Cycling Calorie Burn

How it works

We use the MET (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) formula: calories = MET × weight (kg) × hours. MET values come from the American College of Sports Medicine's 2011 Compendium of Physical Activities — 4 MET for leisure cycling (under 16 km/h), 6–8 MET for moderate (16–22 km/h), 10–12 MET for vigorous (above 22 km/h), and 16 MET for racing pace. Indian terrain (Mumbai sea-link rides, Lalbagh laps, Cubbon Park, ridges in Lutyens Delhi) plays into pace and effort.

Worked example

A 70 kg cyclist riding 45 minutes of moderate-pace 7 MET in Lodhi Garden Delhi burns 7 × 70 × 0.75 = ~367 kcal — roughly one masala dosa or two rotis with sabzi. Bumping the pace to vigorous 10 MET on the Mumbai Bandra-Worli sea face for the same 45 minutes burns ~525 kcal, comparable to a small plate of biryani. Daily 30-minute moderate rides 5 days a week add up to ~1,200 kcal/week, in line with WHO and IDA exercise recommendations for adults.

When to use this

• Tracking calorie balance for an Indian weight-loss plan alongside food intake
• Setting realistic targets for a Yulu, Bounce or owned hybrid cycle commute
• Planning training load before a BRM (Brevet de Randonneurs Mondiaux) 200 km event

See our cycling calories in Indian context guide, or balance the food side with the biryani calorie and carb counter tools.