Calories Burned Cycling Calculator
Estimate how many calories you burn cycling. Pick your body weight, the cycling intensity (from leisurely to racing), and how long you rode, and this calculator returns the calories burned and your burn rate per minute using MET values.
Formula
Calories = MET × weight (kg) × time (hours)
- MET (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) rates how intense cycling is compared with resting (1 MET).
- Calories burned = MET × your weight in kg × time in hours.
- Cycling METs range from about 4 (leisurely) to 15.8 (racing) — pick the speed that matches your ride.
- Heavier riders burn more for the same ride because moving more mass takes more energy.
- Hills, wind, and drafting all change the real burn, so treat this as a solid estimate.
- For accuracy on hard rides, a power meter or heart-rate monitor refines the number.
70 kg rider, moderate pace (MET 8.0), 45 minutes
Inputs
- Body weight: 70 kg
- Cycling intensity: 8.0
- Duration: 45 min
Calories = 8.0 MET × 70 kg × 0.75 h = 420 kcal, or about 9.3 kcal per minute.
Frequently asked questions
How many calories does cycling burn?
It depends on your weight, speed, and time. A 70 kg person riding at a moderate pace burns roughly 400–600 kcal per hour; vigorous or racing efforts burn considerably more.
What MET should I pick?
Match it to your speed: leisure (<16 km/h) ≈ 4 MET, moderate (19–22 km/h) ≈ 8 MET, vigorous (22–26 km/h) ≈ 10 MET, racing (>32 km/h) ≈ 15.8 MET.
Does cycling uphill burn more?
Yes. Climbing raises your effort and your effective MET, so you burn more per minute than riding the same speed on the flat. Choose a higher intensity to reflect hilly rides.
Is indoor cycling the same?
Roughly, if you match the effort level. Spin and stationary bikes burn similar calories to road cycling at comparable intensities — use the MET that fits how hard you're working.
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