exceptionally bad in this regard...

tsgrab

The electrons from a lightning bolt want to be as far away from each other as possible. In order to do this, they space themselves on the outside of the metal shell they are travelling while traveling to ground. If you are INSIDE a metal car, you are safe as the electrons are on the outside of the vehicle. If you are in a convertable, you are the outside part of the car and are capable of being electrocuted.

I saw on Discovery a man in a giant birdcage being hit by a lightning generator. He could touch the inside of the cage without being shocked.

Phantoj

The frame of the car provides a path for the electrical discharge that's better than the one through your body. I think this is called a "Faraday cage".

The 6" gap from your rims to the ground probably isn't a big deal for an arc that's high enough potential to jump through a mile of sky or whatever.



I don't know much about lightning, but I heard the car is a Faraday Cage.

EDIT - I got to get faster at typing. If you take nothing else away from this post: "FARADAY CAGE"

stapfam

Yet to hear of a cyclist being hit by lightning- worried yes- but hit? Waiting to hear of someone riding and being hit.

cuski

Correct.

jmarkley710

You should ride carbon and tow a lightning rod behind you with a wire dragging on the street. Maybe mount a huge one on top of a kiddy trailer. But make sure you leave the flaps on so people think you're riding with kids in it.

skinnyone

I agree on the skin effect keeping the currents on the outside and the fact that you are likely sitting over a bulk of insulator helps in keeping you safe inside the car. Not too convinced about the jump from the frame to ground.. It did jump a long distance of a thin column of ionized air, sure.. But once it hits the car, it disperses over a wider surface area and hence the potential developed decreases thereby likely making it unsuitable to ionize the path to ground (just a theory). Its likely it finds a path through some dielectric breakdown or even rain water (dirty water is a good conductor for sure).

Edit: the it I refer to often is charge..

ryanspeer

I say ride like a bat outta hell, defy the weather, and have a story to tell your grandchildren some day.

Or, if you don't want to turn out like those cows, I'd stay home, make a big batch of oatmeal raisin cookies, and proceed to eat them all along with a big glass of whole milk (or half'n'half).

My $.02.

mayukawa

Just put on the Faraday Cage (knight's armour) and off you go. You won't get electrocuted, though you might get fried (as lightning heats up nearby air pretty good).

within

Oh man. My cousin Tommy was hit and killed by lightning riding down his street 30 years ago. He was around seven at the time.

twobikes

It is refreshing to see most people posting on this thread recognize the danger of lightning and even make reference to lightning safety pages. Several months ago I suggested it is dangerous to ride near thunderstorms. Several posters ridiculed me strongly and said there is more chance of winning the lottery than of being struck by lightning. They said they would take their chances. Can anyone say, "Darwin award?"

beaus pete

ummmm DUH you de de de....

ojdidit

A guy I ride with got hit by lightning a couple of years ago and was thrown 30 feet. At first the injuries from hitting the ground were the problem but long term the lighting doing nerve damage continue to be a problem.

Don't mess with lightning.

I was riding in a storm and lightning struck a telephone pole about 40ft from me. Lots of sparks and got my attention.

On a side note I saw a spider bite victim on Break.com.....crap! now I'm afraid of spiders. Don't look for the video it is nasty. The older I get the bigger woose I become. I also don't dive into the corners on the final lap of a crit the way I used to

merlinextraligh

Which was my point with the convertible analogy. You're definitely on the outside of the bike, with no protection.

JLauren

Also remember that lightning is not the only danger from a thunderstorm (the most spectacular, but not the only danger).

Thunderstorms can produce large hail. Imagine getting pelted by golf balls, or chunks of ice the size of softballs.

High winds can blow you around, or blow debris into you. Even in the absence of a tornado, straight-line winds can blow sizable objects into you.

Will G

Most airports and all Air Force bases clear the ramp of people with lightning within 5 miles since folks have been struck with storms that distant.

The other option: Find a friend who golfs. Steal his/her 1 iron. Hold this club over your head. Why? Even God can't hit a 1 iron.