Calories burned cycling? It depends...
06-22-09, 12:39 PM
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Calories burned cycling? It depends...
Q: How many calories are burned during cycling?
A: Depends. On several factors.
Below are the results of several online calorie calculators for a 200 pound 53-year-old man riding 70 miles (5 hours) averaging 14 miles per hour. I think it's safe to say the 200 pounder burns about 4000 calories. So many factors affect calorie burn rate it's impossible to accurately calculate calorie burn without sophisticated instruments. If you ride 3 or more times a week 20 or more miles per ride averaging 14 or more miles-per-hour your are doing VERY well indeed. If you stop by Dunkin Donuts for an apple fritter or 2, uh, not so much.
4545 cal - https://www.csgnetwork.com/caloriesactburned.html
2130 cal - https://www.kanbike.org/pages/cal.php
2363 cal - https://www.geocities.com/SiliconVall...alcApplet.html
3960 cal - https://www.healthstatus.com/cgi-bin/calc/calculator.cgi
4778 cal - https://www.dietandfitnesstoday.com/c...ation=300&id=6
4146 cal - https://www.stevenscreek.com/goodies/calories.cgi
4082 cal - https://www.caloriesperhour.com/index_burn.php
3810 cal - https://www.fitwatch.com/phpscripts/v...neral&mets=8.0
- Jimbo
A: Depends. On several factors.
Below are the results of several online calorie calculators for a 200 pound 53-year-old man riding 70 miles (5 hours) averaging 14 miles per hour. I think it's safe to say the 200 pounder burns about 4000 calories. So many factors affect calorie burn rate it's impossible to accurately calculate calorie burn without sophisticated instruments. If you ride 3 or more times a week 20 or more miles per ride averaging 14 or more miles-per-hour your are doing VERY well indeed. If you stop by Dunkin Donuts for an apple fritter or 2, uh, not so much.
4545 cal - https://www.csgnetwork.com/caloriesactburned.html
2130 cal - https://www.kanbike.org/pages/cal.php
2363 cal - https://www.geocities.com/SiliconVall...alcApplet.html
3960 cal - https://www.healthstatus.com/cgi-bin/calc/calculator.cgi
4778 cal - https://www.dietandfitnesstoday.com/c...ation=300&id=6
4146 cal - https://www.stevenscreek.com/goodies/calories.cgi
4082 cal - https://www.caloriesperhour.com/index_burn.php
3810 cal - https://www.fitwatch.com/phpscripts/v...neral&mets=8.0
- Jimbo
06-22-09, 12:50 PM
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4000 calories for a 70 miles ride at 14mph is way over estimating. According to my HRM 6k elevation gain over a 70 miles ride at 17mph was only 2800 cal.
Granted I weight 151lb.
Granted I weight 151lb.
06-22-09, 12:54 PM
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I can't say that the 4000 calorie estimate is correct or not, but I can guarantee you that I will burn more calories at 210 lbs than you will at 151 lbs, all other things being equal (speed, distance, elevation gain, etc...)
06-22-09, 12:57 PM
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If my math is right that comes to 58 calories per mile which might be abit ambitious. My guess would be that hed be burning more in the 40 to 45 calorie per mile range. My HRM also calculates calories and is brutally honest.. It give me on average about 35 calories per mile unless I ramp it up.
06-22-09, 12:59 PM
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06-22-09, 01:00 PM
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06-22-09, 01:01 PM
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I weigh 200lbs and I can tell you that 4000 calories for 5 hours at 14mph is way overstated. I've done Centuries in 4 hours and change and burned less than 3000 calories.
If you want to know the calories you are actually burning, buy a power meter. (which given the efficiency fudge factor between KJ and Calories will be accurate plus or minus 5%, https://www.saris.com/CalorieCalculator.aspx)
Otherwise, realize that calories calcualted from Garmins, HRMs, and online calculators, are pretty much crapshoots.
If you want to know the calories you are actually burning, buy a power meter. (which given the efficiency fudge factor between KJ and Calories will be accurate plus or minus 5%, https://www.saris.com/CalorieCalculator.aspx)
Otherwise, realize that calories calcualted from Garmins, HRMs, and online calculators, are pretty much crapshoots.
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06-22-09, 01:02 PM
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Why do you hate apple fritters?
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"Let us hope our weapons are never needed --but do not forget what the common people knew when they demanded the Bill of Rights: An armed citizenry is the first defense, the best defense, and the final defense against tyranny. If guns are outlawed, only the government will have guns. Only the police, the secret police, the military, the hired servants of our rulers. Only the government -- and a few outlaws. I intend to be among the outlaws" - Edward Abbey
06-22-09, 01:02 PM
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https://www.noping.net/english/ says around 1500. It only takes about 88 watts to maintain 14mph at 200 lbs.
06-22-09, 01:10 PM
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I weigh 200lbs and I can tell you that 4000 calories for 5 hours at 14mph is way overstated. I've done Centuries in 4 hours and change and burned less than 3000 calories.
