How Many Calories Do You Burn Cycling: Complete Guide

Cycling, whether for sport, to get around town, or for weekend trips, is undoubtedly a positive choice, for the planet and especially for yourself. The benefits of cycling are many: it improves cardiovascular activity, tones and strengthens muscles, relieves stress and, last but not least, helps control weight. The latter can be a great incentive for many to pedal, but exactly how many calories do you burn on a bicycle? First of all, we must say that there is no single and certain answer, but it depends on several factors. And above all, for our "belief" and our way of seeing the bicycle... cycling is fun, adrenaline, sport and friendship! We don't care about the kilos that can be lost. However, it is curious to discover together the benefits that this means of transport can bring to our body and our physical shape.

Read on to find out more!

Physical activity performed on a bicycle, whether it is a road bike, a mountain bike, a gravel bike or a city bike, allows you to burn calories and therefore lose weight.
How?
The activation and contraction of muscles during movement produces an expenditure of energy from our body which therefore burns body calories.

The main factors that influence calorie consumption on a bicycle are:

• Body weight and physique of the cyclist: age, sex and weight influence the number of calories burned during a sporting activity such as cycling. The energy consumption of cyclists differs, for the same distance and speed, depending on the percentage of muscle mass and adipose tissue, hormone levels and other physiological characteristics of the cyclist.
  
  
• Duration: the more you pedal, the higher the calorie consumption will be, but this must be combined with the intensity of the training!
  
  
• Intensity: to burn more, you need to pedal at a high intensity, and it can happen that even short but intense rides allow you to burn more calories than long rides at a slower pace.
  
  
• Difference in altitude: tackling routes with a good difference in altitude requires greater effort from the body, thus increasing calorie consumption.
  
  
• Wind: The wind can be an ally or an enemy depending on the direction. A headwind increases resistance and requires more energy to pedal.
  
  

1 hour of cycling: how many calories do you burn?

A cyclist of average weight (about 70kg) can burn between 400 and 1,000 calories in an hour, in detail based on the intensity of the training, the type of bicycle and the weather conditions (e.g. presence of a headwind or tailwind). In fact, it is an approximate estimate, as the calculation of calories burned during cycling can be done through different mathematical formulas that consider many variables such as the individual's body weight, speed and duration of the activity.

Many athletes wonder whether a nice walk or a bike ride allows them to burn more calories, however there is no right and unique answer to this question either, because it depends on several factors as seen previously, first of all the characteristics of the person and parameters of the sporting activity that is carried out (duration, intensity, conditions).

In general, however, we can say that if we compare for example a moderate walk the calorie consumption per hour is about 250/300 for a person with a body weight of 70kg, while on a bike in an hour of moderate pedaling the same person will obtain an hourly consumption of about 450/500 calories.

It is important to do activities with consistency and regularity to be trained and to be able to benefit from the "slimming effect" with greater success.

Given the difficulty in calculating the calorie consumption resulting from a sporting activity such as cycling, the most recommended solution to monitor your performance and your physical shape is to choose a good “wearable” device. Smartwatches are in fact wristwatches that offer infinite possibilities of use, responses and potential. The best smartwatches on the market, such as the Garmin sports watches that you can find at Cicli Mattio, offer the possibility of having real-time estimates based on parameters such as heart rate, walking speed and duration of the activity, and by making advanced calculations they are able to provide approximate data on energy expenditure and therefore on calorie consumption, already having the cyclist's characteristics in memory.

Some of the best Garmin models include the Fenix ​​and the Instinct, also available in their “Solar” versions that can recharge thanks to sunlight.

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