Originally Posted by
rm -rf
Bikes are a bit "too" efficient, it doesn't burn a lot of calories when riding at a moderate pace.
A good rule of thumb is around 20-25 calories per mile, often closer to 20. (Long climbs and pushing a fast pace burns more of course.) So a 30 mile ride might only be 600 calories.
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I would come home from a fairly fast group ride and eat a lot of food, I was hungry and tired. It's likely that was a net calorie gain!
A long, steady easy effort ("Zone 2" heart rate) can be good. It's a pace where you can recite the whole alphabet in one breath, where your breathing is easy. A longer ride at this pace can help your body to burn fat reserves instead of carbs, and I'm often not overly hungry afterwards.
A hard ride, with intervals of full effort mixed with easier recovery riding, is good for boosting your cycling muscles. Maybe once a week.
I'm not a big fan of the "rule of thumb" calorie estimate, but that is by far the lowest per mile figure I've seen. Calorie burn is determined in large part by the weight of the rider and the effort of the ride. It increases a lot with speed, climbs and headwinds.
The weight of the rider increases it mostly because the metabolic needs of a larger person are higher, not primarily because of the extra effort needed to propel the larger mass. That 20-25 calorie figure probably only makes sense for a very small rider and/or a very slow pace (single digit mph).