How many calories are burned cycling: complete guide

Cycling, whether for sport, getting around the city, or weekend trips, is undoubtedly a positive choice for the planet and also, above all, for oneself. The benefits of cycling are numerous: it improves cardiovascular activity, tones and strengthens muscles, alleviates stress, and last but not least, helps control weight. The latter can be a great incentive for many to pedal, but just how many calories are burned while cycling? First of all, we must say that there is no single and certain answer, as it depends on various factors. And especially for our “belief” and our way of seeing the bicycle… cycling is fun, adrenaline, sport, and friendship! We care little about the kilograms that can be lost. However, it is interesting to discover together the benefits that this means of transport can bring to our bodies and our fitness.
Continue reading to find out more!

Physical activity that takes place on a bicycle, whether it is a road bike, a mountain bike, a gravel bike, or a city bike, allows for burning calories and thus losing weight.
How?
The activation and contraction of muscles during movement produce an energy expenditure of our body that burns body calories.

The main factors that influence calorie consumption while cycling are:

• Body weight and physique of the cyclist: age, gender, and weight affect the number of calories burned during a sport activity such as cycling. The energy consumption of cyclists differs, for the same distance and speed, depending on the percentage of muscle mass and fat tissue, hormone levels, and other physiological characteristics of the cyclist.

• Duration: the more you cycle, the higher the calorie consumption will be, but this must be combined with the intensity of the training! 

• Intensity: to burn more, high-intensity pedaling is required, and it may happen that even short but intense rides allow for burning more calories compared to longer rides at a gentler pace.

• Elevation: tackling routes with significant elevation requires greater effort from the body, thereby increasing calorie consumption.

• Wind: The wind can be an ally or an enemy depending on the direction. Headwinds increase resistance and require more energy to pedal.

1 hour of cycling: how many calories are burned?

A cyclist of average weight (about 70kg) can burn between 400 and 1,000 calories in an hour, depending on the intensity of the training, the type of bicycle, and the weather conditions (e.g., presence of headwinds or tailwinds). This is indeed an approximate estimate, as the calculation of calories burned during cycling can be made through various mathematical formulas that take into account several variables such as the individual's body weight, speed, and duration of the activity.

Many athletes wonder whether a nice walk or a cycling trip burns more calories, however there is no single correct answer to this question, as it depends on several factors as mentioned previously, primarily the characteristics of the person and the parameters of the sporting activity being performed (duration, intensity, conditions).

In general, we can say that if we compare, for example, a moderate walk, the calorie consumption per hour is about 250/300 for a subject weighing 70kg, while cycling for an hour at a moderate pace, the same person will achieve a calorie burn of about 450/500 per hour.

It is important to engage in regular and consistent activity to be fit and to benefit from the "weight loss effect" more successfully.

Given the difficulty in calculating the caloric consumption resulting from a sport activity like cycling, the most recommended solution to keep track of your performance and fitness is to choose a good "wearable" device. Smartwatches are indeed wristwatches that offer endless possibilities for use, responses, and capabilities. The best smartwatches on the market, such as the sports watches from Garmin that you can find at Cicli Mattio, offer the possibility of having real-time estimates based on parameters such as heart rate, pace, and duration of the activity, and by performing advanced calculations, they can provide approximate data on energy expenditure and thus calorie consumption, having already in memory the cyclist's characteristics. 

Among the best Garmin models, we mention the Fenix and the Instinct, also available in their "Solar" versions which can recharge thanks to sunlight.

The benefits of cycling are numerous: in addition to the possibility of losing weight and staying fit, cycling keeps the heart healthy and prevents the onset of cardiovascular diseases, does not damage the joints like other sports but at the same time tones and makes the muscles flexible. And it’s good for the mood, keeps you young, and reduces stress! Cycling can be a moment to be with yourself or with whom you wish, to put aside worries and focus only on pedaling!