Cycling in Lightemning

MIsterGoof

I'm doing the burgess hill sportive on Sunday, auntie says its gonna be lightening.

Whats the best thing to do to avoid being hoy?

Cycle alongside someone taller ?
any tips anyone ?

fast as fupp

wear a rubber gimp suit

fast as fupp

:shock:

dennisn

Don't ride when you SEE lightning strikes. Here in the states race officials must wait at least
30 minutes after you seeing a lightning strike before you can start or resume a
UC Cycling Federation race. Death from above isn't only about airplane bombing runs.
Call it a day - plenty of time in this life left for dying and riding.

Dennis Noward

MIsterGoof

fast as fupp wrote:

wear a rubber gimp suit

thanks, I'll have to find something else to wear on Saturday night

boybiker

fast as fupp wrote:

wear a rubber gimp suit

but thats what I wear when I am not riding. :?

feel

I would think you won't be hit as you are insulated from the ground in the same way that cars are never hit.

As long as you don't stop and put a foot down

LangerDan

feel wrote:

I would think you won't be hit as you are insulated from the ground in the same way that cars are never hit.

As long as you don't stop and put a foot down

Cars are not insulated - when you think about the distance a lightning bolt travels though the air, the 12" gap between your cars chassis and the ground is not going to present much of an impediment. The cars shell acts as a Faraday cage:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faraday_cage

Unless the tubes of your bike frame are huge and you can shelter inside them , your bike won't be much use.

ride_whenever

Rowing regattas have to be stopped too in the event of lightning, if i were you I'd go anyway. Your chances of being struck are small and you're fairly likely to survive anyway.

OffTheBackAdam

Avoid golf courses and mountain tops.
Not wearing a copper helmet with a spike ontop in advisable.
Not shouting out "All gods are bastards" is also good sense.

ride_whenever

you could wear chainmail which should act as a faraday cage hopefully.

Jez mon

Weld a Faraday cage onto your bike and claim it's a fairing....or don't incase of any UCI officials.

cougie

I'd just go for it anyway. The forecasts are usually wrong - and if it does get to lightning - hopefully you will have finished.

Mike Healey

As I never tire of writing, a work colleague, many years ago (early 70s) was hit by lightning while cycling home. He spent the night in hospital.

His name was Alan Crisp

sicrow

Take a 1 iron out with you on your bike - even God can't hit a 1 iron

feel

LangerDan wrote:

feel wrote:

I would think you won't be hit as you are insulated from the ground in the same way that cars are never hit.

As long as you don't stop and put a foot down

Cars are not insulated - when you think about the distance a lightning bolt travels though the air, the 12" gap between your cars chassis and the ground is not going to present much of an impediment. The cars shell acts as a Faraday cage:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faraday_cage

Unless the tubes of your bike frame are huge and you can shelter inside them , your bike won't be much use.

If i can change my original reply to "cars are very very rarely hit" this is because they are insulated. The rubber of the tyre insulates them. Lightning will travel along a pathway of least resistance which will usually involve hitting tall objects such as trees (although it can break out of it if a person is standing beside the tree) or tall buildings. Given a choice the lightning is much more likely to carry on through the air than go through the car. Any insulator can be made to conduct if the voltage applied across it is big enough which is the point i think you were trying to make. The idea of Faraday cages just explains why in those very rare occasions that cars are hit the charges rearrange themselves so that the occupants are not harmed.
Statistics i think show that moving/running people are more likely to be hit than stationary ones so maybe a rider should just do a mega track stand. I, of course, would just climb inside my bike frame