If you want to know the calories you are actually burning, buy a power meter. (which given the efficiency fudge factor between KJ and Calories will be accurate plus or minus 5%, https://www.saris.com/CalorieCalculator.aspx)
Otherwise, realize that calories calcualted from Garmins, HRMs, and online calculators, are pretty much crapshoots.
If you want to know the calories you are actually burning, buy a power meter. (which given the efficiency fudge factor between KJ and Calories will be accurate plus or minus 5%, https://www.saris.com/CalorieCalculator.aspx)
Otherwise, realize that calories calcualted from Garmins, HRMs, and online calculators, are pretty much crapshoots.
06-22-09, 01:14 PM
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60 miles a week at 14 mph is a pittance
06-22-09, 01:22 PM
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All of your sources are based on NO POWER ESTIMATE.
Use the Kreuzotter calculator... the noping link above.
Using that:
for 155lbs, 70 miles, 1% grade, 19 mph, it estimates 205 watts average and 2610 calories.
for 205lbs, 70 miles, 1% grade @ 19 mph, it estimates 247 watts average and 3129 calories.
I find the first estimate to be reasonably accurate (+/- 20%). I would expect the second estimate to also be reasonable accurate to +/- 20%.
The real caveat is this: If you are not very fit (and a 14mph pace might indicate that you are just starting out) then your efficiency might be MUCH lower, and you may use more calories. But I would be suprised if you used more than the 19mph pace for a fit rider.
Use the Kreuzotter calculator... the noping link above.
Using that:
for 155lbs, 70 miles, 1% grade, 19 mph, it estimates 205 watts average and 2610 calories.
for 205lbs, 70 miles, 1% grade @ 19 mph, it estimates 247 watts average and 3129 calories.
I find the first estimate to be reasonably accurate (+/- 20%). I would expect the second estimate to also be reasonable accurate to +/- 20%.
The real caveat is this: If you are not very fit (and a 14mph pace might indicate that you are just starting out) then your efficiency might be MUCH lower, and you may use more calories. But I would be suprised if you used more than the 19mph pace for a fit rider.
06-22-09, 01:28 PM
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06-22-09, 01:29 PM
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The real caveat is this: If you are not very fit (and a 14mph pace might indicate that you are just starting out) then your efficiency might be MUCH lower, and you may use more calories. But I would be suprised if you used more than the 19mph pace for a fit rider.
If you use a 1.1 C to KJ ratio you'll be within +/- 5%. Based on Lim's lab tests the conversion factor is 1.05 for the most efficient cyclist, and 1.15 for the least efficient.
https://www.saris.com/CalorieCalculator.aspx
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06-22-09, 01:31 PM
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correct
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"Let us hope our weapons are never needed --but do not forget what the common people knew when they demanded the Bill of Rights: An armed citizenry is the first defense, the best defense, and the final defense against tyranny. If guns are outlawed, only the government will have guns. Only the police, the secret police, the military, the hired servants of our rulers. Only the government -- and a few outlaws. I intend to be among the outlaws" - Edward Abbey
"Let us hope our weapons are never needed --but do not forget what the common people knew when they demanded the Bill of Rights: An armed citizenry is the first defense, the best defense, and the final defense against tyranny. If guns are outlawed, only the government will have guns. Only the police, the secret police, the military, the hired servants of our rulers. Only the government -- and a few outlaws. I intend to be among the outlaws" - Edward Abbey
06-22-09, 01:34 PM
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Depends on whether you call a power tap a sophisticated instrument. As explained by Dr Lim in the link I posted, once you have power data, you can get it to +/- 5% applying known efficiency data to convert Kilojoules to calories.
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06-22-09, 01:41 PM
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if you want to approximate, a rough guide is 500 calories an hour. other then buying a powermeter that is close enough.
06-22-09, 01:44 PM
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70 miles, 4000 calories. Say your body also needs 2000 per day, that's total 6000 a day. That's a lot of food and drink, my highly scientific rationalisation says that's too much. I usually don't even double eat during/after long rides.
Curious that you've averaged out so many different (and supposedly reliable) sites and everyone here thinks they're tosh.
Curious that you've averaged out so many different (and supposedly reliable) sites and everyone here thinks they're tosh.
06-22-09, 01:48 PM
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It's fun to play around with calorie burn, heart rate etc. but I just hang glide and cycle to have fun and get away from the computer desk
- Jimbo
06-22-09, 02:16 PM
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06-22-09, 02:25 PM
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The kreuzotter calculator does. And it also tends to agree more or less with all of our power meters. Which none of the "calorie counting" sites do.
Just because there are 10 voices asserting a "fact" does not make it true. No matter how much you may wish it were true.
Here's a bit of trivia: Womens dresses all migrated from the standard sizing developed by the government where a mannequin size 8 = a rack size 8, to where a rack size 8 = a mannequin size 12.
Why?
Well which are you going to go back to, the brand of dress that says you're a size 12 (the site that says you burned 3000 calories), or the one that says you're a size 8 (the one that says you burned 5000)?
Last edited by nycphotography; 06-22-09 at 02:35 PM.
06-22-09, 02:25 PM
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Don't get you panties in a bunch. Generally speaking an average Saturday club ride is 40-50 miles. It's all a matter of perspective. For example my commute one-way is 65 miles.