Riding in a strom - safe?

[walm]

Yes you are more of a target.
Yes you are a pussy.

It is better than golfing though for the simple reason that you aren't waving a conducting rod in the air as you cycle along.

Unless you happen to be cycling across a barren moor (or links course) I would be very surprised if you were the tallest thing around, in which case you are also far safer. How many cars have you heard about that are struck by lightening?

[Engineer1]

Cars act as a bloody good cage against lighting strikes, the electricity flows through the car so provided you don't touch any metal inside you are safe.

[JuniorD]

Riding through lightning is one of cycling's pleasures. Last summer I was caught up in a storm and the lightning was striking down in fields beside the road I was on. The atmosphere was literally electric; you could hear the air cracking after each srike and could smell the burning. Best thing was that I managed to stay a few hundred meters ahead of the rain front so didn't even get wet.

[davefowler1987]

IL_JDM said:

Engineer1 said:

Cars act as a bloody good cage against lighting strikes, the electricity flows through the car so provided you don't touch any metal inside you are safe.

This was my argument, and the tyres are a sufficient thickness for such event.

Common misconception that the tyres make you safe!

Nothing to do with it sadly - Have a look at Faraday Cages if your interester - did a bit on TopGear about it.

So in short your still not "safe" but the probability of being hit is slightly (not much)less, if you are near a taller object.

[dirty doug]

iirc as the lightning strike is coming down, 'feelers' are reaching up from the ground to make contact. There will be many 'feelers' to each bolt coming down and the bolt may connect to more than one 'feeler'. You could have a 'feeler' rising from your head as you bike along in spite of the fact there are many higher objects around. No Faraday cage to protect you on a bike though.... So you're probably safe but you're in deep doodoo if you're hit! Comforting thought though - if you hear the thunder, it missed you!

[zebedee]

dirty doug said:

iirc as the lightning strike is coming down, 'feelers' are reaching up from the ground to make contact. There will be many 'feelers' to each bolt coming down and the bolt may connect to more than one 'feeler'. You could have a 'feeler' rising from your head as you bike along in spite of the fact there are many higher objects around. No Faraday cage to protect you on a bike though.... So you're probably safe but you're in deep doodoo if you're hit! Comforting thought though - if you hear the thunder, it missed you!

yep - there was a brilliant picture I saw (I am sure I did, but I can't find it and am now doubting it!) of a father and his kid in a lightning storm - when it was developed, the 'feelers' were all visible from surrounding trees, buildings etc, including one literally rising from the son's head - a really scary picture! (It didn't hit him, thankfully!) If anyone knows of this pic and can link to it, it would be much appreciated (as proof that I am not going mad)