How many calories does cycling burn?

Cycling burns roughly 25 to 50 calories per kilometer for a 70 kg adult on flat road, depending on speed. At a leisurely 15 km/h (9.3 mph) the rate is about 30 kcal per km; at a brisk 25 km/h (15.5 mph) it climbs to about 40 kcal per km. Per hour numbers are more consistent across speeds because faster cycling covers more distance: 400 to 500 kcal per hour at moderate effort, 700 to 900 kcal per hour at hard effort.

Does road grade really change calorie burn that much?

Yes, substantially. A 5 percent uphill grade roughly doubles the energy cost compared to flat road at the same speed; a 10 percent grade triples it. The reason is that climbing adds gravitational work proportional to your weight, bike weight, and elevation gained. Downhills reduce the cost but only down to a floor of about 2 to 3 METs (basic balance and steering effort). A long flat ride and a hilly ride of the same distance can burn very different totals.

Is cycling or running better for calorie burn?

Per hour, running at moderate pace burns more calories than cycling at moderate effort: about 700 vs 500 kcal/h for a 70 kg adult. Per kilometer covered, cycling is much more efficient: a 25 km ride burns roughly the same calories as a 10 km run for the same person. For a fixed time budget (the gym hour), running wins on calorie burn. For a fixed distance (commuting), the run burns more per minute but takes longer; the bike covers more ground with less per-mile cost.

Does bike weight affect calorie burn?

On flat road, bike weight barely matters: a 3 kg difference between a road bike and a heavier hybrid changes calorie burn by less than 1 percent. On steep climbs, bike weight matters more because you are lifting it: a 5 kg heavier bike on a 5 percent grade adds about 4 to 6 percent to the calorie cost. For everyday casual cycling, do not worry about bike weight. For climbers chasing Strava KOMs, every kilogram counts.

Why are smartwatch and bike computer calorie estimates different?

Smartwatches estimate calories from heart rate plus accelerometer data. Bike computers with a power meter measure energy at the pedal directly and apply a metabolic efficiency factor (typically about 24 percent). Power meter estimates are the most accurate, within plus or minus 5 to 10 percent of true energy expenditure. Heart-rate-only estimates are noisier (15 to 25 percent error) because heart rate lags behind effort and drifts with hydration and temperature.

Tools · Calories burned cycling

Calories burned cycling calculator.

Updated 2026-05-23 · 7 min read

Enter your weight, distance, average speed, and road grade. The calculator uses MET values from the Compendium of Physical Activities with a grade adjustment for hills. Supports kg/lb and km/mi.

How the math works

Cycling calorie burn depends on three things: how hard you pedal (effort), how heavy you are (weight), and how long you ride (time). On flat road, effort tracks closely with speed, so we use a MET lookup by speed. On a climb, the same speed requires much more effort — so we add a grade adjustment.

Specifically, this calculator multiplies the flat-road MET by a factor of (1 + grade percent ÷ 12) for uphills, with a floor of 2.0 METs for steep descents. The 12-percent divisor is an empirical fit to power meter data across 0 to 10 percent grades; it slightly overestimates above 12 percent. For most road and trail riding (grades under 8 percent), the estimate is within plus or minus 10 percent of true energy expenditure.

The base formula is the same as for running: calories per hour equals MET multiplied by body weight in kilograms, multiplied by hours of activity. The difference is the MET value's source — for cycling, the Compendium uses speed; for running, it uses pace.

Calories per hour by effort (70 kg cyclist, flat road)

Effort	Speed	MET	kcal/hour
Leisurely	5.5 mph / 9 km/h	3.5	245
Light commuting	10 mph / 16 km/h	6.8	476
Moderate	13 mph / 21 km/h	8.0	560
Brisk	15 mph / 24 km/h	10.0	700
Vigorous	18 mph / 29 km/h	12.0	840
Very vigorous	20 mph / 32 km/h	14.0	980
Racing pace	22 mph / 35 km/h	16.0	1120

Related tools

Calories burned running calculator — same MET-based approach for running.
Heart rate zones calculator — train at the right effort.
Marathon pace calculator — race pace and splits.
Knots to KPH — for cyclists also into sailing.
Live GPS speedometer — your real-time speed in the browser.

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