Watch out for thunderstorms: The most important tips for mountain bikers

Unlike in a car, mountain bikers are not safe in a thunderstorm and are at risk of being struck by lightning. Bikers lack the Faraday cage that protects them in a car.

So beware: If the altitude reading on the speedometer shoots up even though you are riding comfortably downhill, this could be a sign of an approaching thunderstorm. Bike computers often determine the altitude barometrically, i.e. via the measured air pressure. If a thunderstorm is approaching, the air pressure drops and can falsify the measurement.

Sure harbingers of a thunderstorm are clouds and the distant rumble of thunder. Then you should look around for the nearest hut (with a lightning conductor) or a bridge made of steel (concrete).

Tip: Count the time between lightning and thunder in seconds. The time in seconds divided by three gives you the approximate distance of the thunderstorm in kilometres. It gets dangerous after five seconds!

If it's already crashing above you and lightning is flashing through the sky: get off your bike quickly and stay as far away from it as possible - especially in open terrain. Roland Huhn, Head of the Traffic and Technology Department at the ADFC, advises: "At the lowest point of the terrain, you should squat down with your legs closed, your arms close together and your feet together." This minimises the risk of lightning striking nearby. If cyclists are travelling in a group, they should squat individually and never stand close together or touch each other.

You are relatively safe in a forest with uniformly tall trees, but you should keep away from the edge of the forest and the tree trunks and do without the rain protection of the branches - avoid tall trees that stand out individually, and trees standing alone in open fields anyway.

In the mountains, caves and rocky outcrops give the illusion of safety. But beware: if lightning strikes the rock face above, the current will take the shortest route - through the biker's head. So the same applies here: crouch down in the rain a good two metres in front of the rock face, put the bike far away and wait.

Struck by lightning - what to do?

- Move away from the danger zone. Try to get yourself and the victim off the summit or hill.

- Pull out your mobile phone and alert the rescue services quickly. Important: If there is no reception, organise the rescue so that the victim is not left alone.

- Do not allow the injured person to cool down.

- Look for the entry and exit wounds of the lightning strike on the body. Cool these areas.

So it's better to stay at home when a thunderstorm is forecast? Not at all!

However, the danger of a thunderstorm does not necessarily mean that you have to stay at home if there is a risk of thunderstorms. In summer, it usually thundersnows in the afternoon, so you can leave in the morning. And what's more, the moment when the sky opens up after a thunderstorm is a wonderful thing. With this in mind - ride on!