Cycling Calories Burned Calculator

Calculate cycling calories burned from duration, intensity, and weight

This Cycling Calories Burned Calculator estimates how many calories you burn during a cycling session using a standard exercise energy method. It is designed for the most common search intent: “How many calories did I burn cycling?” after a normal workout where you roughly know how long you rode and how hard it felt. The result is an estimate, but it is good enough for tracking trends over time, planning weekly training volume, or comparing sessions at different durations and intensities.

The calculator works best when you treat intensity as a practical category rather than a perfect measurement. “Easy” is a casual pace where you can talk comfortably. “Moderate” is a steady effort where you are breathing harder but can still speak in short sentences. “Vigorous” is a hard effort where talking is difficult and your breathing is clearly elevated. If you do not know your exact speed, power, or heart rate, these intensity categories are the best trade-off between accuracy and usability.

To use the calculator, enter your ride duration in minutes, select the intensity that matches how the ride felt overall, and press Calculate. For a better estimate, open the Advanced section and enter your body weight in kilograms. If you leave weight blank, the calculator assumes a typical adult weight and still produces a usable estimate, but the number will be less personalized. The output shows total calories for the session first, then supporting numbers like calories per hour and calories per minute so you can compare rides of different lengths.

The numbers are based on a widely used approach that converts exercise intensity into a “MET” value, then converts that into calories using your body weight and time. This calculator is intentionally locked to steady cycling workouts and does not attempt to model highly variable scenarios like stop-start commuting, drafting in a pack, extreme hill climbing, or indoor trainer power-based estimates. If your ride was very uneven, treat the result as a mid-range average rather than a precise reading.

Assumptions and how to use this calculator

• The estimate assumes a steady ride where the chosen intensity represents most of the session.
• Intensity is mapped to common MET values for cycling (easy, moderate, vigorous) rather than speed or power output.
• If weight is not provided, the calculator assumes 70 kg to avoid blocking users who do not know their exact weight.
• The estimate does not account for wind, hills, bike type, rolling resistance, drafting, or frequent stops.
• Calories are gross energy expenditure (workout burn estimate), not a nutrition prescription or a “net” adjustment for resting metabolism.

Common questions

Why does weight change the calorie estimate so much?

Most calorie formulas scale with body mass because moving a larger body at the same effort generally requires more energy. Two people riding the same duration at the same perceived intensity can burn meaningfully different calories, and weight is the simplest factor that captures that difference.

Which intensity should I choose if my ride had easy and hard parts?

Choose the intensity that best reflects the overall effort. If most of the ride was easy with a short hard section, pick Easy or Moderate. If the ride was mostly steady with repeated hard pushes, pick Moderate or Vigorous. This tool is not designed for interval-level precision, so avoid overthinking short spikes.

Is this accurate for indoor cycling or a stationary bike?

It can be directionally useful, but indoor cycling varies a lot based on resistance, cadence, and whether you are following intervals. If your indoor sessions are structured or power-based, a power meter or machine estimate can be closer. Use this calculator when you want a consistent method across sessions rather than a lab-level reading.

Why is my smartwatch calorie number different?

Wearables often use heart rate, movement sensors, user profile data, and their own proprietary models. Differences are normal, especially when heart rate is affected by heat, stress, caffeine, dehydration, or sensor error. If you track over time, consistency matters more than matching any one device.

How can I make this estimate more accurate without adding lots of data?

The best quick improvement is entering an up-to-date body weight and choosing the intensity honestly. Also try to use the duration of actual riding time rather than total time including long breaks. If you regularly ride the same route, using a consistent intensity choice for that route makes trend tracking more reliable.