# Cycling Calorie Calculator > A 155 lb rider burns about 280 calories in 30 minutes at 12 to 14 mph and about 350 at 14 to 16 mph. An easy leisure ride under 10 mph burns about 140. Per mile, most riders burn 40 to 50 calories. Choose your speed below, or enter average watts if you ride with a power meter. **Last updated:** September 2026 **URL:** https://bodyhealthcalculator.com/cycling-calorie-calculator **Category:** Calories Burned by Exercise ## How it works Without watts: calories = MET × body weight (kg) × hours, using 2024 Adult Compendium bicycling codes 01003 to 01088. Speed bands use their midpoint to report distance. With watts: oxygen use (ml/min) = 1.9 × work rate (kgm/min) + 3.5 × body weight (kg) + 260 (Latin et al. 1993), converted at 5 kcal per litre of oxygen. Net calories remove 1 kcal per kg per hour of resting burn. ## How many calories does cycling burn? A 155 lb rider burns about 280 calories in 30 minutes at 12 to 14 mph and about 350 at 14 to 16 mph. A relaxed ride under 10 mph burns about 140. Racing speeds above 20 mph push past 590. Those figures come from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities, the reference list researchers use to assign an energy cost to each activity. If you ride with a power meter, enter your average watts instead and the calculator uses a cycle ergometer equation built on measured oxygen use. Sources: [1] ## Cycling calories by speed and body weight Each value is a 30-minute total. Double it for an hour. Speeds assume flat roads and light wind. *Calories burned in 30 minutes of cycling (2024 Compendium METs)* | Speed or type | MET | 125 lb | 155 lb | 185 lb | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Leisure, about 5.5 mph | 3.5 | 99 | 123 | 147 | | Leisure, under 10 mph | 4.0 | 113 | 141 | 168 | | 10 to 11.9 mph | 6.8 | 193 | 239 | 285 | | 12 to 13.9 mph | 8.0 | 227 | 281 | 336 | | 14 to 15.9 mph | 10.0 | 283 | 352 | 420 | | 16 to 19 mph | 12.0 | 340 | 422 | 503 | | Over 20 mph, racing | 16.8 | 476 | 591 | 705 | | Commuting, own pace | 6.8 | 193 | 239 | 285 | | Mountain biking, general | 8.5 | 241 | 299 | 357 | | Mountain biking, uphill | 14.0 | 397 | 492 | 587 | | E-bike, light assist | 6.0 | 170 | 211 | 252 | | E-bike, high assist | 4.0 | 113 | 141 | 168 | ## Calories per mile A 155 lb rider burns about 43 to 48 calories per mile on flat roads between 10 and 19 mph. Going faster raises the hourly burn a lot and the cost per mile only a little, because you cover more ground in the same hour. Hills, headwinds, rough surfaces, and wide tires all raise the cost per mile. A gravel ride at an easy pace rates 5.8 MET in the Compendium, and a steep mountain bike climb rates 14.0. Treat a per-mile figure from a flat road as a floor for hilly routes. Sources: [1] ## How the calculator works Without a power meter: calories = MET × body weight in kg × hours. MET is the energy cost of the activity as a multiple of resting burn, which is about 1 kcal per kg per hour. With a power meter: oxygen use in ml per minute = 1.9 × work rate in kgm/min + 3.5 × body weight in kg + 260. One watt equals 6.12 kgm/min, and each litre of oxygen burns about 5 kcal. Latin and colleagues validated this equation in 50 men from 0 to 900 kgm/min (about 0 to 147 W) and found it more precise than the American College of Sports Medicine cycling equation. Worked example: a 170 lb rider (77.1 kg) holds 14 to 16 mph for 75 minutes. Calories = 10.0 × 77.1 × 1.25 = 964 kcal. At an average of 15 mph that is 18.75 miles, or about 51 kcal per mile. The same rider with a power meter averaging 140 W over 45 minutes: oxygen use = 1.9 × 857 + 3.5 × 77.1 + 260 = 2,159 ml/min, or 10.8 kcal per minute. Over 45 minutes that is about 486 kcal, close to 8.4 MET. Sources: [1] [2] ## E-bikes: how much less do you burn? Less than most people expect. The 2024 Compendium rates e-biking at 6.0 MET with light assist and 4.0 MET with high assist. Both sit in the moderate range. With the motor off, an e-bike rates 6.8 MET, the same as regular commuting. A 2022 meta-analysis of 14 studies with 239 riders found e-bike assistance lowered effort by about 0.83 MET, heart rate by 11.4 beats per minute, and rider power by 31 W compared with a conventional bike. Even with moderate assistance, heart rate and oxygen use stayed higher than walking. Sources: [1] [4] ## What regular cycling does for health In the UK Biobank study of 263,450 adults followed for a median of 5 years, people who commuted by bike had a 41% lower risk of death from any cause than those who commuted by car or public transport. They also had lower rates of cancer and heart disease, and about half the risk of