Cycling Calories Calculator

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Cycling Calories Burned Calculator

Calculate your energy expenditure based on speed and weight

kg lbs
Leisurely (under 10 mph / 16 km/h) Moderate (10-12 mph / 16-19 km/h) Brisk (12-14 mph / 19-22.5 km/h) Fast (14-16 mph / 22.5-25.5 km/h) Very Fast (16-19 mph / 25.5-30.5 km/h) Racing (> 20 mph / 32 km/h) Mountain Biking (General/Trail) Mountain Biking (Uphill/Vigorous)
Estimated Energy Burned
0
kcal
Burn Rate
0
kcal/hour
MET Value
0
Intensity

How Cycling Calories are Calculated

To determine how many calories you burn while cycling, we use the Metabolic Equivalent of Task (MET) formula. This is the gold standard used by exercise physiologists to estimate energy expenditure across different activities.

The Scientific Formula

Calories = MET × Weight (kg) × Duration (hours)

What is a MET?

One MET is defined as the energy cost of sitting quietly. For cycling, the MET value increases significantly as you pedal faster or encounter resistance (like wind or hills). Our calculator uses the following MET standards:

  • Leisurely (10 mph): 3.5 METs
  • Moderate (12 mph): 6.8 METs
  • Brisk (14 mph): 8.0 METs
  • Very Fast (18 mph): 12.0 METs
  • Professional Racing: 15.8 METs

Factors That Influence Your Burn

While this calculator provides a highly accurate estimate based on weight and speed, several external factors can influence the actual number of calories burned:

  1. Wind Resistance: Cycling into a headwind requires significantly more power than cycling with a tailwind.
  2. Terrain: Climbing steep hills increases the intensity (MET) compared to flat pavement.
  3. Drafting: Riding in a group behind another cyclist can reduce your energy expenditure by up to 30%.
  4. Bike Type: A heavy mountain bike with knobby tires has more rolling resistance than a lightweight carbon road bike with slick tires.

Example Burn Rates (for a 155 lb / 70 kg rider)

Intensity 1 Hour Burn
Light Pacing ~280 kcal
Moderate Speed ~480 kcal
Vigorous Road Cycling ~700 kcal
function calculateCyclingCalories() { var weight = parseFloat(document.getElementById('cyclingWeight').value); var unit = document.getElementById('weightUnit').value; var duration = parseFloat(document.getElementById('cyclingDuration').value); var met = parseFloat(document.getElementById('cyclingIntensity').value); if (isNaN(weight) || isNaN(duration) || weight <= 0 || duration <= 0) { alert('Please enter valid positive numbers for weight and duration.'); return; } // Convert weight to kg if it was entered in lbs var weightInKg = weight; if (unit === 'lbs') { weightInKg = weight * 0.453592; } // Formula: Calories = MET * Weight(kg) * Time(hours) var durationInHours = duration / 60; var totalCals = met * weightInKg * durationInHours; var calsPerHour = met * weightInKg; // Display Results document.getElementById('totalCalories').innerText = Math.round(totalCals).toLocaleString(); document.getElementById('caloriesPerHour').innerText = Math.round(calsPerHour).toLocaleString(); document.getElementById('metDisplay').innerText = met.toFixed(1); // Show the result area var resultArea = document.getElementById('cyclingResultArea'); resultArea.style.display = 'block'; // Smooth scroll to result resultArea.scrollIntoView({ behavior: 'smooth', block: 'nearest' }); }

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