How dangerous is lightning on a bike?

[Wrider]

Yeah not much protection. Here in Colorado earlier this summer a rider in a group was hit by lightning. To put lightning's power into perspective for you, it blew his helmet in half and clear off of his head, then blew him off of his bike. Unfortunately he didn't make it, although with how bad his injuries would have been, it was probably for the better.

The best way to clear yourself of risk is to climb the highest tree around and sit on the top, or if there are not trees to get on as much metal as you can and stand in the middle of an open field.
Oh wait...

Lol the best thing to do is find an underpass that you can hunker down under. Failing that pull over, set your bike on it's kickstand, and get the heck away from it. Make yourself a tiny little target by crouching in a ditch or something, but not laying down. As short and small as possible.

[HYPERR]

Lol the best thing to do is find an underpass that you can hunker down under. Failing that pull over, set your bike on it's kickstand, and get the heck away from it. Make yourself a tiny little target by crouching in a ditch or something, but not laying down. As short and small as possible.

Overpasses are probably a good bet as tons of engineering is involved in building it and it "should" be properly grounded.

Although I don't know about the ones with the steel girders....

[sv-wolf]

I've been in the middle of lightning storms several times while walking on the sides of mountains, and it's very scary (though amazing!) I'm glad to have had those experiences but I can do without a repeat performance.

Absolutely right! if you are riding - get off the bike! get off the bike! get off the bike! I would!

Years ago I came across this survival advice:

stay away from running water, stay out in the open, squat down and keep your legs and feet together.

To that, I'd add get rid of any metal you have on you (like belt buckles). During one storm up in the English Lake District every metal buckle on my rucksack started to humm and glow blue. In that storm the lighting was bouncing down the streams on either side of me. Since then I've had no problem with the advice about staying away from running water. As for keeping my legs together you can be sure I've never had any problem with that either.

I read up about lightning about twenty-five years ago. It is truly crazy stuff. You never know what it will do. I got interested when a house a few hundred yards up the road from me was struck. The people inside were in bed at the time and didn't feel a thing - though they heard the bang. As it went through the house, the lightning stripped large chunks of wallpaper off the wall. It travelled out (or in?) through the waste pipe of the kitchen sink. There wasn't much left of the sink - or the pipe.

[flynrider]

After this xp I am wondering what is the best thing to do in an electric storm if you are already on the bike?

In case you're wondering, yes I'm still here.

Being that I got off very lucky (in that the main bolt hit the nearby guardrail), I'm well aware that a direct strike is likely to kill. Over the years I've heard of many motorcyclists that have been killed by lightning strikes in the summer months.

My practice is now to get off the road and get myself inside a building when the lightning starts. Gas station, conveinience store, rest area restroom, doesn't matter as long as it has a roof and walls.

[RhadamYgg]

I think the general rule is if there is lightning within 16 or 20 miles you can't use a golf course... Probably a similarly good idea if you are on a bike to get off it if there is any lightning in the local area.

[HYPERR]

I think the general rule is if there is lightning within 16 or 20 miles you can't use a golf course... Probably a similarly good idea if you are on a bike to get off it if there is any lightning in the local area.

In downhill mountain biking, anytime they even see a tiny flash of lightning(it can be really far away and be bright sunshine here) anywhere near the mountain, they shut down the lifts.

[Gummiente]

In downhill mountain biking, anytime they even see a tiny flash of lightning(it can be really far away and be bright sunshine here) anywhere near the mountain, they shut down the lifts.

Well... wouldn't want to ruin the safe, relaxed image of downhill mountain biking with a random lightning strike, would we.

[Wrider]

In downhill mountain biking, anytime they even see a tiny flash of lightning(it can be really far away and be bright sunshine here) anywhere near the mountain, they shut down the lifts.

Well... wouldn't want to ruin the safe, relaxed image of downhill mountain biking with a random lightning strike, would we.

I swear, those darn trees and boulders pop out of NOWHERE!
On a related note, you guys should try Peak 9 in Breckenridge, CO during the summer. Some amazing trails coming down the mountain where the slopes usually are.