A few posts on the Commuting Forum got me wondering... Is there any actual cases of bicyclists being struck by lightning. There are warnings (Natiional Weather Service, etc), but no statistics. I realize that few people (even avid cyclists) would be riding in a thunderstorm, so even ONE case of a lightning strike would be significant. I have found none.

I would not be foolish enough to ride in a flat, open, countryside during a thunderstorm. I DO live in Texas, where violent electrical storms are common all year round. I feel that the surroundings in an urban setting - buildings, power lines, cellular antenna towers, trees, street lighting, etc. - provide adequate protection from lightning. I used to ride in an open, flat, area that had a powerline adjacent to the roadway, and felt that the ground carried at the top of the power poles was adequate protection from a direct lightning strike.

I ride steel bikes, and rather enjoy a good downpour and heavy ligtning. As long as there are other structures, like grounded power lines, nearby, I have no fear of being "fried".

Does anyone have ANY substantiated account of a bicyclist struck by lightning? AT ALL?

dennyd