Sometimes people have called me a worry wort because I don't ride if lightning is present within sight or hearing.

But just yesterday a second strike, this one was within 3 miles of my commute. Glad I passed on riding home yesterday. Here's the news article about both strikes.

https://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_3965395

I avoid it, if it seems like it'll go away quickly I'll wait for the lightning to pass then ride out. But I can't say I've never ridden in lightning before. I did it all the time as a kid... had to get those newspapers delivered one way or another, the paper company didn't care what the weather was, papers were to be delived by 5. Hence I rode in lightning plenty with that job.

yeah. running in the lightning was fun when i was a wee one. however. i would avoid it now. not that there's many lightning days here.



hey. this article mentions something about being killed in a car by lightning. how could you get killed? i mean if the window was down, sure. or if the car has all metal interior, sure. but that makes no sense to me. unless you can electrocuted through all that rubber, vinyl, and upolstrey(sp?).

When backpacking, if lightning is present, one is supposed to remove his pack (with a presumably aluminum frame) and move to a safe area.

Ergo, I wouldn't ride my bike when lightning is near.

Better to be a LIVE worry wart.

I wouldnt worry about it if there were tall buildings or trees near me, as they would take the hit, but I wouldnt ride in the open or shelter under the tallest tree. When you first hear thunder it is time to plan for action - stay where you are or move to a safer place.

I heard this a while back and may not remember it quite right but... Supposedly if your car is hit by lightning the rubber tires will help prevent you from being injured, but you must also avoid moving, the car acts a capacitor, storing charge for a while, and if you move wrong (especially if you touch something connected to ground), the charge stored on the car will travel through you. Okay, I'm not a lightning expect and I heard that several years ago, so make of that what you will.

I was caught out in the eastern edge of that storm yesterday. Fortunately, I was basically home when the dangerous stuff started. It was far worse to the west.
Still, I read that story this morning with a pit in my stomach. Poor biker.

I know the feeling. I was going to ride out, and then realized I forgot to schedule a dentist appt. During the scheduling loud booms. I was thinking of just waiting it out, but was real hungry. Wife called worried so I took the opportunity to bail and hit CBPotts. Excellent beer.

I ride about 9 inches off the ground. I'd have to be riding in a grassy field to be taller than my surroundings! I avoid lightning storms because I'll probably get soaked to the bone...

The action of a car being hit by lighning is called a Faraday cage... and it is not so much the rubber tires as it is the mostly solid metal "cage" surrounding you coupled with the high frequency effects of lightning and the low resistance of the metal cage around you.

See this link: https://www.lightningsafety.com/nlsi_...le_strike.html

Yup. Knew it had been too long since I saw that program. Knew I'd get it wrong. Shucks.

We get lightning once or twice a year here; one or two bolts each time. usually in the evening when I am already off the road. It does not even enter into my planning.

This is real smart guys - riding in lightning storms. The nice thing about lightning is: get hit once and you won't be doing it again.

So go ahead - it should help to weed out the lame-brain's from the rest of us.

There's this woman who got hit by lightning thrice. First time, I think was outside. Second time was when she was talking on the phone. Third time was when she was washing her hands and the lightning hit her house then got transfered to her plumbing system. Sh'es still alive today.

Aren't you the guy that ripped someone off in the road forum?

And on the flip side, we get lightning so frequently here that if I chose not to ride every time there was a chance for lightning, riding my bike to school would not be a viable option.

Honestly, it is just one of those things where the risk is low enough I don't worry about it. I worry a hell of a lot more about being hit by a car than by lightning. The reduced visibility from the rain is much more likely to keep me off the bike.

If you want to believe Nessism's whining and BS, be my guest. It was he who borked the deal, but I'll bet that part wasn't mentioned - all of which has nothing to do with this thread.


Do you think everyone would be that lucky? Would you want to take the chance?

I wasnt even implying anything, just sharing an interesting tidbit.

"In the case of a nearby lightning strike, crouch down, put your feet together and place your hands over your ears - a lightning strike can crush ear drums."

I dunno about you guys, but in the milliseconds between a "nearby lightning strike" and the arrival of the thunderclap, I don't think I'd have quite enough time to assume a protective position. What kind of idiot wrote that? The only time there's a significant gap is when it's miles away, at which point the thunder isn't going to crush your eardrums.

Also chicbicyclist, I personally differentiate between being "hit" by lightning, as in: standing in an open field on top a hill yelling mean things about God's mother, and being "shocked" by lightning, as in washing your hands when your house gets hit.

Lots of people survive getting shocked, not so much getting hit.

Real bad luck for that motocyclist. Kind of like the hiker that was trapped when a rock fell on his arm and he had to cut it off.

If lightning is close, naturally take cover. It usually passes quickly. If it's off in the distance, there is really no reason to worry about it.

Maybe you should perform some research or ask a few questions before posting idiotic responses like that.
Storms in the Denver metro area frequently arrive unannounced and leave as fast. Good luck trying to avoid them. Occasionally you are stuck outside when a storm occurs. Personally, I head for a residential area. Plenty of other objects to draw lightning.

Please believe me if your car is directly hit by lightning you will fry. I have seen the results of a car struck by lightning and the whole interior burned up in one second. If anyone was in that car they would have been a gonner but it was just parked and empty. The rubber will protect you from nearby strikes though this is true as well as the faraday cage effect. But a direct hit is so hot and powerfull it will go right through your car. When you think about it take a static shock at the end of your finger, the 2 milimeter arch of 'lightning' goes from your finger to the tip of your dogs nose. Well a bolt of lightning is a jump of hundreds if not over 1000 feet so the 2 inches of rubber on your car aint gonna stop it.

I was out riding trails the other day in clear skies. 2 hours into the ride, we hear thunder. We start to make the 5-mile route to the quickest exit. 30 seconds later, more thunder, and it starts sprinkling. By this time the skies are gray. By the time we got back to our car, it was pouring, gusting to about 35mph, and lightning every 10-20 seconds. Oklahoma requires planning for many situations, not just the ones on the radar.

MIGHT fry. Has to do with the construction of your car, how wet your car is, whether you're touching anything metal that connects to the outside, and how lucky you are.


Fear of lightning is a good thing - it's dangerous. However, if I stopped doing things I liked to do because it might put me in danger of lightning strike (like backpacking and riding), I would have hardly any fun. Learn to minimize your risks (know where to be when lightning strikes) and how to minimize damage (learn the "lightning position" crouch) and chances are, you'll be fine.

As mentioned before, we often don't have much notice of when a thunderstorm is moving through. The crouching manuever is used when you feel the electricity in the air. The hair on your neck will stand up and you really can feel the charge building. If you are the tallest thing around, you'd better make yourself short in a hurry.

Colorado's thunderstorms have an intensity that is difficult to fathom if you've never been in one. Because the storms grow in the mountains and move down on to the plains, they have a terrific amount of charge in them. And, because the air mass is moving downhill, they have terrific speed in some cases up to 40 mph! Here you can also be hit by what is call 'clear air lightning' which may be far in advance of the actual storm. So you may not even have warning.