dying from heart disease. A 2019 meta-analysis of 21 cohort studies with over one million participants found cycling was linked to a 16% lower risk of developing heart disease and a 17% lower risk of dying from it. The authors found no clear dose response, so modest amounts of riding were linked to benefit. Sources: [5] [6] ## Where these numbers can be off Speed-based MET values assume a typical road bike, a typical rider position, and calm air. Riding in a group lowers your cost at the same speed. A heavy commuter bike with an upright position raises it. The power equation assumes average cycling efficiency. Trained riders tend to be slightly more efficient and burn a little less than it predicts at the same watts. Above 150 W the equation runs beyond the range it was tested on, though the straight-line relation between power and oxygen use holds well for steady riding. Sources: [2] [3] ## FAQ ### How many calories does cycling burn in 30 minutes? For a 155 lb (70 kg) rider: about 141 kcal at a leisure pace under 10 mph, 239 kcal at 10 to 12 mph, 281 kcal at 12 to 14 mph, 352 kcal at 14 to 16 mph, and 422 kcal at 16 to 19 mph. ### How many calories does cycling burn per mile? About 43 to 48 kcal per mile for a 155 lb rider on flat roads between 10 and 19 mph. Faster riding burns more per hour, but you cover more miles in that hour, so the cost per mile rises only slightly. Hills and headwinds add to it. ### Is cycling better than running for burning calories? Minute for minute, running usually burns more. A 155 lb person burns about 327 kcal in 30 minutes running at 6 mph and 281 kcal cycling at 12 to 14 mph. Cycling puts far less impact through the legs, so many people can ride longer and more often. ### Do e-bikes still count as exercise? Yes. The 2024 Compendium rates e-biking at 6.0 MET with light assist and 4.0 MET with high assist, both in the moderate range. A meta-analysis of 14 studies found e-cycling lowered heart rate by about 11 beats per minute and METs by about 0.8 compared with a regular bike. ### Should I use watts or speed? Use watts if you have a power meter. Speed on the road depends on wind, hills, tires, and riding position, while watts measure the work your legs do. The watts equation was built on cycle ergometers and is most accurate from about 50 to 150 W. ### Does cycling to work improve health? In a UK study of 263,450 adults followed for about 5 years, those who commuted by bike had a 41% lower risk of death from any cause and about half the risk of developing heart disease compared with people who drove or took public transport. ## References 1. Herrmann SD, et al. J Sport Health Sci 2024. [2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities: A third update of the energy costs of human activities](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jshs.2023.10.010) 2. Latin RW, et al. Med Sci Sports Exerc 1993. [Validation of a cycle ergometry equation for predicting steady-rate VO2](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8371659/) 3. Andersen RE, et al. Med Sci Sports Exerc 1995. [Validation of a cycle ergometry equation for predicting steady-rate VO2 in obese women](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8531619/) 4. McVicar J, et al. Scand J Med Sci Sports 2022. [Systematic review and meta-analysis evaluating the effects electric bikes have on physiological parameters](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35274374/) 5. Celis-Morales CA, et al. BMJ 2017. [Association between active commuting and incident cardiovascular disease, cancer, and mortality: prospective cohort study](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28424154/) 6. Nordengen S, et al. Br J Sports Med 2019. [Cycling is associated with a lower incidence of cardiovascular diseases and death: Part 1, systematic review of cohort studies with meta-analysis](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31151937/) 7. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. [Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition](https://odphp.health.gov/our-work/nutrition-physical-activity/physical-activity-guidelines/current-guidelines) ## Related - [stationary bike calorie calculator](https://bodyhealthcalculator.com/stationary-bike-calorie-calculator.md) - [air bike calorie calculator](https://bodyhealthcalculator.com/air-bike-calorie-calculator.md) - [running calorie calculator](https://bodyhealthcalculator.com/running-calorie-calculator.md) - [walking calorie calculator](https://bodyhealthcalculator.com/walking-calorie-calculator.md) - [calories burned calculator](https://bodyhealthcalculator.com/calories-burned-calculator.md)